Artful69

More AM ... GMF had one last Schatton-Modellblau 1/32 BK.5 brass barrel in stock ... So I nabbed it!! ... since I had to pay for shipping anyway, I added the B-25 tail end correction set: The BK.5 barrel was acquired so that I can make this: From this: The two problem factors now are: ... theres a telescopic sight for the gun which sits in the cockpit, poking out of the windscreen and the bomb-bay doors were bulged in order to fit the gun and magazine. I can't scratch build for nuts ... so what to do?? ... Rog

Into some AM ... Brian Fawcetts correction set for the Trumpeter Ju.87B ... Rog

Here we go ... Very impressive - The postage out of China collected 4th March ... arrived at my post office 10th March! I have already acquired the Trumpeter renditions of the Ju-87A and B ... Here's the Ju-87D and G ... Of course, with these there are the typical Trumpeter issues ... A couple of inaccuracies. Though in this instance I'm pretty sure that most can be worked out with a bit of parts swapping!! In a weird quirk ... the bomb load/crutch required for the D is in the B kit ... and vice-versa ... corrections to the shape issues in the B kit will come via Brian Fawcetts resin correction set. The G kit under-wing guns are handed ... which, of course, aren't on the real bird ... The D kit contains a repeat sprue for this (for whatever reason) - so I should (barring any weird fit issues) be able to pull the required correction from this kit. The D and G kits also contain some Geißkanne pods (suitable for a D-3) ... Those who know their Stuka's will remember that the earlier D variants had the shorter wingtips ... So a Hasegawa/Revell kit will be needed ... either to install this ordinance variation ... or for the wing tips, perhaps? Rog

You reckon that's bad? ... Check the guy over on LSP (from Belgium) ... His wife ASKED him to build her a 1/32 B-17 ... Much respect for his Oceans 11 style in pulling off the biggest con job in modelling history!! Not only did he get permission from SWMBO to buy an expensive kit ... she actively BELIEVES she wants him to do it!! Amazeballs!! Rog

I think there you have answered your own question ... To produce an accurate kit on the F-thru-K variants appears to take a fair bit of work! Even then ... no-one has got it right ... Hasegawa, Trumpeter and Revell kits all have issues ... Cyber Hobby have the E sorted (with the exception of the E-1) - not perfect, but as good as you'll get. For all the 109's available, I think a Tamiya kit would still sell in masses ... well engineered, highly detailed, superb fit and finish and, most importantly - considering the likely price tag - accurate. It doesn't look likely to happen, though. Rog

I agree ... sort of. The only 2 Bf.109E kits (that I can think of??) in 1/32 before the Eduard kit, were the Matchbox and the Hasegawa ... and although I've seen both built into impressive displays - I could write my own 'Mein Kampf' book on the Hasegawa kit before it exited my life forever via the round filing cabinet. That was before the Eduard kit even hit the rumour mill!! The Eduard Bf.109E has the odd little error (wing slats spring to mind) - which are fairly easily corrected ... and the odd fit issue (front cowl) - again, using the modellers dictum "test fit thrice, glue once", the fix is fairly simple. Overall the kit was pretty good, but we were entering into the Tamiya era of very well engineered, highly detailed kits that fit near on perfectly. Even so, I don't think it was this sort of comparison that killed their 1/32 ambitions ... after all it was still the best 1/32 game in town for the E variant, regardless of the nay-sayers. Less than one year after their first release - the Profimodeler E-1 - Cyber hobby drop the E-4 into the market ... Though not without it's own cowl fit issues (to those not proceeding with the necessary caution), the general level of engineering, detail, fit and finish were miles beyond the Eduard offering ... and in a lot of areas throughout the world, it was miles cheaper too! ... The original production run sold out within the year and existing kits sold at a premium until further runs were issued ... in what was typical Dragon/Cyber Hobby fashion (check the range in their 1/35 armour), further E variants were issued in the following years. I dare say that if Cyber Hobby had decided to proceed down the F, G and K lines, they would have provided Trumpeter, Revell and even Hasegawa with a decent run for their money on market share! We can only speculate as to why they didn't ... perhaps it's because the Hasegawa kits were 'good enough', where as their E variant was VERY old tool? Either way, I feel that The Cyber Hobby kit release meant that Eduard kits were left on shelves ... so much so that I still found 3 Profimodeler E-1 kits though a local supplier here, long after the kit was OOP in 2013 ... and if Cyber Hobby had released the E-1 variant, the Eduard kits would have remained in the hands of that retailer! Many an ambitious market foray has been drowned out by simultaneous releases from other companies - it's a shame, but it happens. Probably the most damaging factor to the Eduard release was the Cyber Hobby pricing point. Even error ridden, Revells He.219 still sells well enough and more than than the much better (all round) Zoukei-Mura kit, probably because of the pricing. I wonder what sort of impact on sales of the HK Models Mosquito the (almost simultaneously released and similar priced) Tamiya kit had? Now ... if Eduard released an ACCURATE Profimodeler Spitfire Mk.I, II and V - that may fill a 'new tool' hole in a market full of error ridden kits. That's my take Rog

