Artful69

Here you go ... The Tamiya kits are somewhere up on the left of this row ... The ZM collection is located under the light green tarp over there - next row on the right. HTH Rog

Carl ... The main reason I ordered the GT Resin cans is because you told me the kit ones were undersized ... I thought that these were the only corrected set? Otherwise I could have placed these in my BNA order for less ... Rog

Martin - All the best mate! ... Here's something to come back and look at Ok ... So ... another nice little storyboard post here ... I usually post this elsewhere too - but since I've recently been advised at that location that I am all sorts of nasty, evil things - I think I'll make myself scarce for a while ... If not more permanently ... I arrived back from site today, back home by lunch time ... and made a trip down to the post office later to collect these: If you remember back to my last post ... I went looking for 1/32 Tamiya Phantoms - specifically E's or EJ's - to build an RAAF bird ... I found a brand new EJ out of Japan at a reasonable overall cost ... But in the event that the store proved to be a hoax (there's no telling with some web-store designs these days!!), a guy that I had already arranged to buy a couple of Hobbycraft P.51A's from, threw his Tamiya F-4E into the works. Shipping from Japan to Australia is usually pretty safe - so that one then became a good back up option. I'm pedantic about packaging - with every store and individual, wherever they are, that I ever buy from. Precisely because of this: You can see that there has been a good 2-3 inches of compression on the one end of the box ... The only guy to completely ignore my packaging requests was some dude from New Zealand who sold me a couple of Dragon kits a few years back. I was so disappointed when one of the kits came out so mangled it had to be thrown out - he was an active forum member too ... he should have known better being a modelling enthusiast!! ... But he failed to even acknowledge the feedback I sent him ... no apology ... nothing! I digress ... In this case, Barry has made every possible attempt to weather proof and protect the contents from impact or crushing damage ... Besides the large amounts of (Green!!!) bubblewrap the kits were wrapped in some sort of lightweight waterproofing cover ... Unfortunately despite his best attempt ... the Postal service flipped the middle finger at us anyway!! While the box of one of the Hobbycraft kits was in good condition, the second took a beating ... and both were compressed slightly into the top of the Tamiya box. Fortunately ... The Parts inside the hobby craft boxes and some in the Tamiya box were also encased in protective wrapping ... From an Australian point of view, the USA has the most expensive shipping of anyone out there - and I'm beginning to wonder why! I don't think their postal service gives a rolling rats rear end about delivery ... They are becoming unreliable in other aspects as well. On the balance though, as disappointed as I am with the manner of arrival, Barry's willingness to follow my requests in packaging have left me with usable plastic! Having said that ... Many of you will know that, as I've been eyeing off the BIG Tamiya box that the F-4EJ came in and thinking that 32' scale is a little oversized for Jets ... I've been contemplating adjusting to '48 scale for my RAAF display. There are couple of other factors that push me toward this change and I'll note those later ... Meanwhile - in doing my research and asking for feedback, Carl suggested that the exhausts on the Tamiya '32 scale F-4's needed an AM fix as they are undersized - and the only correction replacement available is the GT Resin ones ... I don't know why Gary deals only through Sprue Brothers - but here we go with USA shipping again!! ... Fortunately, SB's must have some sort of package deal going on with the USPS - because anything coming from them is usually markedly cheaper than from individuals and their packages tend to arrive more or less intact. I needed some seamless intakes anyway and Gary's F/A-18 stuff was great so ... As expected ... The intakes are the usual top notch offering from Gary ... If they fit like the F/A-18 ones we're in business!! A little disappointingly the exhausts look like they might need a LOT of work ... IF they will actually be serviceable at all ... One looks a little out-of-round and the exhaust tips look to be discoloured and pitted in places ... I've done some work with Resin ... but I'm a long way from being any sort of expert ... I'm just hoping that I can get these to work somehow - If not - screw the scale accuracy thing - I'll go with Reskit or someone - stuff that I can get through a local supplier. Besides exhausts I need RAAF decals - so where better to shop than local, right? ... In amongst the packing pillows was a lovely packaged sheet with instructions ... Feedback also told me that the cockpit needs a little detailing ... and I've seen people raving on about Quinta Studios so I thought this would be as appropriate as any other time - along with some Master turned stuff ... Since the Mirage's are probably the next RAAF victim ... I grabbed these at the same time ... No Quinta stuff available, but it gives me the opportunity to test out Yahu and Eduard for comparison (since the store had only one of the Yahu panels in stock!) As for resin replacements ... Eric Galliers completed an epic build a few years back and engineered a few items that were specific to the RAAF Mirages. Besides a revised cockpit IP, one of external changes was the fuel tanks - besides being thicker and longer that the ones in the kit, they were also rounded rather than tapered at the rear and had the offset bomb hard-point placements on the undersides ... Unfortunately, although