Artful69

Got me ... I just imagined a social worker saying: "Show us on the Fw190 model here, where Eduard touched you" lol Rog Christmas Day was my break - the joys of the Mine-Spec working environment and shift rosters. Back on topic ... Well ... The only time I paid large amounts of GBP for postage was when I grabbed my Ju88A-4 ... and that was only because I grabbed about 4 more kits at the same time and it was sent via courier ... From memory that cost was about the 42.00 GBP mark - close to double the norm!! ... So given that sort of cost - I'd say you were fairly ripped!! ... I'll PM you a link I think people are slowly getting the idea now, that RoG are just a name ... a shell of the company that brought us the Ju-88, He-111 and the Arado-196. They are owned and, effectively, managed from the other side of the world now - Financial reasons, being the determining factor behind what is released and how - the passion for what is created is missing (Spewing!! - since they didn't get a Do17z to market before the takeover!) ... Recent releases, while still very price competitive, haven't been anywhere near the old RoG standard of accuracy. Every kit out there has flaws ... but for me, the types of errors being made are weird ... and as you correctly point out - they are errors that other companies have avoided by using a little research and attention to detail, many moons ago! ... If the adjustments aren't made soon, we'll be finding a bunch of suits sitting around the boardroom table, later on, asking themselves why their business plan was not as successful as they'd imagined it would be - with no clear answers because they've ignored market feedback ... Very much unlike the new breed - HK Models, Zoukei-Mura and HpH (and to a lesser degree - Dragon / Cyber Hobby) who are constantly engaging their market - Passionate about what they do, looking for input from those who know what they are talking about within the modelling community and wanting to grow ever better - to get it right! Having said all of that ... The latest Fw190 offering from RoG looks like a decent attempt has been made, there are heaps of details not around on other releases - and the price point will be attractive ... It's just that, given what we have had released in the recent past, I'm content to hold off until I see what ZM's offering is like in comparison ... Dollars not being a major issue for me! ... I'm sure the Revell kit will sell well ... Rog

Is that "touching" of the inappropriate nature? ... ;) Rog

Hi Steve ... all the best for the season btw! Whenever a new Revell kit comes out that I fancy ... I generally grab it from a UK supplier, along with a few AM items that I'm chasing (to spread the shipping cost, which is not all that bad via Royal Mail compared to other parts of Europe, USA and Canada) ... VAT tax is also removed (outside EU) which makes the kits even cheaper!! I grabbed my Heinkels, JU88's, 109's and Spitfire that way. Even though the AUD exchange is rather bad atm ... I usually come out in front to the tune of between 15-25% cheaper than Aus' retail all things considered. Still maybe more expensive than a Hasegawa bought ex Japan or Hong Kong, but the sting is way less! ... Jury's still out on whether I'll bother with this one though ... since I'm hungry for the ZM offerings next year!! Rog

I figured ... But along with Cees' comment ... You never know - it might have been looking like I was having a winge!! All good!! Rog

Mmmmmm perhaps this post has come across the wrong way ... I'm not in the least disgruntled or dissatisfied lol ... Rather, I'm pleasantly surprised, impressed and the general mood would best be described as speculative and hopeful ... Genuinely interested in what's next!! Rog

lol ... Cees ... Lets just say that I'm not dissatisfied ... just interested Rog

Well ... Telford was obviously wonderful ... I stayed up much of the night (Other side of the world and all that) - watching reports come in on multiple forums (among other activities at home) ... HKM never cease to amaze me with what they are capable of in such a short history ... So ... We have a DH Mosquito Bomber strutting her stuff down the catwalk ... release date not too far off I would imagine. We have a Lancaster Bomber in mock up mode - ready for some final tweaks before entering production. A B17F that is somewhere not too far off also, I would Imagine. The FB Mosquito should be following shortly after the Bomber ... But what next?? ... certainly with all of these releases slated for 2015, this company is gathering some heavy momentum. One Telford visitor to the HKM stand has declared that a Vickers Wellington was given a distinct mention amongst a variety of subjects, by Neil ... and if the subject is seriously under consideration, will definitely be a must have kit for me!! - a Mk.III with four gunned tail end charlie for me Please ... Apparently the Halifax might be a future possibility also - but given it's widely known (to those that are close to the company) that HKM are reluctant to proceed further down the "Four Engined Heavy" road in the foreseeable future - this could have been a specific "leading" type question ... the answer purely designed not to 'dash' anyones hopes. Well ... what next? ... by all accounts, the company must be in expansion mode ... having gone from producing 1 quality kit in 2 years+ (the B25 Bomber) to a couple of kits each year ... and at least 4 (known) about to be released in 2015. Although nothing is official - I find myself dreaming of the possibility of a nice Wellington ... and others HKM - Dare to dream?! Rog

