Artful69

So ... in further news ... This morning I’ve been doing a ring around to some of the lesser known local suppliers ... or at least those ones whose webpages are too archaic or complicated for the average Joe to be bothered investigating much. Turns out one of them knows the local importer for Academy quite well ... and in an official email to distributors ... Academy are about to re-release the A kit with Australian markings included - arrival in September over here at a reasonable $220 AUD I can wait. Rog

Im actually enjoying learning about the nuances in different Mk's or variants ... Hairdryers are a different world! ... Catching the info from those who've gone before me ... picking it up quickly I hope Looks like the second test will be a draw ... too much rain interfering ... England performing much better this game with a full bowling compliment! Rog

At present I'm looking at 2x Kinetic C/D kits + 2x Avionics conversions (1 for an A build, 1 for a B build)... they have have tail + cockpit bits etc ... and apparently the cockpit is the ducks valuables! Rog

So Clunk! ... I have discovered ... in my research ... That there are TWO boxings of the Kinetic kit ... and both have the same box-art - probably to confuse twits like me. The original one is the one you refer to ... choice of A/B, C/D Variants ... ability to make a one or two holer. Unfortunately - it's both OOP and as rare as rocking horse poo ... which means extraordinary amounts of gold bullion or Australian Pesos are required to obtain one ... If found! The more recent release ... and the one still on sale in retail outlets around the world is the C/D ONLY boxing ... which doesn't contain the A/B bits. However ... all is not lost ... because according to my flowchart ... Avionics make a couple of detail sets that are readily available and include all of the resin required to convert said kit to either an A or a B. Although G-Factor gear is highly recommended (in the same way that SAC gear is NOT!) ... I'm advised from those in multiple builds from years of yore that the kit gear (if assembled correctly) should do well over time - even with the added resin!! (oh, ye of little faith!) Of course the F/A-18A/B seems no longer to be my problem child ... as with all things - the rabbit hole continues to descend! It appears we (I mean Australia) also decided to buy in a bunch of F/A-18F Super Hornets (Hornets on 'roids maybe?) ... Trumpeter is the go to for this one ... but in that barrel of electric eels lies the rub! ... apart from a couple of small(-ish) exceptions (we're in LS territory, remember) - there is hardly a whimper raised from the AM community!! ... especially in the cockpit region which the place most desperately in need on this kit. "Wait!!" (I hear the multitudes shout!) ... "But look to the east and the dawning of the new Revell kit! Surely an F and a G will follow the E!" ... Except Revell are in the same category as Trumpeter now with an even wider selection of Forrest Gump's chocolate box - You have absolutely no idea what you're going to (actually) get until plastic ensues ... Annnnnnnd reviews haven't been all that glorious (unlike the recent Me.262 - yeah, suck on that one, Trumpeter!). For me - engineering/fit is a must and Trumpeter holds the trump cards on that one! ... and then ... did you know - that the RAAF bought a series of BAe Hawk trainers? ... Kinetic has me looked after there, again! Australian markings already in the kit - lovely! So far ... I have lined up. Tamiya Spitfire Mk.VIII, Revell Beaufighter (with some Model Monkey printed assistance), Italeri Mirage III.E/O, Academy/Kinetic F/A.18-A Hornet (possibly a B?) with Avionics conversions if needed, Kinetic Bae Hawk, Trumpeter F/A.18F Super Hornet. There is also the (vague) possibility of an Aeromacchi MB.326 in resin. *** EDIT *** ... I know, some time ago, that someone announced they were designing and F.111 (the thing that the Super Hornet replaced here) ... but it appears to be vapourware only. Rog

Hi ... I thought the Kinetic Kit didn't have tails for the A or B ??? ... Confused ... I'll Pm you Rog

Cheers guys!!! Thanks a lot ... I’ll secure a kit and then dig into the underworld of AM ... Rog

Yeah but being the C/D ... it doesn't have the vertical tails apparently - someone does a conversion but I'd rather get an OOB kit for the main part ... Like I said I have NO idea ... I'm happy to hunt around for an original A if I know what the box will look like Rog

Oooooo ... wow ... ok! Thanks Smitty Someone posted out a Kinetic C/D and listed a whole bunch of AM (tail conversions) ... But since I can't tell the difference between an F-15 and an F-18 (I mean I can see differences - but if you put both in front of me and asked me to point out the F-18 I'd be stumped!) It's hard to understand what people are on about ... my "street knowledge" of this stuff ends circa 1945-46. So I'm looking for an Academy 'A' ... anyone got a kit number/box art so I know what I'm looking for when I see it? Rog

Hi All ... Thats right ... a Jet! I'm doing a bit of an Australian themed collection a need the correct LSP for the RAAF. Apparently, back in 1984, we acquired 15 F-18A's and 18F-18B's ... I have absolutely NO IDEA when it comes to jets. Can someone help with pointing out ... Kit selection and the possibility of in-kit decals ... or AM decals to suit? Any issues that need addressing with said kit? Rog At Rog’s request, I have attempted to brilliantly merge his Aussie F-18 threads.. Rog May wish to modify my amazing new title.

