Soo.... What did you just get???

[belugawhaleman]

2 hours ago, GazzaS said:

Is the Trumpeter kit the one that has the wheel wells out of place?

It's the angle of the firewall that's not right is what I heard....I did buy a aftermarket firewall that's supposed to fix the problem, but I'm not convinced.

We'll see. The replacement firewall/wheelwell was made by Master

Details....but I read that even that has issues.

 

https://www.largescaleplanes.com/reviews/review.php?rid=2354

[telepatu]

Luckymodel had Red Fox 3D panels for sale, so I grabbed some to see what are they like. The sale is still on, I might get some others as well. I ordered some J's Work masks for tank builds waiting for paint jobs.

The Red Foxes are rather nice. The plan was to try it out with 1:48 La-7 and continue with the Super Hornet. Perhaps this will rejuvenate the stalled Revell Super bug build. 🙃 I could post some detailed close ups if you are interested.

[Bomber_County]

3 hours ago, telepatu said:

Luckymodel had Red Fox 3D panels for sale, so I grabbed some to see what are they like. The sale is still on, I might get some others as well. I ordered some J's Work masks for tank builds waiting 

The RedFox panels are superb, I’ve bought them  for 1/32 Mosquito, 1/48 Beaufort and F16……

[Peterpools]

On 5/27/2023 at 8:54 PM, belugawhaleman said:

I have somewhere between 120-130 kits in my stash.....seeing that some

of you have about 300 kits, I don't feel that bad now. I now think that I'll

mark 300 as a goal...then stop...Yes, that sounds reasonable to me,... Don't you

think? Yes,.....that's what I'll do...not crazy at all.

 

Paul

My small stash hovers between 25-30 kits and at times I wonder if I will ever actually build them all. I do add new kits when  kits have either been built, sold or traded. Of course, the actual number seems to increase over time with new releases asking to be purchased.

 

 

 

[Peterpools]

4 hours ago, telepatu said:

Luckymodel had Red Fox 3D panels for sale, so I grabbed some to see what are they like. The sale is still on, I might get some others as well. I ordered some J's Work masks for tank builds waiting for paint jobs.

The Red Foxes are rather nice. The plan was to try it out with 1:48 La-7 and continue with the Super Hornet. Perhaps this will rejuvenate the stalled Revell Super bug build. 🙃 I could post some detailed close ups if you are interested.

Red Fox Cockpit Detail Sets do look excellent and I still wonder why they do not include seatbelts and harnesses as does Quinta, as their pricing is very similar.

 

 

[BlrwestSiR]

I have a couple of the Red Fox sets but haven't tried them yet. I wonder if they feel that the material isn't quite right for belts so that's why they haven't done them?

[BlrwestSiR]

Got a small order from BNA today. 

Masks for the GWH AVG Hawk and the Andy's Tiger.

 

The first 4 mask options on the Montex set cover the same tank at different points in its service. Which is kind of neat. 

The ASK masks for the AVG Hawk are for the Nationalist stars. That should help when it comes time to build the GWH kit. 

Canopy masks for a couple Tamiya kits. The P-51 ones will be used on the Cavalier Mustang.

Some armour bits. 

Lastly the Infinity Vampire courtesy of the recent Lightning Deal at SB. 

There's an RCAF option so I know what I'll be building.  

 

[Bomber_County]

Carl, that’s small……😃

[DocRob]

12 hours ago, BlrwestSiR said:

Some armour bits. 

Nice loot Carl, you know, that there is a set of vinyl adhesive masks out there for the disc pattern, maybe a bit handier to work with.

Extra dots for DPC-35 an DPC-48. Please select scale in checkbox - Uschi van der Rosten Carpet Decals (uschivdr.com) (just scroll down a bit)

Cheers Rob

[BlrwestSiR]

3 hours ago, DocRob said:

Nice loot Carl, you know, that there is a set of vinyl adhesive masks out there for the disc pattern, maybe a bit handier to work with.

Extra dots for DPC-35 an DPC-48. Please select scale in checkbox - Uschi van der Rosten Carpet Decals (uschivdr.com) (just scroll down a bit)

Cheers Rob

Thanks Rob! I didn't know about those. One idea I had with the ones I bought was to use them to cut masks from tape. It'll be a good test of the tape knife I bought earlier. 