Ok ... so ... much more upbeat in this post Firstly ... My second Fly Hurricane Mk.I arrived ... Complete with 2 'extras' bags (instructions, decals, photo etch etc) - the extra being for the first kit which didn't have it packed .. It also arrived in decent time, taking only 3 and a half weeks to arrive - instead of the 2 months for the previous example!! Also ... The second Revell Me.262B kit arrived from Hannants ... A MUCH improved effort in packaging sees this kit box without damage. ... and in reference to said, damaged kit ... a fellow modeller sent me the most amusing email ... The email, in summary, alludes to the concept that I should have just 'put up' with the earlier mentioned damaged kit ... as the contents were probably ok. I should "expect" items to get damaged in the mail - especially from overseas suppliers and I shouldn't "con" additional "freebies" from outlets when nothing was really wrong with the item anyway. ... apparently I'm the reason that kit prices increase at retail outlets and English retail outlets (in particular) go out of business flabbergasted ... I just laughed and hit delete! My take? ... I pay "new" money and shipping - I get "new" (read undamaged/unused) goods! If you stuff up on packaging, not taking reasonable care and effort to ensure "safe" delivery - you replace! Rog

Today was supposed to be a day of joy ... regardless of what had not arrived ... I had a parcel waiting for me at the Post Office for collection - and miracle of miracles, I was due to finish work at a reasonable time. A new pair of headphones (wired because I go to certain places sometimes where bluetooth devices are considered to be "ignition sources") for my iPhone. Well the headphones are great - feel more sturdy than my Beats Studios ... but the cover I have on my iPhone won't let the plug go in. New case required! Then I went out the front door to check the mail after I got home ... and found a flimsy cardboard box waiting. It was the package from Hannants that had gotten lost in Luxembourg ... Normally I'd be happy the thing finally got here ... except I got this - It's supposed to be brand new, mind!! Now we all know how notorious Revell are with their weird kit box packaging ... but if you are a major retailer ... and you know the package is going international ... wouldn't you package it accordingly?? I've seen paper with more structural integrity than box Hannants used ... Not happy!! Rog

You and me both According to sources close to the powers that be at HpH ... The Havoc is still a ways off ... next serving is the F7F Tigercat somewhere else in the mix is a DC3 and Me.323 (Yep ... THAT big!) Rog

A while back I grabbed my second Ju.88A-4 so I could do an AIMS conversion or two. A few emails back and forth between John (AIMS) and I had me sold on doing another variant ... Even though A-1's are in plentiful supply and cheaper ... I needed another A-4 kit ... likely to be even more expensive as they get rarer ... So, failing stock availability at local suppliers ... it's off to e-Bay! Surprise of surprises ... I got this out of Germany, including postage, for about $102.00 AUD Rog