he made a couple of sets - they were never released for widespread distribution ... I wish he'd sold the masters to someone who would - as that scratch build stuff is way beyond my skill set!! Nobody has mentioned a need for seamless intakes on the Mirage ... but a few people have mentioned that the exhaust needs work in their builds ... so I grabbed these: I've used thin cement previously ... but due to supply issues - until recently ... I've never tried Tamiya, although I've seen plenty of complimentary remarks ... so added these to round out the order ... While doing my F-4 research I also took more than a passing liking to the Phantoms' interesting outline with all the angle changes everywhere. That, and my admiration for the ZM approach to life lead me to make the decision to collect their '48 scale Phantom line up! ... I started out with BNA again as they had a discount going on Once again a superbly packed box by these guys ... and they had 5 of the (currently) 10 available kits in stock ... Meanwhile I had a pre-existing order over at Metro Hobbies for the new ZM 32' scale Bf.109G-14 Eric Hartman ... So I added the 3 ZM Phantoms they had in stock as well as a new tool Tamiya '48 scale F-4B which I had read some great reviews on ... The two ZM Phantoms that are the hardest to get a hold of are SWS48-04 ... the first one they produced ... and SWS48-08 the "Marines" Boxing. I don't know whether they underproduced this particular kit or it was just extremely popular ... but it took me a couple of days of online searching to find either of them at a half decent price point ... The first one (SWS48-04), I paid the least overs for by buying it out of USA on the e-Bay global shipping program (again ... postage is expensive ... but not as extortionate as that which an individual will pay!!). It has hit the Perth side of Australia Post ... but is still sitting in the main distribution centre at present - I'm a bit nervous about what state that kit will arrive in to be honest, perhaps the "Global Shipping Program" has a kinder transportation QA than normal!! ... For the SWS48-08 boxing, I managed to find in a UK retailer called Antics Online ... Again ... I advised I was prepared to pay additional for shipping, provided they follow my packaging requirements ... which they did, close enough When I made the order, they explained that the kit was located in one of their retail outlets and would need to be retrieved back to the main warehouse before shipping ... Customer service was excellent and they kept me informed by email for the process ... As for the kit condition - it had been located at the retail outlet since it's arrival in the UK and so I was warned that the box may not be in the best shape ... ... and this little blemish on the top left hand corner was the only damage ... Now ... I'm not used to giving "In-Box" reviews ... But the GT Resin exhausts were really bugging me ... so I thought I'd do a quick comparison with the Reskit Mirage stuff ... Firstly ... the Reskit presentation an boxing is awesome ... Now I think it would be unfair to rate GT on the packaging side of things ... because Reskit is much bigger operation that Gary's cottage industry style setup. But look at parts and casting quality here ... I don't know if the F-4 Exhausts are actually supposed to be out of round ... but these are ... a roll along the table confirmed it ... The tubing has noticeable seam lines but from memory, looking at the aircraft, these wouldn't be visible anyway, I think?? Of more concern is the discolouration and pitting of the parts that definitely will be seen! Both GT sets are the same so if anyone can chime in with thoughts to assuage my angst, I'd be appreciative!! Another comparison I wanted to make was relating to the disastrously awful error in the ZM fuselage shape to the rear engine shoulder of the F-4 🙄🙄 ... My tongue is firmly in cheek as I state that - shape errors usually attract more political extremists from one end of the spectrum or other than a Federal election ... but the issues are to be afforded some import as they do catch the essence of the subject matter ... If something doesn't look right to you it impacts the entire build ... and just as there are hyper passionate Bf.109 or Spitfire fans out there ... there are those just as passionate about the F-4. Carl advised me of the issue - and that it just pertained to the shorter nosed variants (ZM's first boxing) as the longer nosed versions had corrections done to the shape before moulds were cut (such is ZM's passion to "get it right") ... I wasn't going to take the plastic out of the bags ... but lets play spot the difference as well as we are able ... Have you seen it?? ... Well it is (technically) there ... but I'm not sure that its really necessary to make a $36 AUD correction (over 25% of the kit value!) to correct a minuscule "bump" that to all but the trained eye is a negligible blemish - in '48 scale to boot! ... by the way - for those still wondering what all the fuss is about ... in the photos above, the short nosed version is on the top right hand side of the first and on the bottom. Now - some photos from the Hypersonic web store ... In these pictures the difference is obvious ... But when looking at the two fuselage halves with just eyesight and not zoomed photography its really not such a big deal ... and having stated that ... I may just look to build these kits straight OOB with no AM at all. With the limited selection of RAAF / RAN subjects in '32 scale available ... I may just go with to '48 ... as the subject choices are huge ... I can get a F-111C, Aermacchi MB-326, S-2G Tracker ... F/A-18A, A+ and B ... Mirage III.O ... the list goes on! ... and all of these come in boxings with RAAF decals already supplied ... Rog