[ScottsGT]

Best circle cutter ever! 
 

https://www.amazon.com/DSPIAE-Stepless-Adjustment-Circular-Cutter/dp/B07MHMNZMZ/ref=asc_df_B07MHMNZMZ/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=459567493631&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=567171813248764408&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9010406&hvtargid=pla-944814535883&psc=1

[Landlubber Mike]

On 5/26/2023 at 12:25 PM, Peterpools said:

ebay - auction win:

Still shrink wrapped and brand spanking perfect! 🏆

Think Midway but don't forget the movie: Dive Bombers with: Fred McMurray, Errol Flynn, Ralph Bellamy and Alexis Smith and the movie was in full color. released in 1941. 

Hey Peter, great subject!  I have a build log going on the sister site in case you have any interest in seeing aftermarket and construction issues.  Make sure you take a look to see if the fuselage halves have an indentation between the rear cockpit and the tail.  Common issue in these kits.  Otherwise, it's a really nice kit of a rarely modeled subject.

https://modelshipworld.com/topic/28510-sb2u-1-vindicator-by-landlubber-mike-accurate-miniatures-148/

 

 

[BlrwestSiR]

1 hour ago, ScottsGT said:

Best circle cutter ever! 
 

https://www.amazon.com/DSPIAE-Stepless-Adjustment-Circular-Cutter/dp/B07MHMNZMZ/ref=asc_df_B07MHMNZMZ/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=459567493631&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=567171813248764408&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9010406&hvtargid=pla-944814535883&psc=1

Absolutely! I have an earlier one made by a different company and when the Dspiae one came out, I grabbed that as it was so much easier to use. 

[HubertB]

It’s probably me, but I am struggling to keep the blade in position with this cutter. It always tends to fall off …

Hubert

[ScottsGT]

11 minutes ago, HubertB said:

It’s probably me, but I am struggling to keep the blade in position with this cutter. It always tends to fall off …

Hubert

Mines held in place with magnetism.  I’d have to pull it out to look, but not sure if the blades are magnetized or if there is a magnet in the holder. 

[belugawhaleman]

5 minutes ago, ScottsGT said:

Mines held in place with magnetism.  I’d have to pull it out to look, but not sure if the blades are magnetized or if there is a magnet in the holder. 

The magnet is in the holder....Even with the magnet the cutter sometimes falls out..

[BlrwestSiR]

16 minutes ago, HubertB said:

It’s probably me, but I am struggling to keep the blade in position with this cutter. It always tends to fall off …

Hubert

The earlier one I had did that. It was made by Shadow Hobby.

[HubertB]

I’ll check, but I am pretty sure mine hasn’t got a magnet … But it’s also true that stainless steel is not very sensitive to magnetism, and the blade is stainless steel.

Hubert

[belugawhaleman]

1 minute ago, HubertB said:

I’ll check, but I am pretty sure mine hasn’t got a magnet … But it’s also true that stainless steel is not very sensitive to magnetism, and the blade is stainless steel.

Hubert

It should be inside the adjustment spring...looking from above you should

See it as a silver disc....Early examples of this cutter required assembly and

I believe 2 of these magnets were provided.

[DocRob]

2 hours ago, HubertB said:

It’s probably me, but I am struggling to keep the blade in position with this cutter. It always tends to fall off …

I had the same issues with the blade falling out, despite having the magnet. I was a bit unnerved and didn't use the cutter for a while. Some weeks ago, I gave it another try and it worked very good, somehow. I adjusted the preload for cutting 0,5 mm styrene and later again adjusted for Kabuki, I cut the masks for the Arado's wheels without the blade falling out. I can't describe what has changed, maybe the adjustment spring is a bit pre-twisted now and held the blade in place without hindering the rotation.

Cheers Rob

[belugawhaleman]

2 hours ago, DocRob said:

I had the same issues with the blade falling out, despite having the magnet. I was a bit unnerved and didn't use the cutter for a while. Some weeks ago, I gave it another try and it worked very good, somehow. I adjusted the preload for cutting 0,5 mm styrene and later again adjusted for Kabuki, I cut the masks for the Arado's wheels without the blade falling out. I can't describe what has changed, maybe the adjustment spring is a bit pre-twisted now and held the blade in place without hindering the rotation.

