I don't agree - Hasegawa's move to kit the Lancaster is to be applauded. The airfix kit is ill fitting and poorly detailed, the matchbox kit I can't comment on, but hey, it's a matchbox kit and the revell kit is as old as me and just as dated. Be grateful they ever bothered to kit the Mitchell in the first place, you can always build the italeri kit if you want the early version. Gary.
The Airfix Lancaster kit is probably the best 1:72nd Lanc on the market and i for one will not be buying the new kit just because it has new markings. Anyway Revell released S-Sugar marking almost 40yrs ago so surely there could have been another option for decals. Yes the cottage industry will help by producing alternative decals but there are plenty available already. On the technical stuff, aircraft windows were stopped on production around November 1943. Merlin engines were not in short supply, provision was made for the Americans to produce them should we be bombed out of existance. The Canadian produced the Lancaster intially with the shallow nose blister because the pattern aircraft flown to Canada had one but this was changed after the first
100 or so. The paddle blades proved more effective for climb> I don't agree - Hasegawa's move to kit the Lancaster is to beapplauded.
example,
However,
largely
Levine
monkeys been flying out of every orifice of that whacko for years....
Marko> .... They released fabulous B-25s in H,J and PBJ Marko> version, then rushed ahead to He 111s without covering the Marko> rest of B-25 family before (early models with turret placed Marko> further back)....
Damn, I could swear I saw an early model in Tokyo last week. Maybe I was dreaming, must check it out in Osaka tomorrow.
I still haven't actually *seen* the 1/700 Tamiya Prince of Wales release in her December-1941 configuration (no boxes floating around, hehe), but I have seen the boxart and will have a squiz in the box if I can get hold of one. The nice 1/72 Fine Molds 109Fs are around though - must say I would prefer them to leave out the zany camouflage decals annd instead lower the price. Lots of nice stuff out there now!
Indeed. Unfortunately not all of it ends up here. I'm especially interested in the JASDF 50th anniversary special editions, but they don't seem to be making it out of Japan. Hobby Link Japan are doing fairly well out of me at the moment.
Jon.
Jonathan> Indeed. Unfortunately not all of it ends up here. I'm Jonathan> especially interested in the JASDF 50th anniversary Jonathan> special editions, but they don't seem to be making it Jonathan> out of Japan. Hobby Link Japan are doing fairly well out Jonathan> of me at the moment.
Hehe, good on them! The depression in Japan must be alleviated by the overseas sales :-)
50th anniversary editions are pretty nice: decals is what you mean, right? I didn't see any special combination sets recently, but yes, lots of nice decals. As a matter of fact, special packaging of existing releases is the way to go now, adding a couple of etched pieces, or a resin blob or two. The F-14D Super Tomcat is out again, man that is one box where the parts do fill it right to the brim!I have to correct mnyself, I was mistaken in the early model B-25... but you all knew that anyway, right? :-) As for hte 1/700 Prince of Wales, I wouldn't bother. It's the same PoW from Tamiya as before, with the addition of 6 or 12 more Betty's and Nell's, to supplement the three in the original kit. Mind you, the kit is really nice, but why shell out more for the few extra aircraft?
I have been looking at some of the products by Aki, resin or limited release injection I could not tell (sickly yellow), but very very petite engraving and great-looking parts. In particular, there is a Blackburn Firebrand in 1/48, wow, what a beauty! Only problem is the price, just over 7000 JPY. Ouch...! Have to do some more part-time jobs for that one.
Cheers, Gernot
I do my best. Standard practice for my trip last year was to get into the hotel, drop off my camera and enquire at the front desk for the location of the local hobby stores, then show the confused girl behind the desk the kit box I kept handy. The hastily summoned bell-hop pointed out his favourite haunts on a map, and off I went. It's surprising how many kits you can fit into a suitcase when you're trying.
Indeed - existing kits with special edition decals. I've got the following kits:
Shizuhama T-3s:
I'm also trying to find the kit of the Misawa F-4EJ kai Phantoms in the F-2 scheme (or the Platz decals). Fortunately I managed to find a copy of the Hasegawa US-1A kit that made it to the UK. Having photographed three US-1As in formation at the Iwakuni families day, that one may get built sooner rather than later.
Indeed, except that the Aki offering is 1:72. Nice though:
Jon.