Well ... This one is a bitter-sweet post for a number of reasons ... Originally I was going to wait until the Mk.I kits were released before buying all the Hurricanes from Fly ... Then, thanks to Dean ... I got the heads up that the original Mk.IIc's were out of stock at Fly and from Jiri that they were now OOP. So I grabbed a couple from Hannants ... a bit more expensive than from Fly direct ... and then there was the additional shipping cost ... bummer! On the 23rd of November last year (8 weeks ago!) ... I placed an order, with Fly, for the remaining Hurricanes ... thinking I'd had a decent win, thanks to the free postage ... Unlike the Arado's before them - where I got them within 2 weeks, instead of the expected 3 ... They didn't arrive before Christmas. A few emails have passed between Jiri and I over the last couple of months ... To his credit he was going to replace them if they hadn't arrived before months end. Yesterday I was advised via a card that they had arrived at the post office and were awaiting collection ... and so here they are ... ... but not quite! ... I make a habit of checking the kit boxes when unpacking. Whoever packed the Mk.I kit forgot to include the bag with the instructions, decals etc ... It's all good - I'm sure Jiri will be happy to send them ... and since I was wanting to get another Mk.I anyway, he can just double up in the next box I order. Rog

Nice ... I've always wondered about this kite ... From various sources I'm getting the feeling that this thing was a better performing machine than the 109 ... Politics being the main ingredient behind it's demise?? I've often thought about buying one of these kits ... certainly love your idea! Rog

Got mine for $399.99 at Metro Hobbies, Melbourne ... Originally advertised at $429.99, but the kits came in fractionally cheaper. Free Postage to WA Rog

I won't be attempting the 17 for donkeys yet ... Work is just too busy, and the stash room too disorganised to even think about it! ... and to that end ... One of my many tasks over the holiday I'll be having between Christmas and New Year will be to clear out the room and re-organise ... while culling the stash, making a list of AM and other hobby bits and pieces to acquire in 2017. I have a few Tigers in the stash now - You'll see how many when I post photos of the completed stash room organisation ... I have a few of the earlier Panzers with individual tracks too ... One of my reasons for listing AM will be to work out which ones will require tracks to replace the crappy DS stuff. Happy times Oz! Rog

Made a few more purchases ... I was hoping to have some Fly Hurricanes in this post but my order from 24/11 has apparently not arrived in the country yet from the Czech Republic ... Meanwhile ... on my Dragon-Magic-Track-Edition searches I snaffled this one ... I have a few other Leningrad Panzers to use with it ... ... and it comes with the usual 'in-box-AM' ... King Tiger ... Not worried about the markings, as I'll have plenty of left overs from other kits ... It was cheap and had Magic Track Rog I grabbed one of these a while ago ... but another one with Magic Track showed up, so ... ... the mind still boggles at what is included in the box ... ... Plus the guy had this set to go with it ... ... Another Legend Productions dress up set ... this time for a Pz.IV Oh ... and I picked this up from the post office this morning ...

I haven't yet received an email directly from ZM ... but I did receive a reply back to an FB post on the VOLKS USA page: "Hello Roger! Thank you very much for your comment to us. The FW 190 is still in development. We will post more information as we get it from ZOUKEI-MURA here on our Facebook. Thank you very much!" I don't know how well connected VOLKS staff are with ZM ... Or whether they give a rats about our enquiries Rog

Me x2 ... I've sent them a reply email to the one they sent me many moons ago advising of a 2017 release date. If I hear back, I'll post Rog

