Artful69

While all the ranting a raving is carrying on about which LSP's or LSA's showed up ... which didn't ... which were a complete waste of everyones time ... which ones should have been there instead etc etc ... ad nauseam ... Did ANYONE spy the 1/200 Scharnhorst ... due this year?? Rog

Those guys basically order a few of anything they can months in advance ... they only get a couple of shipments per year ... But Lauren at Metros admitted that because a lot of their order was now filling out backorders, they'd probably start looking at expanding extras in future so that they retained a decent "stockpile" in-between. I jump on Volks and I see what a kit will end up costing me including any fees and postage ... If they are selling the kit and shipping it to my door within $10 of what I can get it for here - I'll go with an Aussie outlet - mostly! (I did order my Ho.229 and Do.335A-0 from Spruebrothers and paid the premium if IIRC). With ZM ... this is usually the case. BNA aren't usually THAT much cheaper on the product - but enough that I've bought single kits through them before. For this order ... 3x ZM kits came to $864. I don't tend to throw around that much cash in one hit so I ZIP-Pay'ed it ... Same with Frontline's order ... And through either one - I'm probably going to have do the same to get the WNW or HK Lanc. Having said that ... I'm surprised that BNA haven't got their ZM order in yet!! ... Rog

... one of life's great mysteries ... Rog

Yes that order came from Metro's ... They got their order in sometime 1st week of January ... Ran out of one of the new Skyraiders as it went to stock - due to backorders I believe ... apparently their gear is becoming so popular that Metros needs to expand their orders for the next run ... Frontline have theirs in stock now. I have my 2 Skyraiders (SWS-15 & 16) and a Trumpy A-4E inbound from them and due to arrive any day. Link below https://www.frontlinehobbies.com.au/zoukei-mura-1-32-henschel-hs-129b-sws-17 Rog

'Tash (not stash!) is the shortened ref for moustache ... Rog

Nice ... I've book marked that link for future ref. Ta! Rog

This was one kit that was on my hit list ... But I couldn't find one with Magic track by the time I went looking - they all had DS! Nice build Rog

No worries dude ... I see what's happened ... the pic you are referring to is the 2 decal sheets - yeah? ... one of those is an F-18 with FS colour call outs (on the right) ... on the left is the A-4G Skyhawk with the BS call outs ... Every time I read "BS" I snicker in my head - demented, I know. Rog

I must ash you a question!!! ... lol ... but seriously relevance?? Rog

*Quiet snickering in the corner here* .. Rog

We've established that "FS" are relatively easy to find (just not in Tamiya acrylic's!!) - so if that's what you're referring to - I agree ... But somehow I doubt Early F-18's or F-14's of the same period used British Standard paint types used on the A-4G's (which is the focus of the above post)? ... and the paint type I'm finding difficult to match!! Also ... just a quick ask, friend - but my post IS a little picture heavy ... so could you prune your "quote" to cull the pictures unless you need to refer to a specific one ... that way we don't end up with a mountain of repeated (and confusing) info buddy!! Rog

Talk about learning something new every day!! ... In 10+ years I have NEVER known that RLM was Luftwaffe specific!! ... I have shot loads of Tamiya acrylic paint at various Luftwaffe and Heer subjects over the years and didn't know there was a fundamental difference! It never, ever occurred to me. I'll try to relax on getting the colour perfect - but I'd like to get it believably close! ... Like I said ... I've usually just gone with the one unmixed Tamiya colour - near enough is good enough ... for me at least. The problem with no thinning is getting less bang for buck ... I can get a lot of coverage out of a 10ml bottle of Tamiya acrylic at present ... And my current feedback is that Mr.Hobby Acrylic's apply/finish a little better for about the same usage. The general impression I'm getting is that Lacquer paints apply/finish much better than acrylic's do ... ... Or multiple douchebags!! ... especially anyone going by the same initial's as mine! And I want to sincerely thank everyone for that!!!! ... the nature of the discussion here ... I have learned so much - without feeling like a complete dumbass!! ... All in such a small amount of time - thanks to the willingness of everyone to participate and offer up their own experiences and points of view without quarrelling with each other and getting snarky. _____________________________________ Thanks for the info on paint types, people ... I remember my experiences with enamels way back when ... and how everything seemed much more simple and less time-consuming with acrylics to the point of "I don't believe how easy this is!!" ... At the moment I'm leaning toward a Mr.Hobby acrylic swap-over - just going by experience and comfort level ... but I MAY - at some point - buy a set of Tamiya lacquer's to try on one model kit ... maybe before I do the swap?? ... I honestly don't know ... I'm a little worried about preparation/use/cleanup that may be involved with them at present ... meanwhile ... the RAN A-4 is presenting a paint conundrum all its own ... at least I know I can GET a designated "FS" colour at this time. The "BS" colours are ... well ... BS!! ... running a search ... These (both - I s%$# you not!!) came up under the same search for BS381C-697 (Light Admiralty Grey) ... Now ... Just looking at colours here without ANY other reference point ... the second one would be "grey" ... you would think ... but against this (on the A-4) ?? - The light blue/grey sort of works better: This colour (BS381C-693) looks to be almost spot on: I figure if I can take a reasonably accurate swatch on my phone down to the local hobby store, I can work out what Paint colour will best suit from there. Heres some more pic's I grabbed off the internet for consideration ... There is definitely a blue-ish tinge to the light grey ... whether it's as blue as the above paint swatch I'm not so sure?? Remember these photo's were taken at the latest in 1984-5 so there's the age factor coming in there. Rog