Jonathan> I do my best. Standard practice for my trip last year /snip/
Jonathan> Indeed - existing kits with special edition decals. I've Jonathan> got the following kits:
/snip/
Jonathan> But I missed out on the Hamamatsu / Iruma T-4 kit: Jonathan>
Hello Jon,
I'm heading down to Kyoto Mokei (Kyoto Models) on Saturday, and will see what I can do. They don't give discount, so I have to pay the box listed price, whatever that might be. If you're interested, I can pick up one or two (if they're in stock).
Jonathan> I'm also trying to find the kit of the Misawa F-4EJ kai Jonathan> Phantoms in the F-2 scheme (or the Platz decals). /snip/
Same as above...
Jonathan> Indeed, except that the Aki offering is 1:72. Nice Jonathan> though:
Sir, you are correct! My mistake, it is indeed 1/72. It's a little cheaper than HLJ in Osaka, because the larger shops (Joshin and Hobbix) give 20 to 30% off list price. There's more flash on the parts than is shown in the HLJ promotional images, so it'll take a fair amount of work to clean them up. But no doubt the detail is amazing. I can see myself working overtime for a few days to get that baby: my first aircraft resin kit perhaps.
Incidentally, have you been around Leonardo's, in Akihabara? Very conveniently (unless like me you find this information out in your last few hours in Tokyo, having saved just these for the Yellow Submarine hobbyshop in Shinjuku before getting on the Shinkansen to Kyoto ... that Yellow Submarine model store no longer exists in Shinjuku) close to Yellow Submarine, recently moved to Akihabara.
Both shops have used kit sales, and I have picked up around 5 of the Gunze Sangyo 1/1000 metal ship kits with photo-etch that came out in about 1990/1 (Ashigara, Musashi, Nagato), plus all manner of cheap versions of Fine Molds, Hasegawa, Trimaster/Dragon and other kits.
When I visited there on 26 February Leonardo had piles of kits outside on the street, and I could get Fine Models 1/48 kits for between 1500 and 2000 yen (usual price is 4000 to 4500 yen), also Accurate Minatures single-engine fighter kits for between 1800 and 2500 yen (usual price is 4500 yen) etc. Had a large box shipped to me, total cost 13000 yen, contents worth new (all still available or in production items) over 35000yen.
Yes please. The price isn't a problem, by the time Hasegawa kits get to the UK by conventional routes the price has usually inflated considerably; their F-15J Aggressor retails at ~£18UK (~$36US); for a 2400yen kit (~£12UK), that can start adding up.
At the risk of seeming pushy, if they have any of the F-15DJ Aggressor kits (particularly the later one) or the RF-4EJ kai kit, I would very much appreciate one or two of them as well.
As it turned out, my time in Tokyo was very limited, so I didn't have much time for searching. I found the branch of Leonardo's near Ikebukuro down the street from Tokyu Hands (I assume this is not the Akihabara branch): It specialises in second hand, but more western kits, Airfix, Revell, etc. Bit disappointing, as I can get them at home. The branch of Leonardo's in Yokohama was more useful, though, and turned up a few kits I hadn't seen before.
I'd be very grateful for anything you can find from the kits mentioned above; any chance you can send me a private e-mail so I can contact you off the group?
Many thanks, Jon.
Jonathan> As it turned out, my time in Tokyo was very limited, so Jonathan> I didn't have much time for searching. I found the Jonathan> branch of Leonardo's near Ikebukuro down the street from Jonathan> Tokyu Hands (I assume this is not the Akihabara branch): Jonathan> It specialises in second hand, but more western kits, Jonathan> Airfix, Revell, etc. Bit disappointing, as I can get Jonathan> them at home. The branch of Leonardo's in Yokohama was Jonathan> more useful, though, and turned up a few kits I hadn't Jonathan> seen before.
Hello Jon,
Ah yes, the Akihabara branch is by far the best, with four floors devoted to model kits and books, tools, etc.
Jonathan> I'd be very grateful for anything you can find from the Jonathan> kits mentioned above; any chance you can send me a Jonathan> private e-mail so I can contact you off the group?
OK, no problem, I'll get back to you Sunday or Monday next week.
Sure, use my X-Jost-Rating in the header, it has my real email in it. You should be able to see the complete headers in any decent newsreader, else jsut save the news article and view it in a text editor (hopefully the saving function in your MS Outlook Express 6.00 can do this properly - or maybe you have a 'view raw article' function). The Message-ID also has the correct mail domain after the @ sign, in front of which you can simply put my first name.
If you'll send me your postal address in the meantime it will speed things up...
Cheers, Gernot
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