Cheers Rob

My last use i cut 40 masks, worked perfectly..... I noticed that the cutter did

not stay in place every time when lifting the cutter while the blade was still in the material

I was cutting..... Perhaps the blade was sticking to the adhesive on the backside

of the vinyl I was cutting and it was pulled out as opposed to falling out?

[Artful69]

So here's a little member participation story for you ... Humour me!

Find brand new (or as near to brand new condition as possible) 1/32 kits of the following:

Hasegawa ST-28 (Ki.61) & ST-34 (A6M5c - new tool), Tamiya Spitfire Mk.IXc, DeHavilland Mosquito FB Mk.VI. Note their prices and any cost of shipping them to you. Add up the total and compare with my total at the end of this post.

...... ..... Done?! ... Ok, on we go!

If you're a regular viewer of this particular thread you might remember that I was chasing up a 1/32 Tamiya Phantom.II E or EJ a while back so I could slap some RAAF roundels onto it.

I had a few back channel offers for second hand kits and while I ended up scoring the E that way, at the same time I found a brand new EJ (the only retail one I could find!) at a decent price. I decided to be nosey and went exploring their website looking especially for kits that have sold out elsewhere and was amazed - not only at what was available, brand new, to purchase ... but some of the ridiculously low prices they were going for. I book marked the page and went back there recently.

When the Phantom E/J arrived I was impressed with the condition it arrived in - the kit box still wrapped in shrink plastic and not a dent or blemish. It was the middle of the COVID fiasco, so shipping of any kind was brutal if at all permissible, but these guys had a deal with DHL and I thought the cost of the shipping was quite reasonable considering the size of the package and the destination (Japan - Australia).

Anyway I was trying to find a Tony somewhere (near on impossible now unless its second hand) and I thought to revisit this store to see what was what. 4 kits later ... but not at 4 kit prices!!

This rather large box was couriered by Fedex ... who refused to deliver to my post office - even with a signature supplied by the post master (who is a JP) ... so I had the inconvenience of picking the parcel up from their depot, about 30 mins away ... And that's about where all the negatives in this story end because the box was well handled, well packed and the kits arrived in pristine condition - so very hard to get these days!!

With bubble wrap galore!

I found my Tony!

... and picked up the new tool (2015) A6M5c Zero

and because they were so cheap to get ...

A Tamiya Spitfire Mk.IXc and DeHavillind Mosquito FB Mk.VI

Now ... before I bring up my invoice total in AUD (which includes the shipping) and break down individual costs ... I'll provide some standard Australian retail pricing numbers for context.

IF (and it's becoming more of a big 'IF' all the time!) you can still find a new 1/32Hasegawa kit here in Aus, you're probably paying $100 AUD give or take a few, depending on the kit. Tamiya kits are NOT cheap here ... $185-$210 for the Spitfire and $330 for the Mosquito ... free shipping for large orders ... on average that is $730 AUD.

My total out of Japan including shipping? - $490.36 ... yep, that's just over 2/3 of the normal pricing - less if you take off the shipping cost, but my comparisons are always based on 'delivered' values ...

Hasegawa Ki.61 $65 AUD

Hasegawa A6M5c $46 AUD

Tamiya Spitfire Mk.IXc $95 AUD

Tamiya Mosquito FB Mk.VI $187 AUD

Shipping $105

Rog

 

[ScottsGT]

Wow Rog!  Amazing deals you got there.  

[BlrwestSiR]

Those are some great prices Rog.

I've been ordering less from Japan since they still haven't allowed packages to be sent via Japan Post. The courier options are generally quite expensive. It's only if it's something I can't get elsewhere that I'll order it from a retailer there. 

[BlrwestSiR]

Sue beat me to the door today so the post woman gave my package to her. Thankfully when I showed her it was from the Ukraine, she that it was great I was supporting them. So win-win!

I couldn't resist a quick test fit after going through the contents. @HubertB's review was spot on, however brief it may have been. 

Back into the box at least until  I get the Tomcat done. Might be a bit longer as there is one project I want to start this year.