I recently wrote about the Tu-22M3 Backfire bomber. Now I am asking if there is a resin correction kit coming out soon?
And I bought a Cylon Raider 2 weeks ago and I was wondering if there is a correction kit that be out in the future? Just like to make it accurate.
Bill
A resin correction kit would be almost a complete re-mould.
I am in the throes of trying to correct the Esci/Italeri Tu-22M3 Backfire C kit and so far I have...
Reduced the depth of the fuselage by 4mm (both front and rear).
Moved the wings back by 10mm.
Added a 10mm plug between the front and rear fuselage halves.
Reshaped and re-fitted the intakes so that the top slopes downwards and they are not so deep.
Scratch-built a new radome that is a totally different shape and is 25mm longer.
Filled all the panel lines.
And that is just the fuselage !!!
Looking at the fin, the rudder hinge line is wrong and there are some minor shape problems.
The fixed section of the wing has an incorrect outer shape - where the swing wing goes.
The wheels are waaaaay too small (I might use the Equipage Tu-16 wheel set - they are the right size)
The moving part of the wing looks OK !!
I have opened up the canopies - but the kit canopy is the wrong shape (the rear edge should slope backwards). I am hoping to use the windscreen suitably modified. The fact that the canopy is open may help disguise the fact that it doesn't fit in the closed position!
So I wouldn't hold your breath for a correction set soon !
With a bit of luck Trumpeter, Panda or Amodel might do an injection-moulded one
- hopefully accurate.
Heavykits have a vacform one in the their future releases........
Well, Ken, if you're cursed like me, after ALL that work a beautiful injection moulded kit is sure to come out! I just think I'll sell my two kits on ebay...
Well, at least they could do a set with intakes, nosecone and fuselage plug. Even if I don't think someone will ever make a set just to fix some of the faults of a kit that needs a lot of surgery.
Of course all you said is right Ken, but I did my Backfire in a different way that I think makes things a little easier. Instead of moving the wing glove I removed 10mm in the fuselage behind the wings, then made the fulselage plug 10mm longer. This way the wing gloves (and the undercarriage) are stronger. Then also the bomb bay has to be shifted forward.
Unfortunately some errors are very hard to fix (also because the kit is in fact an "hybrid" between the M2 and the M3: the nosecone, blow in doors, and tail gun are different on the M3), but most of them can be fixed with some surgery. The only things really difficult to fix are the undercarriage width and the double blubble rear fuselage (I'll try to simply "paint" the shadow). For the wheels there's a set from Equipage.
My Backfire lacks only new intakes and the nosecone (I choose to depict an M2). So Bubba don't worry, it can be done with some surgery. And of course, as soon as my model is "ALMOST" finished, someone (maybe Trumpeter?) will make a PERFECT Backfire.
Btw, I looked at the Dragon website and there's a link to Panda website, so there must be some kind of co-operation. As Dragon also reboxed Italeri kits (or was it Italeri to rebox Dragon kits? I don't know), I think Panda's Backfire will be the same kit.
My 0.02
Gentlemen,
How about the Minicraft 1/144 Backfire kit? How does it stand on the accuracy scale???
thx Herb
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