Ok ... So ... Another batch of gear has arrived over the last week ... Time for some Happy-Snaps! A bit of a story to get through ... so lets get underway ... First up ... shock-horror Fly are now out of stock of the Hurricane Mk.IIc ... AND more importantly OOP!! Dean gave me the heads up ... and Jiri confirmed it via email. So ... via my first ever purchase from Hannants in the UK ... I'm starting to get a hold of some AM now, for all sorts of various kits ... Mainly armour - but there'll be plenty of AC gear in the near future as well. Legend Productions do some good, detailed resin stuff. Now ... here's something a little more interesting (from my perspective, anyway!) ... a while back, Dragon started producing their Smart Kits with DS Tracks (a more detailed and advanced rubber-band arrangement). For me, this was seen as a regressive move as most armour aficionados that I've met like individual track links. They provide a more realistic look. Now ... when Dragon's Magic Tracks burst on the scene some years ago (the pre-curser to DS) they were seen as the epitome of a good individual OOB track system: Snap these suckers together, whack on a bit of glue and get your track-sag on before it sets. Once DS tracks began replacing Magic Tracks, the market was left open for some competitors to release kits sporting individual track systems ... Enter Rye Field Model, Takom etc. One of the latest releases is this sucker ... Normally a "Dragon-Special" but Bronco have started on a series of Pz.III chassis based StuG's - an 'E' first, followed by this D''... I liked this boxing because of the African markings and the additional Jerry cans. Reviews are also pretty decent on fit and finish. I'm beginning to think Dragon are seeing a shift downward in their sales ... because, before Bronco actually got this kit to market ... Dragon announced an 'E' of their own. BUT ... besides the DS Tracks ... they've now included Magic Track as an option! Personally, I think this is something they should have done with their kits at the very beginning. The Magic Tracks don't come in the (previously) usual Cardboard header with bags attached to it ... the bags are just stowed inside the box - but they ARE there! Note the little red and white stamp ... I say this because if you look at my last post here (on Oct 28) ... you will see a Pz.IV ausf.J with Magic Track - the original boxing ... the same box being later released with DS Tracks. I originally bought this next kit ... in DS Track form - I figured I'd go AM at later date ... But look closely at this latest box - the same little red and white stamp!! You guessed it - Magic Tracks!! This is what's given me the idea that Dragon may be re-introducing Magic Tracks to all current boxings ... we can only hope that it extends to Tigers and Panthers. ... And again. This time with a winterketten Pz.Abt.502 Leningrad version of an Pz.II Ausf.N ... An older Smart Kit boxing of a StuG.IV ... with Magic Tracks, of course! Finally ... I wanted to get hold of Rye Field Model Tiger ... The original boxing was good - and fairly cheap. The downside was that the main gun barrel was the incorrect length - requiring an AM substitute to fix ... and there was only parts for the one variant (the African one) in the kit box. The next iteration saw the barrel design faux-pas corrected ... and a full interior added. Of course the price jumped considerably, but reviews were pretty positive. Then we get this one ... all the parts from the original boxing with the corrected barrel ... plus quite a few extras at the same cost as the original. I've got absolutely no idea who Fehrmann was ... what I have discovered is that the whole 'Gruppe' was made up repaired and refurbished Tigers - usually early production models. While being repaired, parts were usually replaced with up-to-date items so you end up with a rivet counters nightmare: An early chassis/hull with late model steel road wheels or tracks ... or a zimmerit coated hull with a bare late-production turret. The point is ... with all the extra parts included in this boxing, I can make just about any Tiger variant I like ... More later ... Rog

Slightly expensive ... but another good source of AM tracks ... especially for the Luchs!! It still doesn't answer my question though Rog

The answer to that question is: "Of course both the two aircraft, is under intensive development as SWS standard model that try to reproduce the limit until the details of the details!" ... so no ... not a "basic" SWS layout. Rog

Sorry Jeroen!! ... I didn't clarify my initial post properly ... If I can find a Magic Track boxing of a Dragon kit - I'll buy it - even at a premium. In my opinion, DS tracks are a regression back toward a more primitive era ... Now, if Dragon offered either: Kits with Magic Track ... or Magic Track as an AM accessory, we wouldn't be having this discussion!! However ... I have quite a few kits in my stash that are the later incarnation of the Smart Kit ... with DS track ... which I need to replace. This creates a problem ... how do I know if any particular variant of a Pz.IV or Pz.V used an 'early' type track or a 'late' type track? ... There's no specific direction on the kit ... I have no idea when I buy a set of tracks called "Pz.III / Pz.IV late" exactly which variant I'm buying them for. Same with Panthers and Tigers ... At least I'm covered with the Luchs!! - there was only one type and the AM boxes just say 'Luchs" How all this started was by looking at Hobby Boss tracks!! - so we're on the same page there! ... I can get a number of early OR late sets for a Panther ... ok ... so which one? ... does it mater? ... does the type have anything to do with sprocket teeth? ... etc etc ... Rog