Ha Ha ... Very funny Gaz!! Rog

I never get tired of hearing that combo ... Inverted V12, fuel injected, smooth running, Daimler Benz engine ... with a Supercharger screaming its box off!! To me they always sounded better that their allied counterparts ... Rog

Yay!!! Build work ... I thought the thread was descending into general discussion on 109's ... Rog 😛

More to the point … which one will be the most accurate and involve the builder more (in a good “this is fun” way, not a “F%#£!! piece of S$&@!! Way” ??) I haven’t had a lot to do with Meng kits … but I can say that I selected a Takom 1/35 Panther Ausf.D over theirs because it was bettter bang for buck. Rog

It sort of reminds me of the RAAF “Macchi” trainers we had/have over here … I used to see them doing a lot of formation flying when I was a kid. I'm actually thinking of reconfiguring my whole “Aussie” collection to 48 scale. There’s Mirages, a couple of F-111C Pigs and both Legacy and Current Hornets available. Rog

I’m happy to report I’m disease free … I was forced to take the magical unicorn vax here so I could keep my job and a roof over my head here in West Aus. I don’t know what that AMS thing you have is, but I hope you can’t transfer it over the net otherwise your device should be masked up!!! I probably won’t even bother with belts … the scale seems just too small … I’m even considering avoiding the fuse fix … I can see a vague difference between the kit and the correction parts - but really not all that much … so the question is … is it $25 worth??? (AUD) … I’ll leave that order till I see the kit I think! Rog

Ok … so just to confirm, according to this list … I will need six corrections sets… I went looking for seatbelts and the Quinta stuff last night … ugh!! … I struggle enough with 32 scale - plus I don’t think I’m that pedantic really … I’ll see when the kits start arriving, but I’m thinking that the scale might be too small for that stuff. I’m pretty much a bang for buck guy and external shape issues are probably going to be more noticeable! Does anyone have a link to a discussion somewhere where the fuse issue is discussed in detail with photos etc??? Rog

Ok … Copy that on the correction … I’ve found it on BNAs webstore and it’s only $24 so I’ll just order how many I need … Question: Is the F-4S one of the kits needing a correction?? Rog

Wow!!! None at all??? … that’s a weird one - most kits have a seat part with moulded on ones and give you a seat option - with or without!! …. Also the correction part … I’ll look that up … So thanks for the heads up on both! If they are anything like the 1/32 scale stuff, they should be heaps of fun to build. Rog

Ok … so Now I have my 1/32 scale F-4E and EJ phantoms (a BIG thank you for anyone offering their assistance in that department btw). During my mission, the ZM kits kept popping up in my Google searches and as I began to admire the style of F-4 more and more … I thought - why not, eh??? I have a love for ZM kits in general and I have collected all of their 1/32 scale items, even though some of them are for subjects I would not normally purchase. Now, Ive never built anything in dwarf scale before and so I’ve never looked at feedback regarding ZM’s 1/48 scale gear … in particular their Phantoms … so … Can anyone here advise me as to any glaringly obvious issues with their F-4 series?? I’ve already ordered them all and I’m awaiting their arrival … I might also hunt down 48 scale issues 1 - 3 afterward … but I just need to know if there are any AM corrections required … Rog

