Italeri

[Green Dragon]

Cybermodeler has an in box review of the YB-49. I have a question. Does anyone know if Italeri has shifted production to the far east as the US got this before Europe (also the X/YB-35 and XB-70 kits). http://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/kits/it/kit_it_1280.shtml

Paul Harrison

[kitnut617]

Having a quick read of that review Paul, I don't think I quite agree with some of his comments.  I've got a couple of the AMT XB-35's (one built) and one YB-49 and although the plastic is as it says, quite soft, the one I've built is quite rigid once the wing halves are glued together.  Can't comment on the C-135's or B-52's I've got because I haven't built any of them but if the Monogram B-52 is anything to go by then I'm expecting some wing droop to occur as when I built the Monogram B-52 I made sure all the wheels touch the ground but now after some years when I place the kit on the ground the rear main wheels are almost 3/8" off the ground.  I should say that it had been hung off the ceiling for a good fifteen or more years so that could explain it.

[PR19_Kit]

Darned if I'd heard of this 'wing sag' business on AMT/Ertl kits before, but in the case of the B-52 that would be no bad thing.

As designed and built OOB the things had no anhedral at all, and no fuel load induced droop either. There isn't a BUFF on the planet that doesn't have SOME droop when on the ground, but the AMT kit's wings stuck straight out like pen-knife blades!

Many were the published ideas to improve this at the time of the original release, most of which involved heavy plastic engineering of some sort or another. If the wings drooped with time that would have solved the problem, but if Italeri are going to (or have already....) re-released the kit in non-drooping plastic we're back in the old routine again!

[Green Dragon]

Hyperscale has a look in the box of the 1/72nd scale Reggianne Re.2000. http://www.hyperscale.com/2009/reviews/kits/italeri1272reviewgp_1.html

Paul Harrison

[NARSES2]

That's a fair review because it's a nice kit - I personally don't have a serious problem with this style of photo instruction sheet, although I do hark back to the old Airfix style where they named the pieces as well as numbering them, you learned what the bits were that way 

[Green Dragon]

Having a quick read of that review Paul, I don't think I quite agree with some of his comments.  I've got a couple of the AMT XB-35's (one built) and one YB-49 and although the plastic is as it says, quite soft, the one I've built is quite rigid once the wing halves are glued together.  Can't comment on the C-135's or B-52's I've got because I haven't built any of them but if the Monogram B-52 is anything to go by then I'm expecting some wing droop to occur as when I built the Monogram B-52 I made sure all the wheels touch the ground but now after some years when I place the kit on the ground the rear main wheels are almost 3/8" off the ground.  I should say that it had been hung off the ceiling for a good fifteen or more years so that could explain it.

I agree with you Kitnut, never heard of a wing droop problem before on the XB-35/49 kits. There have been a lot built over the years since it was first released and I haven't seen this before. Haven't built my B-52G yet but it's guarenteed to droop unless I bung a metal wing box and spar in it (even then I reckon it would give a damn good try at drooping!).

Paul Harrison

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Modellversium.de has just posted another in-box review of the latest release of the Italeri (ESCI) kit#2674, 1/48th scale Mirage IIIE which includes among other things parts from the Mirage V (not the nose parts), Mirage IIIC/CJ, and Mirage IIIE plus some new parts to arm your Mirage with a Matra Martell ARMAT ARM on the centerline.  From the looks of the sprue, this may have been a previously unreleased version from ESCI that never saw the light of day until now. 


(image source: http://www.modellversium.de/

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Hi Jeff et al
The 'new' Mirage IIIE is the Esci kit. I have the earlier 'new' release with the HUGE decal sheet. It too has the chaff dispenser and the ECM pod, which look like they have been lifted from their re-release of the Mirage F1. But no other weaps. The Martel would look very nice slung under the wing of a 'Ferrocious Ferret' TSR2 !

'Ferrocious Ferret' is essentially the same mission as the 'Wild Weasel'....... but on a tighter budget !

Ian

[Mossie]

Or even a Mildly Miffed Marten......

Not kits, but I picked up some Italeri sable brushes from PS Models in York.  The guy assured me they were lovely, especially for acrylics & they are, the paint flows off them beautifully.  Very reasonably priced too, I'll pick up some more next time I'm there.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

'Ferrocious Ferret' is essentially the same mission as the 'Wild Weasel'....... but on a tighter budget !

With the current state of our economy and the likely severe cuts in defense spending it's rather more likely to be "Harrased Hamster" than "Ferrocious Ferret"....   

Or even a Mildly Miffed Marten.......

Somehow the reference to a stoat has been ignored so far.  Still trying to think of something appropriate for a stoat...

As for the Mirage IIIE I have a pair of the earlier Italeri release with the ECM and Chaff pods, what I was referring to as new this time around was the inclusion of a new set of fuel tanks and the Martel ARMAT ARM which have never before been released in any of the Mirage kits under the ESCI name and it had me wondering if maybe ESCI had planned to release a version of the Mirage IIIE with the Martel or did Italeri come up with this bit of brilliance on their own. 

Either way, I like the fact that someone has taken the time to provide a Martel ARMAT in something other than resin or the Martel shapes that came in the various versions of the Airfix Harriers, all of which look like a Martel from a distance but up close they are lacking some details.  But when it is the only game in town, you do what you have to in order to get the weapons you want. 

Got to say that Italeri sure does put a shed load of decals in those Mirage III kits, almost like buying a decal sheet and getting a model in the package.  Not that this is a bad thing mind you :^)

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Got to say that Italeri sure does put a shed load of decals in those Mirage III kits, almost like buying a decal sheet and getting a model in the package.  Not that this is a bad thing mind you :^)

D*mnit Jeff, I told you to stop reading my mind !

Ian

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Got to say that Italeri sure does put a shed load of decals in those Mirage III kits, almost like buying a decal sheet and getting a model in the package.  Not that this is a bad thing mind you :^)

D*mnit Jeff, I told you to stop reading my mind !

See what happens when you forget to wear that foil hat :^)

The only reason I picked up the Italeri Mirage IIIE kit was for the ECM and Chaff pods, the rest of the kit was pretty much along for the ride but I was in need of those pods to pimp out one of the Mirage IV kits and I am still not sure about what the pylon looks like on the Mirage IV.  Does it really matter here in WHIF Land?  Not really. 

[pyro-manic]

Somehow the reference to a stoat has been ignored so far.  Still trying to think of something appropriate for a stoat...

IIRC, Weaver (I think) did some profiles a while back with some SEAD Canberras, one of which sported "Livid Stoat" nose art. I like "Irked Ferret" myself.

[Weaver]

Somehow the reference to a stoat has been ignored so far.  Still trying to think of something appropriate for a stoat...

IIRC, Weaver (I think) did some profiles a while back with some SEAD Canberras, one of which sported "Livid Stoat" nose art. I like "Irked Ferret" myself.

Correct - well remembered! I profiled the "Livid Stoat" and mentioned a "Miffed Mongoose" in the writeup. The ideal was that RAF crews in Vietnam were taking the preverbial out of their US counterparts....



Full story here: http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,19781.60.html

(That took some finding - I havn't even got time to read the profiles section these days, let alone draw any... )

[frank2056]

Sprue Bros. has the Italeri YB-49 on sale for $40, which is a lot better than $72 when it was re-issued.