O.M.G. ... James, thank you!! ... She is sex with wings *sigh* ... These guys really are the ducks nuts Rog

Oh cool!! ... thanks Rog

Once again ... a great review on LSM - Thanks Mike!! ... do we have a review on the props and spinners?? If so could we edit a link in there somewhere? Rog

James ... This, I'm finding, is one VERY pleasing trait about this company ... They are salt of the earth - they listen to those who are accepted by the modelling community as knowledgable on particular topics ... and they are not afraid to admit error - are prepared to re-work their designs under guidance ... This is a sign of TRUE humility and passion for making sure a product is the best that it can be ... Give them a few years and we could very well see Tamiya / Zoukei-Mura type - "All-in-one" kits coming from them! ... I ... and, I believe, the great majority of others ... have no issue in waiting for a product while it's being refined/re-worked for this sort of reasoning ... Roll on 617 variants!! Rog

God I hope there's a early war British bomber in there somewhere ... Beginning in 'W' and ending in 'N' ... Do17z ... Beaufighter ... Ta154 ... Ju52 (ok it's 3, not 2 - but who's REALLY counting!!) ... Rog

I have a Trumpeter one in the stash ... I'd been told hat it was one of their better pops - so I'm expecting it to be decent ... did I miss something?? If it is ... why would we need another (** insert standard moan about too many 109's etc here**) ... Rog

These guys really aren't mucking around ... and more power to 'em!! There are always differences between CAD and plastic ... but from past experience, in HK's case, those differences turn out to be - really not much at all. Roll on the Mossie, roll on the Do-335A-0, Roll on the Lanc ... and a B-17F ... crikey, they're making up for lost time! ... What's next? Rog

Grabbed a Birdcage for kicks when released ... some of the best kicks to be had on reflection ... but an FAA corsair was what I was REALLY after!! A truly awesome kit ... now just needing Euro-Theatre operational decals and some clipped wings I guess ... Rog

Not quite from the blue Nick ... lol ... at least for me ... Part of my acquisition budget (configured in February this year) has been allocated for the HpH Me410 in either Late Sept or during Oct this year so pretty much on schedule! ... Also, I went looking for a G-4 conversion for a Dragon Bf110 ... Long story short, the only one out there USED to be good originally but the company that owns the moulds now is as dodgy as a $3 note ... anyone lucky enough to get one gets a crap conversion for drug money investment! ... Now I'm not a super modeller ... hell, I can't scratch my a** let alone scratch BUILD ... My eye for detail is good - better than some ... but no-where NEAR like our studious friend up there, Steve ... or Edgar ... or (insert appropriate expert here!). But I do possess a decent skill set ... team builder, vocabulary, entrepreneur (I can see potential or a good idea miles away!) ... and I can find where to go and get whatever I want easily ... and so lastly - cash! ... Sorry to go all Jennings Heilig 'Black-Ops' on you here ... but at this point there is only a certain amount of info I can share ... The G-4 project was tabled about early June if I recall correctly - and after some initial discussion, my contact in UK (who shall remain anonymous - but is well known and respected within the community) agreed to put together a conversion for a DML kit as long as I handled logistics and supply. Also he wouldn't be able to start until some time in November because of previous commitments. I will supply the DML kit (although which one I'll be using for the 'base' kit is still undecided) ... and would have been supplying brass antennae for it if I could have got GMF to come to the party - but after 6 weeks of trying, I gave up!! ... I sourced from a couple of willing participants, some decent drawings and some dude even threw in the old conversation set so we have a 3D comparison for the crafting process. I have no timeframe for completion of the project - but once this guy gets committed to a project he's usually all over it ... suffice to say that his work is top notch as far as resin AM add ons go!! - TENTATIVELY 1st Qtr next year?!? ... no promises yet though ... the 410 project will be slated slightly after that one Rog