Hi all ... I'm looking to get some AM tracks ... NOT Fruil as 1) I want plastic and 2) I don't want to pay more than a kit is worth!! So ... I'm looking around and I find things like 'late' type and 'early' type ... All of my stuff is German WWII ... Panzers, Panthers, Tigers etc ... Can anyone give me a heads up as to what type/era of tracks fit what machines/variants?? ... so I know what AM track sets to buy for which tank!! Rog

Over the last couple of days I few items have arrived. First up ... There was a discussion thread somewhere, where the absence of Revell Ju.88A-4's available at reasonable prices was discussed. The main theory being that it was now OOP. Since I was aiming to grab another one at some point (for one of Johns later model conversions) I thought I'd better jump in and grab one. My UK supplier didn't disappoint. When I called them (yes ... UK from Australia!!) I was told that they had 6 in stock on the system. But when I mentioned I needed them eyeballed before purchase, they told me that after checking stock (about a 5 minute wait on the phone), the whole 6 that they started the day with had been sold ... before lunch! The reason for the time taken on hold was to call their wholesale supplier who, fortunately, had a few in stock which they'd immediately nabbed for delivery 3 days away ... So I managed to score one for me - and one for someone else Meanwhile I had a look around on the website and bit the bullet on one of these ... Since shipment costs are bracketed ... I had some spare 'weight' left over and added one of these ... Every couple of days I jump onto eBay ... mainly to scout around for anything I want that's OOP ... or going cheap. One item I've been after for a while is Dragons kitting of a late Pz.IV Ausf.J ... the one with only 3 return rollers and the bed spring shurtzen. But not just any kit ... I'm always on the hunt for ones including Magic Track (as opposed to the newer DS boxings). I found one offered up for auction by a fellow in the UK ... sprue bags opened but everything meticulously accounted for ... I had to go "total-warfare" on a competing bidder ... but I think after he made 3 quick bids at the end and realised he was never going to outbid me ... he quit! I can't even begin to say how rare these Magic Track boxings are getting now ... When buying anything O/Seas ... I try to always buy multiple items from the same supplier - to spread shipping charges. So ... obviously, when I found the Pz.IV I clicked on his 'Items for sale' button ... just to see if there was anything else I wanted ... and Holy Cow ... A Dragon Tiger - WITH Magic Tracks!!! Anyone who knows about these kits, would be aware of the fantastic sums of currency they go for ... Mainly it because of the Magic Tracks ... but also because Dragon threw the kitchen sink at these things!! Look at all that extra gear! ... Metal Barrel, bucket loads of photo etch, preformed brass exhaust covers, various shells (spent, AP and HE), metal tow cable etc. So when I saw it sitting there at only 52.00 GBP I had to bid on it. Knowing my limitations I picked a ceiling 'highest bid' and went for it. To my shock ... no-one else had a crack and I won it at 56.00 GBP (the first bid that got me in front)!! The best bit? ... all the original gear on plastic sprues (to be replaced by the in-box-AM), is still in the box! Maybe Dragon couldn't be ar$ed pulling it all out? ... Whatever! Before Magic Track, Dragon used the old 'individual links on sprues' system. Oh yeah, they're still there ... ready for my other late tiger in the stash with the zimmerit coating (the one that came with DS) ... for me, a HUGE score!! Rog

I'm in with the Dornier!!! ... Last of the Luftwaffe BoB bombers ... will. somebody. please. DO. one???? HK are looking at a Ju.52 (no.2 on my most wanted list) ZM are going to start pumping out 190's next year. Rog

What picture, where ... am I missing something? Rog