My Stash Grew Again 2020

[Gondor]

Picked up another eBay purchase from the sorting office today

1 x 1/72 Messerschmitt Me 262B-1a/U1

Gondor

[Rick Lowe]

Why not try and get either the old Monogram kit or it's chinese knock off?  There's also the 48th Aoshima kit which is stunning.

I do have the Monogram, but it's a bit big, and not in The One True Scale.

*also see above for the reason behind the lack of interest in the Aoshima kit. 

[PR19_Kit]

I managed to get out of the Big H with only FOUR new kits and a Tamiya scribing tool. 

The kits were an Airfix Defiant to replace one I'd lost somewhere, and three AModel kits. One is a double kit of two different SLAM missiles, that's four missiles altogether. The other a Yak-130 trainer and the third the very strange Cobalt Valkyrie.

[chrisonord]

I managed to get out of the Big H with only FOUR new kits and a Tamiya scribing tool. 

The kits were an Airfix Defiant to replace one I'd lost somewhere, and three AModel kits. One is a double kit of two different SLAM missiles, that's four missiles altogether. The other a Yak-130 trainer and the third the very strange Cobalt Valkyrie.

I have  built their yak 130, it took some  patience but it built into a nice  model.  I will probably be selling my cobalt  valkyrie too

[zenrat]

Gazelle is earmarked to be converted to Blue Thunder

Looking forward to seeing how you go about this - I've had intentions to do the same for years, but couldn't work out how to do the glazing, so I'll be interested to see your solution.
About all I can think is folded acetate, but getting the bends sharp enough would be the trick...

No idea.  I have got no further than downloading photos, a three view and a paper model plan.  I had a vague thought of using the paper model parts, scaled to the one true scale, as templates for the glazing.
But then I have just found this.

https://www.shapeways.com/product/GL395E52V/1-72-blue-thunder-conversion-kit

Airfix 1/35 Bedford QL Gun Portee

Ah, now I see what you meant by "great minds think alike".

You almost didn't have the chance to buy that. Alan offered it to me, & I almost took it, but a sense of foreboding overwhelmed my urge to buy both; so I went with the surge of relief & self-preservation that came when I decided only buy the one.

For that I thank you. 

[PR19_Kit]

But then I have just found this.

https://www.shapeways.com/product/GL395E52V/1-72-blue-thunder-conversion-kit

That looked very interesting, until I saw how much it cost! 

Considering how tiny the root Gazelle kit is, that's a LOT of money, but then those Shapeway people do seem to be in the 'cash trawling' business a lot of the time.

[Gondor]

Postie delivered two eBay purchases this morning

1 x 1/72 Modeldecal Set 49, Lots of nice Sea King options as well as a few other things

1 x 1/44 Zvezda Beriev A-50

Gondor

[The Wooksta!]

But then I have just found this.

https://www.shapeways.com/product/GL395E52V/1-72-blue-thunder-conversion-kit

That looked very interesting, until I saw how much it cost! 

Considering how tiny the root Gazelle kit is, that's a LOT of money, but then those Shapeway people do seem to be in the 'cash trawling' business a lot of the time.

Indeed!  My first thought when I saw the cost - and that's before postage - was "F*** right off!" But on further reflection, I've some advice for the sellers regarding sex, travel and their mothers.

And ebay has told me I won the new boxing of the AZ Spitfire F22.  And I've just ordered a pair from Uncle Frank...

[Hobbes]

For a part that large (12x4x4 cm), €40 is pretty reasonable. The seller's markup would have to be minimal to keep it that low. It's just a reflection of the cost of the printing process.

[kitbasher]

And ebay has told me I won the new boxing of the AZ Spitfire F22.  And I've just ordered a pair from Uncle Frank...

Is the AZ 22 a new mould or a repop of something else, e.g. the Special Hobby or Xtrakit 22?  Actually are these the same kit?

**EDIT** Mr Google reminded me that (d'oh!) AZ have had a Mk 22 available on and off for some years, so let me rephrase the question.  Are the AZ and Admiral Mk 22s the same kit, and what's the relationship(s) (if any) with the Special Hobby and Xtrakit Mk 22s? 

Some further Googling suggests a possible link between the Special Hobby and Xtrakit releases, and that the AZ and Admiral kits are the same mould.  Can anyone cast any more light?  Just curious as I've Airfix Spit 22s in the stash so not looking to buy any more.

[The Wooksta!]