I'm in Gaz ... I won't get a chance to build mine for a while - so I'll be living vicariously! Rog

Yeah ... it really rankles that THAT particular condition happened to a person who is both THAT passionate about his craft - as well as THAT skilled!! Rog

Well ... It's been a hot minute ... Last post was in April Some very sad news earlier in the year with Ps.John of AIMS having to cease operations due to a very cruel and debilitating condition. This made it pretty much the last chance to grab some AIMS gear for the Ju.88 kits I have in the stash ... which I did! A very unloved (by the shipping companies) box arrived back in early June ... Fortunately (due mainly to Johns diligence in packing the goods for the obviously rough ride!!) ... the contents remain in pristine condition. And in conversions now, we have 1x Ju.188 A/D for the A-4 kit, 1x Ju.88G-6 for the A-4 kit and some replacement parts for a G-6 conversion to the old A-1 kit ... plus some Master gear for upgrades! I have no idea as to where all this stuff goes or what parts are for which conversion - but I'm sure the CD will show me some when the time comes ... which is not yet ... I've managed to collect a few resource books on Wehrmacht gear over the last year - I don't think I've been posting them though ... there's the elusive hardcover edition of the Tiger book still outstanding ... but Thomas Anderson (NOT - a program writer for a respectable software company that goes by the alias "Neo") writes some good material and seems to know his subject matter very well. And then in July a box arrived ... with a long time wish was delivered ... My favourite tank chassis in 1/16 scale ... the workhorse of the Panzer Divisions and a favourite of most crews ... the Panzer III ... Ok - so it's not my absolute favourite which would be an Ausf.L, M or N ... but if someone (looking at you Trumpeter!!) would release a Pz.IV Ausf.F1 or D with "The Stump" 75mm - then I'm in business to create an N out of the coming Heller 4-in-1 kit. Once the Gecko Pz.II Ausf.F is released I'll have a comprehensive 1/16 set (thanks to the recent purchases below this post) ... And while the Hobby-Boss Tiger.I doesn't know which version it quite wants to be (early, mid or late) and isn't the BEST example (when compared to the super expensive Tamiya option) it IS, Bang-for-Buck, a better option especially with all the AM getting around now ... unless someone else has a GOOD one, for a reasonable price, in the works?!?! So ... now were up to date with the older stuff ... we're into the recent acquisitions ... Since the sale of my ute happened just over 2 weeks ago (raising deposit funds for my house and land deal!) I had to Uber it into to the shopping centre where my post office is ... and order an Uber XL for my return trip due to the package sizes!! Opening the big box first ... There was a couple of Academy 1/35 scale armour kits that I've been waiting to get my hands on ... Academy has come along a fair way in recent years and reviews of these two kits were good ... simple builds, no internals - but great external detail and accurate giving me 2 very good North African options ... I bought the first release of the Takom StuG.III / StuH.42 ... I should have waited ... This early version of the StuH.42 - with the muzzle break - was what I was after ... It doesn't come with metal barrels for the guns like the "Late" one did ... but I doubt it will make much of an issue with the barrel being slide moulded and so short anyway ... Next was (aside from the still pending Gecko Pz.II F) the final link in the 1/16 chain ... a Pz.I ... and just to prove that no matter how long you've been researching stuff, there is ALWAYS something new to learn, During this exercise I found that there was VERY obvious differences between the Pz.Ia and Pz.Ib ... notably, the extra length in the chassis and the resulting extra road wheel! ... And finally, after a wait spanning eons (seemingly!) ... in its own little box of protection ... was this ... ... Except ... it's not a B.II ... because that would mean RADIAL engines, yes?? ... I think they mean either a B.I or a B.III surely?? Definitely a B Mk.I or III then! Anyway ... before I bought it, I asked Frontline to open up the box and check the transparencies (knowing what an epic s*** show that was at the beginning of the release run!!) ... thankfully Border (probably realising this was a make or break moment for them) got onto the issue rather quickly - and my customer service rep advised that they had revised their boxing ... and added a separate box inside the kit to assist with protecting them. He checked them any way and left this note inside the box to prove it. You'll note that in order to fit the protective box within the original kit box ... a whole bunch of sprues needed to be re-arranged, which in turn mean that they protrude about an inch or so above the bottom section of the kit box and so the box top will not completely close. Here's Border Models cunning little solution to that issue ... A banner at the base of the kit box bottom!! Correctly marked B/Mk.I/III this time ... And coming now, to the final package ... I discovered a while back, while doing some research on the RAAF Mirage.III ... and some rather interesting reading on the delayed acquisition of the RAAF F.111 (geez I'd LOVE to get a 1/32 Aussie Pig!) ... that Australia "borrowed" (leased) some F-4 Phantoms as an interim sweetener ... As until recently, I had never really had an interest for jets (excepting the end stages of WWII), I'd only ever looked at the F-4 in passing. But in deciding to build an RAAF one I've noticed how an incredibly interesting design it was ... leagues ahead of it's competition worldwide at the time it entered operational service, extremely versatile in a number of roles and with a 60+ year service history in multiple nations - some of which opposed each other in conflict! Then came the research - which 1/32 Phantom to get? ... Thanks to the input of many who've gone before me - Tamiya was the wining candidate in the brand stakes, but getting the correct variant has proven a little tricky ... after a few hours researching the 'E' variant (and finding out that the Japanese 'EJ' variant is pretty much the same bird), then came the shopping ... It seemed that just about every available E/EJ variant going was asking drug money (due to the shortage of available kits!) ... I kept up my google searching, changing up the search parameters and playing around with various SKU's before finally finding one in a place in Japan called "Japan Figure" (specialising in figurines from various anime shows, Gundam etc). At just RRP plus DHL shipping (which is fairly inexpensive from there considering the sort of cost in USA for example) I managed to get this - still wrapped in plastic!! So now I just need some GT resin gear (intakes and cans) along with some RAAF decals and 3D cockpit decoration. There is more on the way ... but since it won't get here until after I fly back out to work ... I'll leave those stories for later Rog