Congrats on your bounty Carl!!! I bought the HKM Dambuster Lanc ... the kites were new from the factory when modified for Chastise - or at least thats what all my information says ... so I wanted a clean skin with no panel warping. I decided to hold of on the standard bomber Lanc purchase until the WNW kit hits the stores ... I want to see what in-box reviews of the retail plastic look like of that warped skin before I pull the trigger ... also the price comparison will com into calculations ... The WNW kit might justify a $50-$100 AUD differential ... but a $100-$200 one?? ... yeah ... wait and see I think! ... Once I get that bird sorted out, my next target will be a Chastise Bomb and trolley from Graham at Iconicair - with a tractor ... the HKM kit part looks a little dodgy to me. Rog

Its official ... Carl is the main supplier for Spruebrothers!! Rog

Theres a few discrepancies and some misinformation ... But otherwise ... this is Holden in less than 30mins ... Rog

I'ma wait until the next delivery gets here and my ZM collection is complete Rog

Working with Holly's always reminded me of one of the last scenes of Kellys Heroes ... When Oddball buys the Tiger off the Germans Moriarty: Now look, Oddball. The trade for the uniforms I can understand. But to buy this tank, you got to be crazy! Oddball: It's a mother beautiful tank! Moriarty: It's a piece of junk. The fuel system leaks all over the place! It's a piece of junk! Oddball: Always with the negative waves, Moriarty. Always with the negative waves! Moriarty: Crap!

... Or maybe BOTH lol Rog

True ... Andrew (my vehicular Jedi master) always said a Carter was to be used wherever possible ... although they were hard to get out here and expensive when available ... When Edelbrock started releasing gear here in the late 80's/early 90's, Andrew declared that the "copy" was sufficiently well built enough to replace the over complicated Holly messes we had to endure up until that point. Rog

On the plus side it DOES have a flashy new looking Edelbrock carburettor ... I had one on my Charger's 340ci small block ... but I agree ... a smaller cast iron or an alloy 5.0 would be lovely. Rog

I tend to think theres a happy medium ... The guy who taught me mechanics back in the early 90's (when I was a full on rev head) had a saying: "Subtle is the way to go - the amount of hardware protruding from the bonnet is inversely promotional to the size of the male genitalia" ... also balance in the build ... power delivery needs to be balanced with proportionate changes to suspension and braking. My Charger was a speed animal ... and yet looked completely stock from the curb!! ... I don't want insane levels of performance for the ute ... hence the lack of engine mods ... just slightly better power delivery and better economy. The cold air induction system will still have the MAF Sensor to regulate engine tuning ... Also a nicer sound doesn't hurt. The header back exhaust sounds lovely on the demo's I've heard. Rog

This is odd ... I definitely remember the talk some years back of a possible export to the US under the El' Camino label ... That never happened?? Also ... I know that there is a mob over there that import Aussie utes and do a full R-to-L hand drive conversion for the new owners Rog

Ohhhhh ... ... That is gorgeous!! ... project standard resto' or hotrod?? Rog

The main reason I wanted one before they got too old was the loading height ... the tray gate at the back drops down to mid thigh level making it extremely easy to load/unload items without straining your back. The "Utes" sold here now are all imported Gernman/Japanese/Indian/Chinese designs for the American market with a higher ride height, twin cab, 4WD design ... RAM are selling the bigger (F250 sized) optionwzith their ad's trying to appeal to the Australian muscle car fans ... If I do trade out of this particular ute ... it will be to upgrade the package and maybe a newer model with low Km's. For now ... I'm happy with what I have ... but I'll be looking to upgrade the intake/exhaust at the end of the year Rog

... I don't think you missed anything ... Anything i posted in the trade section should remain there - but that reminds me! ... I'm no longer looking!!! ... Annnnnnnd the thread title will definately be changed now thanks Ern!! ... as Carl mentioned earlier ... we sold ours to them ... some lucky Cannuck pilot would have found the discarded chewing gum stuck under the IP and cigarette burn holes in the upholstery buy now ... watch out for the dodgy shift into 2nd gear ... I dunno whether they got any supplementary A/C from the Sates though?!? Rog