Working in conjunction with some contacts in Belgium and UK for a fully detailed AM add on kit involving a rather large protuberance from the nose ... probably a while away on that one ... also have a nice new and detailed G4 conversion (Bf110) in the works ... I'm just on logistics, supply and finance for these though ... But if you you want to modify a Dragon Bf110 to get some of that Schrage Musik happening?? ... You might be in luck into the New Year Steve Rog

And now ... I have something to add ... First up - The last of a set of Classics Publications books I had on order - These are getting very hard to find ... I hope the new mob at Crecy start doing reprints of some of the other stuff soon ... And today ... a Parcel is delivered from Czechoslovakia ... Unfortunately the Belgian chocolate had a hard time from some evidently warmer weather through France, India, China and Singapore ... Shape issues resulting!! ... Fortunately none of the taste was lost ... and the kit, of course, is awesome!! Of course ... It's always a good idea when buying O/S, to buy "in bulk" if possible, and save on freight ... so I grabbed a couple of correction kits on the list ... ... As for the kit ... a fellow LSPer and I have something rather special in store for this one!! Regards Rog

Oh, come on!!! ... I can't believe no-one has said Tempest yet ... a ready made mould for that big a** Napier Sabre ... aircraft quite similar, yet not the same? Well ... that's what I'd like anyway!! ... The Whirlwind would be welcome too ... But ... I suspect it's going to be a Mossie with a clear nose P/R or Bomber. Rog

Guys ... You know - I've NEVER found a shonky review on your webpage ... but more than that ... I've found most reviews here detailed, concise and above all - entertaining ... I love how the multi-person review/interaction dynamic works ... Kind of like the Top Gear for LSM's ... This review, of course, is no exception ... and well worth the wait! Rog

Did you chop the box art off, lol??? ... otherwise it's looking a little flat! I got one shortly after release, nice kit ... and the only one since the other has disappeared indefinitely!! Rog

I have to agree ... it's a real disappointment!! ... What other "projects"?? ... This one was announced at the same time (roughly) as the PCM kit, and how long as that thing been out on the market ... glad I didn't bother waiting now! ... reminds me of that Martin guy who was always on about Mitchell's, Marauders, Havocs and the like and starting up his own company etc etc etc for about a year or more ... Then everything fell apart and we had to wait for HKM to pick up the pieces ... Meanwhile Ken will be laughing his a** off and carrying on about how PCM is the best blah, blah, blah ... and really, who wants to read a load of that?!?!? Very poor effort ... Rog

Well ... With my first overseas trip done and dusted in May this year ... It was back into acquisition mode for me!! ... I changed tack slightly during June-July with a few reference books being put onto order ... Since I don't usually go after this kind of thing It was a bit of an eye-opening experience trying to chase down books no longer in print!! ... While all this was going on - My Birthday arrived! - and with it, as per usual, my boss' email asking me to select a gift ... There IS a $$ limit on these kinds of things - but he doesn't mind going over marginally if he can ... I dunno how much it cost him ... but I ordered this: And at the same time ... I rang Frontline, my Aussie supplier, and ordered these (a couple were on back order and only arrived last week) ... Much said about the inaccuracy of the kits below ... but they can't really be faulted on detail, fit and finish!! ... ... as well as the Airfix Typhoon - which only just arrived at about the same time as my backorders. In a brief nod to "Canopy-gate", while this one has the tiniest distortion at the top ... it is nothing to really cry about - at least nothing to get me figged in calling Hornby to get a replacement!! Meanwhile ... Just prior to my kit's being mailed ... my reference books arrived! ... I especially like the 3 Vol Fw190 and 2 Vol Bf109 Refs!!... Still in the hunt for a good Spitfire (all Mks in one book!), Hurricane and Typhoon/Tempest ref in Hardcover ... but they can wait a bit now while I get my tennis gear organised for the coming summer!! That's all just for now, while I clear a bit of shelf space for these and future purchases! ... Rog

Thanks people ... got it ... I think ... I was trying to use the system to garner a quote ... so that I could budget for the purchase. Since the website is not playing ball I guess I shall have to estimate and cross my fingers!! Rog

Um ... is that correct? ... It's just that Volks seem to sell a load of other (non ZM) gear as well (Dragon, Cyber Hobby etc) ... and ZM use other international suppliers (we have one or two in Aus!) As for the other ... PM inbound. Rog