Wumm

I'll pop some photo's on after dinner with some pointers Rog... S

This was my whole point in questioning Thierry Laurant over on LSP... Stating as he did that the Hasegawa was 2mm short in the nose, which is incorrect. The gun panel is out by a millimetre but this doesn't affect the length at all. But people repeat stuff they cannot prove, and it becomes fact. Conversely, The Revell kit is also short by nearly a mm itself, not including the spinner that's .4mm short and the rudder that's .6mm long. Take these two off the fuselage, and the Revell fuselage is actually 2mm short on it's own! But no... this is the most accurate 1/32nd Bf109 ever apparently. Brett Green said so. Roy Sutherland did the same thing on Hyperscale as 'Robertson' did on ARC, only his version has the Hasegawa 4mm short! A friend of his worked on the actual "Black 6" in the UK, and told him the gun cowl was 5inches out when compared to the 1/48 scale Hasegawa. Roy took this to mean that the 1/32nd scale was out by the same margin, and said so without ever measuring the 1/32nd scale kit for himself. When I challenged him (as I do whenever people like he or Jennings or Jamie Haggis spout this drivel) he bailed on the thread. The problem with this is, Roy is respected in the hobby, and when he and others spread this false information people believe it. Which I'm sure pushes some of those in the 5% towards the Revell kit in the belief that it's superior (which it is admittedly in some areas, but not all). Free publicity to add to the magazine and online adverts that Revell aren't apparently targeting the serious modeller with. Yeah, right! S

Wow, This little kit really looks good in the flesh Jim. Any word on how the wing to fuselage interface will mate together? S

Yeah I know, Doug... But if you follow the trail, you could see what's going on. There's been a few little hints along the way, coupled with bagging of the Hasegawa equivalent by some involved in the project... Always a nasty look. If you have enough confidence in your product, you don't need to trash the opposition. And more puzzling was Brett Green's removal of the link Nick posted on Hyperscale to the comprehensive and very fair LSM team review. And the seeming inability for LSM to source kits from Revell for the purposes of that review here. Perhaps those in the know might shed a little light on these issues via PM if they so desire? Because we are their repeat business. We are the reason Revell put full page adverts in modelling magazines. We are the reason Revell send test shots to websites like Hyperscale and IPMS Deutschland. We are the reason Revell organises a bunch of these kits for Brett Green and friends to publish a how-to book about the kit before it's even released to the public. Not those buying the kit as an impulse purchase, but we who would perhaps buy half a dozen or more kits. All of this advertising and publicity effort is wasted, if they don't care what we think. I personally think this 5% figure is picked out of the air randomly, and is being used by Revell as a convenient excuse to cut corners after the buy-out by the American parent company in 2012... Which would also account for the difference in the fidelity of some of the details in the large scale kits released since then. S

It might pay to re-read the entire thread then Doug... Especially Andreas' next post, where he says, and I quote: "During the design phase of the kit nearly all major issues were addressed in time - and simply ignored. Frustrating for all who accompanied the design phase. And these were throughout knowledgeable people! With the distance of a year now: it was nearly deliberate sabotage." His words, not mine. Sure looks like he felt he was being ignored. As does Lynn Ritger's comments in this Hyperscale post: http://www.network54.com/Forum/149674/message/1380722323/You+are+being+disingenuous+and+deliberately+misleading%2C+Darren. With comments such as "none of us were thrilled with the engineering decision to mold (sic) the spinner how it came out" and "not enough radius on the kit part, despite an awful lot of back-and-forth on it." Given some of the details that slipped through, I'm now not surprised at all.

That will require changes to every panel forward of the firewall, plus the gun cowl and the two side panels immediately behind the firewall position. Not to mention completely different oil cooler and compressor intake, plus the addition of the second M/W50 oval panel on the starboard fuselage side. Oh, and offset cowl scoops please. Try and find an Erla G-10 photo with the scoops in-line.

Sorry George, Not private, just have a lot of opinions as to Mike's train of thought. The people in charge pulling the purse strings are one thing... But we have been told that Revell have engineered the Bf109G-6 kit in a particular way, to cut costs and provide commonality in the way the kit is moulded. Then, they go and announce that the next kit in the line will be the Erla G-10, which will require a completely different fuselage if done properly. Revell had all the information available to them, but chose not to put all of it to use. This has been confirmed now by two different sources. One wonders why assemble a team of 6 knowledgable people, if you're not going to put them to best use? This is surely a waste of resources... S

I don't know Mike... Are we any more serious as a collective, simply because we prefer the larger scales, which inevitably leads to better detail being either present or, if not, expected? Is there the perception that the serious modeller will suffer less detail in a kit if it's under a certain price point? All valid questions I feel, and like this magic 5% number, probably deserves more attention. Revell may be onto something though. I had read that Revell managed to sell over 10,000 units of the 1/32nd scale Ju-88 kit. That's an awful lot of large, expensive kits if the majority were impulse buys. However, at one point Pastor John McIllmurray had only sold 120 or so G-1 and G-6 conversions for this kit to my knowledge. Not very many, considering the quality of the set and the popularity of the later N/F variants. But these conversions were mostly only publicised online. Interesting if taken into consideration with Andreas' comments. S

