Artful69

Hey thanks!!! Ok ... I know what you mean by the lower cowl bulges and the upper wing wheel 'blisters' now! ... It's like playing the adult version of "spot the difference" I wonder why the differences happened? ... will have to do some research!! ... Thanks so far!! Rog

Doug ... My appologies ... I am obviously no expert on the 109 ... I made an assumption, jumped the gun and commented before I really knew what you were refering to. I do hope you do not take offence at my brash remarks due to my lack of knowledge. Since my Hasegawa instructions on the G-6 refer to the 'Erla-Haube' canopy (in the opening narration) as being a standardised feature on the G-14 ... and both the Hasegawa G-10 and G-14 use the same canopy kit parts (and possibly even the K-4?) ... I kinda thought that because it was referred to as the 'Erla-Haube' canopy - that this it what was being refered to here ... until Kage enlightened me. To be honest ... even after looking at his references for about an hour and cross referencing with my Hasegawa kits ... I'm hard pushed to tell the difference - it's that confusing ... This is how much of a NON-expert I am ... ... and yet, with those sparkling credentials ... and before anyone mentioned it in a forum post ... I still managed to notice upon viewing test shots of the Revell G-6, that the 'nose' of the aircraft looked 'off' somehow. With just some quick referencing, I picked the spinner, cowl, Beule (even though I didn't know the technical name for these at the time!) and exhausts ... and that coming from me who, given references to look at, still can't tell the difference between the 'Erla' G-10 and my Hasegawa kit. I will admit error in this ... but still stand by my comments in regards to Revells 'arrogance' in ignoring the 'advisers' that they had bothered to employ for guidance. I'm not so miffed about their lack of accuracy in product ... after all ... AM has once again filled the gap (or most of it - re: Andreas' 'scratch-cowl-fix') - even though, with a tiny bit more care and attention, there would have been no pressing need to ... The rather blase' view towards the more 'serious' modeling community rankles (to me, the customer, I matter - even if they don't think so!!) ... and seems to be a marketing approach frought with danger in the medium to long term. It appears to me that they put some seriously hard work into their Arado, Ju-88's and Heinkel (which all contain some minor, almost insignificant errors - as all kits do) ... and then - and this attitude of theirs explains a lot now! - release a below standard He.219 and Bf109G in almost Trumpeter-esque fashion ... probably believing that their reputation alone will carry them. Here's the weird bit - if they had followed through with their BoB theme and ripped out a Do-17z - given their present attitude ... who could have gain-said any errors? There are no living examples remaining around to refer to for 'errors' and ample enough drawings and photographs to produce a reasonably 'accurate' kit ... thereby sidestepping the minefeild that they've walked into with the Uhu and Gustav ... These kits have sold well enough (although certainly not as well as they could have had they been 'correct'!) I believe, on the back of previous successes, pricing and reputable brand name ... they should expect a more 'cautious' market, as time passes, for future releases though! Rog

Given some of the inaccuracy issues with the B-17 (yet still selling well, being the only real game in town) ... I do hope they are taking their time to get it right and not just popping it on the backburner while they focus on their Meteor!! Rog

Matt ... This is why I believe that this rather random looking figure of '5%' is a throw-away ... false data, to back up a false arguement (well ... partly false at least) ... and more to the point - given the later comments by Andreas (quoted by Steve, above) - one than he doesn't really support in any case!! The Trumpeter kits get 'over-bashed' I think ... but their G-2 is their best effort (as far as I read in the reviews, at any rate) ... nevertheless you are right ... and I really believe that ZM's He219 had a significant sales boost because of the mud flung on the Revell 'rushed' attempt ... another ZM example being the Ta-152 - apparently the PCM kit doesn't get the best reviews either?? Thanks to reviews I've read (most significantly Iain's list of inaccuracies and ongoing He219 'corrections' thread) I initially balked at buying the Revell kit (I cannot remember the initial release price) as it wasn't exactly in line with the subject matter I'm into ... and just recently bought TWO ZM kits instead (shove that up your marketing department Revell ... lol !!). I only grabbed it because I was getting a ZM kit as a present for someone else and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about (now that is real word of mouth marketing for you!!) ... after opening up the first one and thinking "W-O-W" - I grabbed several others ... including a couple of P51-D's (refer below) I did ... however ... buy a Hobby Boss Mk.Vb Spit, just recently, and am currently awaiting it's arrival ... The only competitor out there is a Hasegawa old tool atm ... and reading reviews on both - I decided that the Hobby Boss was probably better engineered and detailed OOB (AKA Trumpeter) and it's flaws easier for me to live with. If Tamiya had continued with it's Spitfire run - back to Mk.V's, II's and I's ... The Hobby Boss kit wouldn't have even been looked at ... and neither would Revells' 2014 offering, come to think of it! For those of us who have made purchasing errors before ... trying to buy stuff 'on the cheap' ... a hard lesson learned, produces a more cautious buyer! ... and this was my mistake!! ... having grabbed the Hasegawa kit and realising my skill set wasn't up to scratch yet ... and having bought several Dragon kits in 1/35 (being rather pleased with them) ... I jumped on the P-51D ... uh oops!? ... It's now, sprues still in plastic bags, in the 'disposal' pile!! _________________ The '5 Percent' DO matter ... most significantly ... as they will influence the sales to a good percentage of the rest of the market! ... Not sure? ... ok ... I have (at last count) 16 budding young modelers within a sphere of influence (aged between 6 and 16 and of both sexes) - those that I introduced to the hobby and who come to me for advice. I am absolutely NO expert on much of anything ... BUT I do have a ready set of online references ... besides books, websites etc ... I have people like you guys! ... So ... when young Craig comes to me and asks who makes the best Abrams 1/35 ... I go to Google and type "Abrams 1/35 reviews" ... you'd be amazed at how quickly I can come up with an answer for him - third hand! ... and that's not even 'word of mouth' type gossip - which is an even more removed influence. No ... wrong attitude entirely Revell ... sorry!! Rog

