I just received the latest Hannant's e-mail catalog update. There is a company called Caliber that is now making sets of rivet heads in different sizes for the ultimate accuracy hounds. Have fun folks!
Bill Shuey
Thanks for the heads up Bill. Fortuinately, or fortunately if you prefer the correct spelling, for me I'm not a rivet counter. If I were I'd never get the damn things done. You see, I have a goal. Or a dream at the very least of finishing the kits in my stash, in the next 2 to 4 years. With my recently successful "fire sale" of a bunch of kits and figure sets, I think I can reach that goal.
That would be Caliber 35 and they've been avaialable for several years. They're great for detailing older Tamiya tanks and replacing rivets lost while sanding.
You joke about this....but if you take one of these classic Airfix kits, and sand away about 90% of the rivet detail...until you are left with only an oh-so-slightly-perceivable riveted surface....the succeeding paint job will give you a *very* nice looking flush-riveted look. It looks very realistic. Most of the "modern" kits, even with their gorgeous recessed scribing....just look a bit too "smooth". The genuine articles had *lots* of surface imperfections.
and while many people sneer at them, you can make lots of the lindberg stuff look good the same way. sure, it takes a lot to detail a lindberg kit, but you can get very nice results with some kits that are otherwise unavailable. but if you don't want the lindbergs..just send them along.
Sometimes they get it right. Their Curtis Jenny is good even by today's standards of accuracy, and they did a couple of sailing ships in the
60's--the Wappen von Hamburg and the Le Flore-- that are as good as anything by Airfix or Heller.
Do they make flush rivets as well as domed? Front ends of fighters- nose, wing leading edges, etc. used flush rivets by WW2.
Even domed rivets used on aircraft are not as "domed" as the hemispheres you see on boilers and stuff.
i built the jenny for a friend. it looked so good i lamot regretted giving it away. but i'll find another.
Ohh, Yeah! Ever go to an airshow and take a close look at a Grumman F4F or a real Douglas SBD?? "X thousand rivets flying in close formation" :-)
Bill Shuey
Yes, and you feel like you've accomplished something when you're done and it looks right.
Bill Banaszak, MFE
I am still waiting for cottage-industry "realistic external surfaces" replacement :-((
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