Fokker DR.I in 1/32 announced from Meng

[DocRob]

Just spotted, that Meng announced an 1/32 Fokker DR.I. The kit seem to have options for a F.1, a DR.I early or late. It's new tooling and includes some PE.

http://www.meng-model.com/en/contents/59/290.html

Cheers Rob

[Bomber_County]

I haven’t done a biplane yet so doing a triplane is a stretch.......Well spotted....

[Bill_S]

I don't care where the molds came from - if it's accurate, sign me up! It would be great to have a new player in the WWI game...

[DocRob]

1 hour ago, Bill_S said:

It would be great to have a new player in the WWI game...

Actually they have a handful of WWI tanks in their portfolio, they are not completely new to that area.

I ordered a Roden DR.! a week ago, therefore and because it's not my favorite airframe, I will pass on the Meng offering, at least for now.

2 hours ago, Bomber_County said:

I haven’t done a biplane yet so doing a triplane is a stretch.......Well spotted....

Thanks Phil, but why not doing a DR.1, there is almost no rigging on that kite .

Cheers Rob 

[Guest DannyVM]

Maybe it's a go for me, depending which markings are included with the kit.

[GazzaS]

heh...  only four posts here.  At TOS and  FB it's a bit more active.  So far sounds like they're the WNW molds...  which is cool.  I just hope Meng got some of the molds for other aircraft.  Ppl are begging for the Lanc and the 0/400 now.  But I have doubts that Meng is feeling suicidal.

 

My biggest concern is the detail decals and the decals themselves.

 

Let's hope Meng decides to make a lot of different WWI aircraft models.

[Wumm]

Was kind of hoping they'd upscale their 1/48th Me 410 kit instead...

S

[GazzaS]

15 minutes ago, Wumm said:

Was kind of hoping they'd upscale their 1/48th Me 410 kit instead...

S

I built that kit.  Pretty nice, but had to lengthen the spinners a little bit.

[HubertB]

Gotta say that, although the Dr-1 was an obvious - and long-overdue, like French fighters - choice for WnW to do, I was personally never hyped-up about it.

Good to see that the molds seem to get a deserved second life, though.

Hubert

[krow113]

Staring at this on my screen for 10 minutes attempting to formulate a coherent response , failing miserably ...

Not particularly interested , already the critique and anticipated issues being noted , box artwork already taking hits , things go on...

Someone was molding all the kits for WNW , maybe it was MNM all along...

[Clunkmeister]

I’ll never get over WNW not doing French fighters. That was a huge mistake. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if the WERE originally the WNW molds, now nicely requisitioned by the Chinese government and redistributed to the local Chinese companies.  Western rules of business etiquette and copyright mean nothing in China. 

I’ll pass. 

[Clunkmeister]

3 hours ago, GazzaS said:

heh...  only four posts here.  At TOS and  FB it's a bit more active.  So far sounds like they're the WNW molds...  which is cool.  I just hope Meng got some of the molds for other aircraft.  Ppl are begging for the Lanc and the 0/400 now.  But I have doubts that Meng is feeling suicidal.

 

My biggest concern is the detail decals and the decals themselves.

 

Let's hope Meng decides to make a lot of different WWI aircraft models.

I saw some of the stuff on TOS, and it’s just the usual garbage. A hone can stretch a thread into 20 pages by saying the same things over and over and over. 

[krow113]

ad nauseum

 

[The Dude]

3 hours ago, GazzaS said:

heh...  only four posts here.  At TOS and  FB it's a bit more active.  So far sounds like they're the WNW molds...  which is cool.  I just hope Meng got some of the molds for other aircraft.  Ppl are begging for the Lanc and the 0/400 now.  But I have doubts that Meng is feeling suicidal.

 

My biggest concern is the detail decals and the decals themselves.

 

Let's hope Meng decides to make a lot of different WWI aircraft models.

That would interesting but a 1/32 lanc from  meng would be $700 even if it was the original WnW mold

[[CAT]CplSlade]

The message from a former WNW employee, the implication Meng did the injection for them (Did anyone think WNW had its own plastic mold injection facility, or farmed it out?), as well as the reality that many companies borrow another company's machinery to produce kits under their own label. Trumpeter has produced stuff for Merit for quite some time now; it is not that difficult to believe WNW tapped Meng to pop their plastic as Meng has established itself as capable of very good kits. They certainly don't suffer the inconsistency that plagues Trumpeter/Hobby Boss.

Not that I really care as I don't build WWI, but I am hoping the sales of this kit and perhaps others will keep Meng growing and expanding their other product lines. I need them or Takom to completely replace Dragon's inventory.

[GazzaS]

3 hours ago, Clunkmeister said:

I’ll never get over WNW not doing French fighters. That was a huge mistake. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if the WERE originally the WNW molds, now nicely requisitioned by the Chinese government and redistributed to the local Chinese companies.  Western rules of business etiquette and copyright mean nothing in China. 

I’ll pass. 

Well...I have less and less respect for PJ every day...  I don;t know if we could have ever made ends meet for WNW because I don't know how the money was spent.  I have a feeling that the artists and designers were probably paid very, very well.  But he ran WNW stupidly.  When the world wants apples, why you go and give us lemons?