It's a reboxing with new decals of the Admiral kit and has absolutely no relationship with Special Hobby at all.  IIRC I asked one of the MPM/Special hobby guys about it at Telford in 2010 and from his reaction it looked like I'd stabbed his mother.

As the second modern injection 22, it's pretty decent.  Better fit than the Ventura, certainly easier to clean up and definitely better detail.  It's got the chunkiness that the Airfix kit lacks.*

As for the Xtrakit 22.  It was tooled by Special Hobby and then they did their own family based on the same information.  "I'm playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order.  I'll give you that, I'll give you that, sunshine."

They didn't fix the errors though - bad fit, too short, too wide, dodgy wing planform - but you got a shedload of spares.



*72nd injection Spitfire F22 in order of worthiness
Airfix - best fit, price and availability.  Superb decal sheet.
AZ/Admiral - overall shape and detail
Ventura - overall shape but let down by detail and limited run nature.  See also reboxings by Delta Aviation (aka Blackbird) and Jays models
Special Hobby - lots of spares and good moulding but poor fit and shape issues.
Pegasus - depends which one as he did three separate toolings.  The first is a poor copy of the Hawk/Testors kit (see below), the second was better and came with decals.  The boxed 1992 issue was the best overall, with white metal parts and decals.  The prop was the best representation of a Spitfire Griffon prop for a good twenty years and still holds it's own.  However, the fuselage is a tad wide.
Hawk/Testors - one of the kits that time forgot.  Shape issues, lack of detail, no u/c and solid wheel wells.  Basically, best left for collectors or a nostalgia build.  Possible old school nostalgia kit bash fodder with a FROG F14 wing to get a lowback 14.

For completeness, I'll comment on the resin F22s that I know of.
Airkit - still holds it's own as a superb representation of the type.  Shape appears bang on but the wheels are a bit iffy and the resin u/c legs can be fragile.
CMR - at least two toolings.  Good shape and fit, the current release has lots of nice underwing lethality and a good decal sheet with a good few options.
Legato - Decent but it's a bitsa, in that it's been mastered from several Spitfire kits - the fuselage is a Fujimi one complete with PR19 intake!  Also available as a Seafire 46.  Worth picking up if you find one but they are rare - I've the two F22s and solitary Seafire F46 that I've found.

[kitbasher]

Cheers Lee.  I've 3 Airfix 22s, one Legato 22/24 and one Xtrakit 22 in the stash: Airfix as a 22, a 24 and probably a Seafire 46; Legato not sure but that might turn out to be a 46 as it's got the tail hook (and yes remove the PR19 'bonus features'); Xtrakit intended for as yet undecided whiffery (maybe add a Spiteful/Attacker wing and call it an F25 (I'm sure it's already been done)).  Also have 2 x Eduard (ex-Aeroteam) 21s will become a 21 and a Seafire 45.  One of them will provide the pro for the planned 46.  The 21s are good but not in the same class as the much more recent Eduard Merlin Spits, which are excellent.

As for the Pegasus 22 I built one of the second renditions some years ago and only recently started to scrap it pending building an Airfix 22.  That particular moulding wasn't bad - decals but no white metal, a vast improvement on the first version (my copy was in white and clear plastic, no decals or white metal, rather crude - don't recall what happened to it), but lacked a gull-wing centre-section plus the rear fuselage decking was way too low.

OK, thread hi-jack over!

[NARSES2]

For a part that large (12x4x4 cm), €40 is pretty reasonable. The seller's markup would have to be minimal to keep it that low. It's just a reflection of the cost of the printing process.

I can't comment on the price of that particular part, but can concur with Harro about the cost of the process. However it does seem to be coming down as time marches on.

[PR19_Kit]

It's a reboxing with new decals of the Admiral kit and has absolutely no relationship with Special Hobby at all.  IIRC I asked one of the MPM/Special hobby guys about it at Telford in 2010 and from his reaction it looked like I'd stabbed his mother.

As the second modern injection 22, it's pretty decent.  Better fit than the Ventura, certainly easier to clean up and definitely better detail.  It's got the chunkiness that the Airfix kit lacks.*

Oh rats, I missed out on one or more of them!

Big H had HUNDREDS of them on the shelves when I was there on Friday and I just dismissed it as a rebox. 

[jcf]

The Gazelle conversion cost jumps up when you switch from the US to UK, but Shapeways
have a manufacturing facility in the Netherlands.


I wonder what percentage of the total the model designers receive.