Ahhhh!!! Matt ... Thanks VERY much for clearing that up!! ... I was wondering about that post I read (and how the individual could have missed the Hasegawa kits!!) ... 2 different factories producing the same variant in 2 different ways! ... You learn something new every day! ... However ... knowing Revells rather carefree approach to detail, as it stands, we will probably end up with an Erla boxing and a 'standard' G-10 kit (tongue firmly in cheek!) ... Rog

I, for one, dispute the '5%' figure ... no statistic, on Gods green earth, is that accuate! ... It could be more or less for all we know - or Andreas. I think it was just a throw-away figure to be quite honest ... what is more disturbing to me, as a customer, is the attitude behind it! Even if we are only 5% of the market share, we are (without being arrogant) are an important part of that target market! ... Most of the purchases I make (and I have made quite a few recently!) are made on the back of reviews - which in turn, are completed by members of that illustrious 5% ... One chap posting on the 'other' thread has suggested the the Revell G-10 will be the only example out there ... curious comment, as I have both a Hasegawa G-10 (ST-18) and a G-14 (08157) sitting on my shelf at present? Personally I have no problem with the Revell G-6 at present ... or the Trumpeter ... or the Hasegawa ... having built none and understanding that each is a kit just like any other - that will build reasonably well OOB and can be corrected/detailed with a supply of AM. Steve, though, has a very (very!!) valid point ... in that ... we shouldn't have to, had the manufacturer given a little more time an attention to the details that matter. I wouldn't have minded forking out an extra 20% on the pricing for a more accurate representation. I really do hope they make a better hash of their 'new tooled' Spitfire next year!! Rog

A couple of really cool bits and peices arrived in the last week ... 1st Some decals - the first AM ones I've ever bought ... Thanks to a certain LSP'er accross the Tasman Sea ... ... and in particular some for the FW190's I have on the shelf - especially Heinz Bar's #13 Red Next ... with a big thankyou to Mr.Paul Fisher - from Fisher Models fame ... some realy nice detailed undercarriage for my PCM Tempest ... and ... also from Mr Fisher ... a couple of resin canopies for the MDC Typhoons ... ... and finaly ... from my Japanese contact ... arriving a few days earlier than expected ... Cheers ... Rog

A great looking aircraft ... and a great book! ... now all we need is a 1/32 aircraft kit in plastic or resin. Rog

yes ... and I'm still waiting on that 'new-tool' Spitfire Mk.II ... and a Do.17z would be nice to help round off the BoB builds!! What's with this old tool rubbish?? Rog

... and now ... for part.2 or 'B' or whatever ... of "Birthday Splurge Part.3" ... With some VERY low Tamiya prices being offered by one of my favourite Aussie outlets ... I decided to grab a few while they were on sale, rather than just the 'one-or-two' I had been planning to do (I realy wanted to have a look at a Tamiya kit - never having one before!) ... and so ... Figuring I'd 'pair' the Corsair up with a Zero if i couldn't find a decent FAA option I elected to go with the A6M5 ... but they sent me the wrong kit in error! ... so knocking a further $20 of the sale price - and postage ... they forwarded the one I originally ordered! While my contact was doing up the first order ... and knowing that this kit, too, has been discontinued ... I figured I'd snap one up ... I might not build it - but it would make a great present to someone who cant get hold of one in a few years maybe? ... who knows? Ok ... so the only Tamiya kit I really wanted to get wasn't actually in stock - or on sale once back in! ... Huh! ... So I went to another Aussie based Tamiya importer with low prices (not as low as the sale prices ... but not much more ... had to pay for postage though!) ... The Revell Bf109G-6 is the second one now ... I packed it in with the ZM order from the USA. And speaking of doubling up on kits ... There's a few OOP kits I wanted to have my hands on - multiple amounts of, too!! and so ... Which leaves me with my Japanese contact ... who supplies me Hasegawa with a lot less pain than USA, Europe or local pricing ... Finally my old little leather desk mat was getting on ... so I bought one of these 'u-beaut' cutting mats I've seen around ... big kits require big mats - so this ones 914mm x 609mm Hope you've enjoyed todays viewing!! Rog