[Lothar]

Someone got PJ's mobile number? My wife wants to have a word with him......

[Guest DannyVM]

9 hours ago, GazzaS said:

Well...I have less and less respect for PJ every day...  I don;t know if we could have ever made ends meet for WNW because I don't know how the money was spent.  I have a feeling that the artists and designers were probably paid very, very well.  But he ran WNW stupidly.  When the world wants apples, why you go and give us lemons?

Respect is a big word to use in this matter. In my eyes, PJ was just another model manufacturer, but a damn good one regarding quality of the kit's WNW delivered us. It was widely known that WNW kit's where produced in China, so only speculation was, which company did the work.

Regarding PJ's running WNW, well i always felt that the guy made very strange turns in his subjects. Never less he released some very interesting ones, but when the news hit the street that he was planning a Lancaster, the only thing i could do is laugh with it and pull my eyebrows at the same time questioning where he got the guts to do such stupid decision. That's where my respect for him dropped like a brik, because it was very obvious that this would not be the best-seller of the company. A well known W.W.1 model company made a turn of 90° knowing another company was all-ready busy with a Lancaster. Better said, it was one of the dead-traps. The last releases where very strange subjects, knowing there where still enough French, British and German scout's to developed. many saying that it was PJ his own preference which gave decisions to developed and release certain subjects i never agreed with. As a owner of the company he had to put company business before his own preferences and now he's gone.

I'm waiting for the official release of the Meng Fokker Dr.I and will see. Before that, i'm not going to jump to conclusions.

[krow113]

If you guys can get your head wrapped around the idea that WNW was run as a 'loser' you may be able to get a little more understanding as to the decisions made.   For me , it starts to make sense that if you are already running at a loss , whats a Lanc or two ? PJ makes a frikkin TON  of cash , he needs a loser or two to help balance taxation.

I also thought these were being made in conjunction with the Dambusters film re-make.

Talk amongst your selves....

[DocRob]

2 hours ago, DannyVM said:

Never less he released some very interesting ones, but when the news hit the street that he was planning a Lancaster, the only thing i could do is laugh with it and pull my eyebrows at the same time questioning where he got the guts to do such stupid decision

I agree with most of what you say, but if you can do a Felixstowe, the Lanc is a peace of cake. One part of the name Wingnut Wings is nuts  and this brought us some very unexpected and perfect kits. I have to love whoever is responsible for these not economical driven decisions.

Cheers Rob

[HubertB]

3 hours ago, DocRob said:

... I have to love whoever is responsible for these not economical driven decisions.

Cheers Rob

Until the same individual takes a brutal economic driven  decision and lays off overnight the talented team that helped him live his dream

Just my 

Hubert

[DocRob]

40 minutes ago, HubertB said:

Until the same individual takes a brutal economic driven  decision and lays off overnight the talented team that helped him live his dream

Just my 

I'm with you on these thoughts, but I'm also pretty sure, everybody was aware of the (dream/bubble/egocentric hobby) they were a part of. 

Cheers Rob

[Guest DannyVM]

11 hours ago, DocRob said:

I agree with most of what you say, but if you can do a Felixstowe, the Lanc is a peace of cake. One part of the name Wingnut Wings is nuts  and this brought us some very unexpected and perfect kits. I have to love whoever is responsible for these not economical driven decisions.

Cheers Rob

Well to be honest Rob, the Felixstowe was a W.W.1 subject, keeping the track for the same time frame. Going 90° the other way with a model that wasn't going to sell big was a very strange decision and i still share that opinion. the nutty thing in this story, like Hubert said was to go on a un-certain road with the final ending by putting everyone on the street. But ok, that happens often with company's who broke down, and the reason is always the wrong one no matter who's against it or with it.

WNW kit's where great kit's, every single one is a piece of art, and i'm sure the Lancaster would be to, especially for those who wanted one. I was happy that a Fokker Dr.I was going to be released by WNW, so for now, i'm happy that Meng will be releasing one, got the Roden one, but i'm curious about the Meng release.

[Clunkmeister]

I do know that a 1/32 Lanc was a lag project and pipe dream of his for decades.   I’m pretty certain he was working on his before HK started on theirs, but who knows. 

I do believe it all tied into his owning the Rights to the Dambusters and the Barnes Wallis story.

Whether or not we got French planes, a DH.4 or Be.2c, we did get many dozens of crazy well engineered unique and stunning  WW1 aircraft that, if not for him, would never have been produced. 

[1to1scale]

I for one am happy the DR.1 is continuing, because I really want one, and hoping the Lanc makes it to production somewhere. However....I could care less about PJ. I have worked for numerous companies where the executives ran the companies into the ground, made themselves a nice cushy out plan, and left the employees in the wind. Wingnut needed to fail, their life and failure resulted in a new level for other companies to rise to. And that it did...Meng, Copper State, and few others have risen to meet the new level of quality.

PJ is stinking rich, could care less about the company, and probably just got bored with it. He will remain stinking rich for ever, and he won’t care what anyone thinks of him.