And here we go: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/dragon-6948-sdkfz-7-8ton-halftrack-mit-88mm-flak-36-37--1223963 Also a couple of sets with howitzers ... https://www.scalemates.com/kits/afv-club-af35s48-sdkfz-11-lefh18--142833 https://www.scalemates.com/kits/dragon-6939-sdkfz10-ausfa-105cm-lefh18-40--1186021 https://www.scalemates.com/kits/dragon-6918-sdkfz-7-8ton-halftrack-mit-sfh18-15cm-howitzer--1181929 More than enough complimentary figure sets to go around also Rog

Definitely Dragon ... AFV Club might have one floating around by this point ... but the Dragon kit is a good reliable go-to. Dunno who made your 88's ... but there is actually a Dragon kit with a Half track (don't know the type), 88 and (I think) some seated crew?? ... Forget the kit number but I'll have a dig around and If I can find it I'll edit the post ... The dragon 88's are the duck nuts too! Rog

Lol ... I can understand the frustration ... and I agree - it's crappy marketing ... but if you read the notification - the scenario follows it directly ... they haven't mislead anyone. There was no new kit at the convention ... There was a raffle held for the new kit ... The only promise that could possibly be broken is if they fail to deliver an "All New Tooling" kit sometime during the dates 1/10/19-31/12/19 Rog

HKM Have only one hairdryer release to date: The Gloster Meteor. Perhaps you're thinking of ZM and their recent release of 1.48 F4's?? Anyhow HKM announced sometime back that they were working on a 1/32 Spey Engined Phantom (at least 3-5 years ago now) ... so the gestation period fits. They also announced a P.51B and a Ju.52 (both of which are of interest to me - especially the Ju.52)... Apparently the news is ... 6 "undisclosed kits" have been raffled off at the convention ... even the winners don't know what they've won!! My guess is that the announcement / unveiling will happen at Telford - since that this the big one at the end of the year ... If it IS the Phantom - this would be fitting considering this is the home of the Spey variant. Rog

lol Rog

A huge thank you for grabbing those shots people!! ... Some VERY nice work there ... a great mix of Civvy and Military stuff. Rog

Yep ... Nice! Just in time to use my recently acquired Hs.129 book by Martin Pegg and Chandos Publications Rog

I have the 1/500 Yamato and detail sets ... and the 1/72 fighters (4 off) ... the pity is that they didn't make Melda's kite in 1/72 ... Her and Yamamoto were my 2 favourite characters. Rog

That may be true ... but I couldn't find replacement sprues for ANY of their kits! Rog

it's ok James - a week or so isn't going to hurt ... while you're at it ... do you know how to order them? I was looking through the Volks Japan site (best way to order from here) and couldn't find additional sprues anywhere. Rog

Just caught up with this one James ... Nice, clear in-boxer as usual ... I might have to grab one even though PTO isn't my thing - I wonder if you could put up a list of additional sprues to order to complete two kits from the one box using the clear gear and well as opaque? Rog

Stumping up the large cash injection is one thing ... enduring the frustration of the build will be something else - given most build threads I've looked at. The profanity index is likely to flare up quite considerably ... on the plus side, the contributions to the swear jar might just fund your next big project! Certainly I've put off any attempt at the HpH kits in my stash until my skill set is MUCH more improved. Rog

Yeah ... but apparently they don't count!! Rog

Actually ... Because this will be an A20-G ('only' in resin ... may be room for other versions in plastic???) it was never in RAF livery (to my knowledge) and definitely not with the powered turret (a shame because I REALLY wanted to build an intruder type) ... although certainly the VVS had a happy time with them in various ground support roles. The RAAF originally had a few 'C's that were all the solid nose affairs, but the bulk of their orders were the later 'G's ... with most of the earlier editions being retro-fitted. Again though, I'm not sure we had any of the build block with the powered turrets? The USAAF were the most predominant user of the type in the ETO and MTO. References are definitely a must going into this one!! Rog

F*&% Me!! Rog

1/32 - Do.17z BoB markings (to go with everything else BoB) 1/35 - IM German early war B-Bridge pontoon set up ... barges, ramps, planking etc. 1/48 (huh? what's this?) ... not Large Scale ... so I'll slot in a 1/200 Graff Spee and/or Scharnhorst to go with my Bismark. Rog