I want to build an RAAF F4-E Phantom in 1/32 … apparently the Academy kit is the Revell plastic which is 💩 I can see Tamiya kits for sale but not the E (which I’ve been advised is OOP) … is there any way to get a suitable E out of the Tamiya products available?? - or do I need to find an E from somewhere… Rog

Not really possible ... I can't do that without having access to the no-longer-available conversion set ... so no! Rog

Finally!!! .... Waiting over 2 months for this package to arrive from Hong Kong ... An Early Ki.43-II ... And a couple of new Border Model Luchs Rog

Most of the rest of my orders arrived at the post office today ... I was excited for one kit in particular ... but very soon deflated after opening the box it was packaged in ... 5 kits ordered out of Hong Kong ... and because of shipping restrictions all had to be packaged separately ... The package previously stuck in traffic also arrived ... Tamiya kits are becoming almost prohibitively expensive here now ... so a bulk buy out of Hong Kong was the go ... even with Shipping costs and currency conversion fees added, I paid approximately $40 AUD LESS per kit than here in Australia ... The 1st 3 kits arrived undamaged ... The Corsair packaging suffered a minor compression ... as can be seen in the top LH corner ... But the kit that I was really looking forward to was compressed pretty badly damaging some of the packaging inside ... I've written them a complaint - after all - if this was a trade item or a gift for someone, the value has just dropped through the floor - not impressed!! The delayed package ex-east carried the last 32 scale Hasegawa kit they had in stock ... While - to fill out the order and get free shipping - I grabbed these 2 kits ... Link and length tracks are provided for this New Tool Tamiya 38(t) ... thereby removing one of the only real flaws in Tamiya 35 scale kits as an option. Detail is wonderful and the addition of a figure is always welcome. Dragons latest effort ... A joint venture with a Japanese company Mono to provide Japanese instructions in a rebooted Dragon tooling - a long sought after kit for me ... a Marder III Ausf.H ... The kit contents include 3d printed resin grills, photo etch, metal gun barrel as well as a DS cast tarpaulin cover AND Magic Track Cheers Rog