Yeah, I agree to a certain extent Mike... But this kit has been hyped from the get-go, even way back when it was supposed to have full engine detail (remember that?). It has some very innovative features, and some areas of excellent detail, but is let down in other areas that Hasegawa did right a decade ago. Brad made some pertinent points. In the post you mentioned from LSP by Andreas Beck, he has already stated that Revell know about the gun trough issues, but are choosing not to address it. Presumably, they already know of the other errors as well, as Lynn Ritger has already addressed these (in an abusive post against the OP) on Hyperscale. Brett Green himself has put forward the notion that there will be aftermarket available for these kits (which has already come to fruition). This kit came pre-loaded with excuses for the things that they got wrong. It has now been followed up with confirmation that these issues won't be addressed, due to budgetary constraints and the fact that 95% of their target market won't care. Well, I am their target market. 1/32nd scale WW2 Axis aircraft is virtually all I build. And at this point in time, I'm less bothered by the flaws in the kit, than the attitude displayed by the Manufacturer and it's representatives. S

I share Matt's curiosity... As to how they have come to this figure, although I cannot dispute it. I hope Revell put more research into their customer demographics than did into the intricacies of the Bf109 cowling. But the real question is... To whom is the Reality Check directed Mike? Let's just say that the 1 in 20 in who's opinion Revell aren't interest in, were going to buy a dozen kits, but chose not to because they cut corners for economic reasons and completely ignored some of the advice given to them by the research team. That 5% suddenly becomes a third of their sales. Perhaps lost. S

Dodger, You can probably get away with only the barrel showing, and some modification of the underside. Gun breech was internal, with the ammunition saddle looped around in a horseshoe pattern. Apart from an exterior bulge on the underside, rectangular slot for the empty shell casings, and the barrel of course, there was no other external signs. http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j437/Wumm/Me410_BK5_zpsde808210.jpg S

Don't forget Customs too chaps... These have to clear US Customs, then again to get back to the UK. Goods made within the EU are duty free across borders to other EU Nations I was lead to believe... That alone would seem to cut down the end price significantly. S

I don't believe there are Mike... Might be because all the available 1/32nd Italian kits, whether Silver Wings or PCM, come with their own p/e sets. FWIW, pretty sure Eduard did PCM's p/e frets. S

What a beautiful release out of left-field... It seems as though they've missed the early side windows particular to the 20mm-armed Versuche Komets. But this should be an easy fix. Otherwise, it's all there and looks fantastic. S

Yeah it's funny that... After the "Kennett Curse" was lifted, I thought they would be unstoppable today. My Wife knows Jeff through her work, and he's actually a very polite man, despite reputations. She hates your mob though (Kanga's supporter) from the '98 G/F... something about colostrum? As for me, I'm not letting on, but let's just say I still have all my own teeth! S

Well commiserations Rog, They played well, and can take a lot out of it for the next few years I'm sure. Hawthorn were good all year, and the highest scoring team per game for the year, but they were never really able to break them through-out the whole game. And with Woosha gone from the other mob, looks like a period of dominance coming up over in the West. I used to do deliveries in Collins Street Melbourne, which is partly closed to traffic for the Grand final parade each year. So for me, Grand Final eve was always a bl**dy nightmare! Steve.

No Brad, This is a perfectly acceptable point of view that you've put forward. As margins get tighter across all industries, not just the Hobby market, retailers and businesses are made to see that service is very often the defining point where decisions are made between purchase options. We've just had the QMHE show here in Brisbane... There's a Trader that comes most years (No names, but he's from Adelaide, so it's a very long round trip), some years he doesn't get here, but he always manages to sponsor a couple of show categories even if he can't make it. This is the sort of thing that gets noticed by a lot of Modellers, and often online purchases are made that reflect this fact, certainly in my case at least. It's in everyone's interest for the health of the Hobby. Steve

Likewise Mike... Have a quite large stash of the Hasegawa's too. But the Revell seems to have some better features, despite the drawbacks. And new aftermarket underwing gondolas, cowl Buelen and other items tossed into the mix can also benefit the G-4 versions of those older Hasegawa and Pro-Modeler kits as well as the new Revell. A win-win situation all 'round... S

Where dat Brad? Still yet to appear up here in Qld to my knowledge. Although they may have sold out already... Still, $50 + $10 for postage plus whatever more for the aftermarket to cover the fundamentals that Revell should have included is a lot more that $25 Stateside. Or for that matter the bunch of Hasegawas I picked up along the way for $35 Au. S

The Breda 65 is just quirky enough for my liking Andy... But that early Macchi would also go down quite nicely too, thank you! Interested to see how Special Hobby would approach it vs the PCM effort. S

FWIW... Special Hobby announced a 1/32nd scale Macchi C.200 early version at the start of 2007... So long ago that George W. Bush was the U.S. President, Tony Blair was the U.K. Prime Minister, And John Howard was still Prime Minister here in AU. http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/Ausstellungen/Nuernberg2007/Nuernberg_2007.html#table0 So long ago, that the Second World War could have been fought and won in the interim! I don't think its coming... S

You have it right Mike, The resin piece you have circled is the firewall, which on the D-13 is missing the ammo cases that are present on the D-9 and A series aircraft. The cut-out pieces go towards the front, they are the fuel filters which sit inside small recessed boxes. There should also be a rectangular opening at the face of the firewall, for the cannon to insert into, or at least abutt against. There should also be a representation of this cannon inside the cockpit, which to my knowledge is not included in either the Grey Matter or Renaissance correction sets, but which are available through Aires or other aftermarket suppliers. HTH, Steve.

Well... At least they don't have thrusters on their legs like the Strike Witches. Erm... You do know you're not supposed to watch it for the tanks Rog, right? S

Thanks for the well wishes Grant... Hope your procedure also went well. BTW, has anyone heard from Harvey, post-Whiskey? Harv? S

No all good Nicko... We think they know what she has, and it's non-progressive at this stage. They are just looking for the confirmation. Half a dozen Doctors and they can't seem to reach a consensus on what they're looking at. Kind of sounds like the Buelen on the 1/32 Revell Bf109G-6! I think I need a drink now... S