Ok ... Time to flick through "Birthday Splurge Pt.3" ... Bit of a story with some of these ... so ... kicking off ... A StuG ... or more accurately a StuH with zimmeritt, from Dragon ... along with one of the only Pz.III variants I still had to get ... the Ausf.H Reading all the conjecture about the Bf109G-6 ... I decided to grap a Trumpeter kit, to line up against the Revell and Hasegawa of the same ilk. After opening up the ZM He.219 kit and thinking "Holy ****!!" I decided to grab a couple of other ZM kits, before they disappear - as some of these are getting to be rare now ... so a couple of P-51D's And a couple of Fw Ta-152H-1's ... and even though it's not my kind of subject matter - chasing down the one I scored as a gift before was difficult ... so I thought I'd grab another before it disappears... ... so while I was at it ... I grabbed another one of these ... One of the only models of early war panzers I was missing was the 35(t) ... this ones a new release from Academy. It has very good in-box and build reviews. These things are cheap as chips ATM ... for what they are: the best manufacture of a Bf.110 on the market. I honestly think that the reason for the price drop is that: not too many people out there have cottoned on to the fact that the kit can be assembled without the huge external fuel tank! While I was grabbing the ZM stuff and the Pz.35(t) ... I thought I'd chuck this one in to 'spread' the freight cost from the USA ... Time for intermission Rog

well ... The Bf108 can wait for all I care ... But a Ta-154 would be welcome!! ... Still think it's a typo though! Rog

Well ... my 2014 will be a bit up and down ... still putting the finishing touches to the "Afrika Korps" Diorama ... At least I have a name for it now "Planning the next move" ... I'll be starting (around December-ish) a side-by-side build of the Bf109-G ... by Trumpeter, Revell and Hasegawa ... to see if there is any real fuss between the three ... all will have various corrections and PE work done - along with the same paint and markings, so esentially it will be a "Time/Cost" comparrission build - for my own interest. And I want to build at least one of my Tamiya kits, one of my Zoukei-Mura kits and an Eduard Bf109E-1 ... to add to my experience CV. Heinz Bar's Fw190A-7, Walter Nowotny's A-5 (when decals arrive!) ... and my Pz.35(t) to add to my "France May 1940" dio' Rog

Likewise!! ... surely not 1/32??? Perhaps a typo there ... 1/48??

Ahhhh Steve! ... thankyou! ... I have seen the bulge, although to be honest, I wasn't sure of which marque was which - not all Google references are reliable and I am definately not an expert on the 410. The bulge shouldn't be too difficult ... maybe some un-used oil cooler/water cooler intakes for shape + a bit of flat plastic and some putty to adjust size and fit ... Weren't the spent shells kept onboard inside the fuslage/gunbay though ... as with the Hs129B-3?? Thanks again! Rog

The second and third parcels arrived out of Japan today: * Hasegawa 1/32 FW190A-8 "JGr.10" * Hasegawa 1/32 FW190F-8 "Schlachtgeshwader 4" * Hasegawa 1/32 FW190D-9 * Hasegawa 1/32 Messerschmitt Bf109G-6 Rog

Yesterday ... my second lot of * Zoukei-Mura 1/32 Ta152H-1 * Zoukei-Mura 1/32 P-51D Mustang ... and * Revell 1/32 Messerschmitt Bf109G-6 arrived ... and today ... * Tamiya 1/32 Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero Rog

Nick ... I was wondering if it would be too much drama ... to chuck in one of these?! http://www.greymatterfigures.com/index.php?p=2&id=161# Obviously, Grey Matter only sells the barrel ... would the rest of the "gun pack" be seen from looking through the cockpit windows? Apparently the A-1 was upgunned as well as the latter B variants ... so the rest of the aircraft shouldn't be a problem ... so I'm thinking that appart from the obvious modification to fit the cannon, it will only be an issue of finding the correct markings and some masking?? Rog

... And don't bother expecting anything resembling customer service with that purchase either ... you'll probably only get vague, non-commital, answers in asking the question, IF the e-mail is answered!! T'was a headache I'd rather forget!! ... I haven't even given the kits more than a cursory glance since they arrived, so annoyed was I ... I thought it was me (because I can be a little anal sometimes) ... but zero bother with Sprue (USA), Dragon (USA), Frontline (Aust), BNA (Aust) and Model Hobbies (UK) ... even Mirek at HPH (Czech) was great - considering the language barrier and all!! ... Still ... I may be tempted ... at least for one or two more. Rog

Konichiwa dudes!! ... Just arrived ... 1st of 3 parcels from Japan ... containing: * Hasegawa 1/32 FW190A-6 * Hasegawa 1/32 FW190A-7 Rog

I would've grabbed a Mk.VIII too ... except it has that awful looking pointed tail!!! Rog

Oh ... Don't get me wrong ... I grabbed a couple along with a Tempest and Hurricane. I think they are a decent kit just going off reviews and my own look in box. I was referring to the pain involved with the customer service. Rog

True, true ... and if you have no dramas in the purchasing, all well and good At that price, even I am tempted to venture back into Hades. Rog

mmmmm ... Hasegawa with Montex A-3 conversion prehaps? ... don't roll them dice bro, the drama ain't worth it!! Rog

Wishing you trouble free ordering!!! Rog