While I know that, at some point, I'm likely to get lynched for not starting a build thread with all the Kursk gear I've been building up - I have to say that it can't be helped ... I haven't really had the time to relax and do a lot of build work ... mostly because I'm catching up with other, long overdue, chores or looking for my next job. I HAVE, however, had time to hunt around for some more gear to add to the collection ... As I am inclined to do, with the sort of purchases I make, I build up a few "rewards" points with a variety of local (meaning Australian) outlets ... and along with some sort of periodical sale late last year, it netted me this: Sometime late last year a couple of things happened at around the same time ... I saw the latest movie about The Battle Of Midway and Infinity model advised that it was going to be releasing 32 scale Val's and Kate's this year ... that definitely got the creative ideas flowing for Pacific war subjects ... so I snagged these around Christmas time from one of my main suppliers ... Apparently the Avenger will need some small modifying to turn it into the correct variant for Midway - have a really nice example of a build bookmarked for this purpose - though no build thread ... and the SBD will need some small decal adjustment for Best's kite ... Thach's Wildcat will happen curtesy of this kit which I had to go to a previously unused suppler for ... - eventually - as I ordered special decals from an AM supplier in the US ... which were promptly returned to the sender by USPS! Not all that happy with the moron either, who - 1/ instead of asking if I'd like the refund first (as opposed to waiting for restrictions to ease - and reattempting postage) - 2/ refunded me the amount - less fees which, along with the currency transfer, incurred me a loss ... and then 3/ blamed MY COUNTRY for HIS COUNTRY'S shipping restrictions!! (insert some VERY profane words here!!) 🤬 *** IF anyone knows where I can get some 32 scale Decals (or masks) for Thach's markings OUTSIDE the USA ... please give me a heads up - TIA *** To "bulk out" the order for the free shipping ... I grabbed some Grenadier figures to use - because you can never have too many different poses At around the same time I used some more reward points to pre-purchase this monster ... The Das Werk 1/16 StuG ... Because the PzKpfwIII chassis is my favourite ... It just arrived at the post office yesterday ... It also gave a profile that I'll put to use for my TAKOM 35 scale StuG ... While I was looking around to source the new Great Wall Hobby P.40 ... I ended up reading a little about the Ki.43 Hayabusa ... Although completely different, it used the same philosophy in design and was commonly referred to as the "army Zero" ... looking around online for one proved to be a bit of a headache though, as it seems Hasegawa is rolling back production on 32 scale AC models. This prompted another splurge in buying ... Particularly Hasegawa Kits!! ... but also others ... This order, from a local supplier, arrived yesterday also ... I wanted the StuH.42 for the Kursk gear and also, maybe, I may have use for the Marder.I ... The Hasegawa George happened to be in stock along with a couple of sets of Master's phenomenal turned brass ... There is another order from a local supplier that is stuck in the traffic jam due to train line damage that recent el-weirdo weather conditions caused. So that one will be posted here once it arrives ... Meanwhile I got busy internationally ... Ordering kits out of Japan or Hong Kong (from local manufacturers in the region) is usually much cheaper that buying them here ... there's a catch though (isn't there always??) ... Shipping is prohibitively expensive IF you are only buying the one kit! If you are buying in bulk, however ... shipping is a boon! ... the shipping cost per item decreases exponentially ... most times ... Apparently Japan has followed the USA's example of "banning" certain countries ... although there ARE workarounds with certain global couriers. I've got a couple of orders still inbound from Hong Kong along with the delayed package ex-east coast ... but this one arrived from Plaza Japan today ... With a little "thank you" note and gift ... And a few Hasegawa Kits ... Along with this re-release of an old kit that fascinated me when I first saw it a couple of years back ... Thats all for now ... more to post later Rog

Yes - This MUST happen!!!!! Rog

Started some preliminaries on the builds … but work has been in the way with too much to do on the R&R week … and yes I’m supposed to be starting a build thread, I know 🙄🙄🙄 … I will get around to it shortly I think. Rog

Yes I know … it’s an “early” version of a Ki-43-II Rog

Awww crap! ... I knew it ... I have seen that conversion kit also on Scalemates - looks sweet too ... I really wish people who made masters for this stuff would sort out some sort of succession plan!! ... I have 2 Hase' Oscars en-route from Japan ... one is an "early" which apparently has a slightly different cowl included compared to the standard Hase' kit ... and the other is a standard one ... 🤷‍♂️ ... oh well! ... I guess a Nate will have to do it on a side by side! Yeah ... gutted ... if anyone has the conversion and hasn't used it yet - they're probably going to hang onto it anyway Rog