How bad is the...?

[rickshaw]

How bad is the 1/72 Heller Bobcat "Super Transall" kit?

[Thorvic]

Basic  to say the least, its a simplified kit inteneded for kids so snap together ish raised panel line, shapes OK,

Much better to buy recent Revell kit for a decent accurate model.

[PR19_Kit]

It's OK if you want to use the Tynes on something else.

But then you end up with a rather large g lider.....

[rickshaw]

So, perfect for whiffing?

[PR19_Kit]

Probably......... 

And they're usually cheap too.

[Captain Canada]

You could make a dio of that one bouncing off the road.

[kitnut617]

For a while, the Bobkit Transall was all you could get, I've got two of the 'Gabriel' versions and as said above they're basic.  But are buildable to a reasonable standard (just needs a little work) IMO, excellent for whiffing.   Of course they're nothing compared to the Revell kit (got one of those too)

[PR19_Kit]

You could probably fit the Gabriel bits to the Revell kit, they're on separate sprues IIRC.

[rickshaw]

So, are Unicraft kits worth bothering with?   They do some unusual choices but I've been put off by comments that what is in the box often bears little relation to what is on the front of the box or the website, often being distorted, under/over sized or just plain badly moulded.   True?

[kitnut617]

So, are Unicraft kits worth bothering with?   They do some unusual choices but I've been put off comments that what is in the box often bears little relation to what is on the front of the box or the website, often being distorted, under/over sized or just plain badly moulded.   True?

If you're looking for 'bake & shake', leave well along.  But considering your kitbashing skills, I wouldn't be too worried, you'll probably make a really good result.  I've got a few of them, some built, others waiting --- but they're not as bad as some reports I've seen,  There is generally a lot of flash and the resin is a poor-man's resin with lots of bubbles which having done a bit of casting myself I think is just down to rushing while mixing & pouring.  I think Martin has said he cleaned up one of Igor's subjects and recast it and it came out quite good.

[NARSES2]

Brian I've built a few of Igor's kits and my advice is - if you want the particular model and are prepared to work at it then go for it.

You will probably have to replace or scratch a few bits, undercarriage in particular. Lay in plenty of filler, I tend to use Milliput on Unicraft. Take your time and do a bit at a time then have a break on something else. At the end of that process you will have a model of something unusual and one that very few others have.

They can be made into exceptional models, however most of us mortals get them to be acceptable ones of very odd and interesting subjects.

Chris

[JayBee]

I do not have a graet amount of experience with Unicraft kits, just the one. The YO-3A.
I think the best bit is the photo of the real thing on the box, the contents are ROUGH.
Thankfully, as seen last weekend at Telford, Freightdog are bringing out a kit (1/72) this coming spring, the test shot on Colin's stand looked great.

[The Wooksta!]

Do not get me started on Unicraft.  Overpriced, badly cast, ill shapen lumps of garbage.  I've thrown away better castings than Igor is charging top whack for.  

It's not down to rushing either, Bob.  It's down to the fact he uses cheap crap resin, likely the car fibreglass stuff with paint added to ensure it looks like the normal polyurethane that virtually everyone else uses.  His pitiful excuse is that he can't get the good stuff.  Olimp can, and they're based in the Ukraine too.  Which is where Igor is based.

You're honestly better off scratchbuilding, which you'd have to do anyway.  Utter, utter, UTTER ******* *****! Avoid it like the plague.

[PR19_Kit]

I don't think Lee likes Igor's stuff much............. 

[The Wooksta!]

I've been burned far too often and if I can put anyone off buying that *****, then I've done a good job.