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Kiwikitbasher

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Kiwikitbasher last won the day on December 16 2022

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    Auckland, New Zealand
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    Military and history in general

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  1. Lovely job on your Javelin, it puts my 1/72 Airfix FAW.9 with "corrected" engines and rear fuselage of nine years ago to shame. We deserve a new and modern kit of the beast. Link to my build-log:
  2. That looks very good, Chen: - The pioneer tools look especially well done. - The road wheels look promising, but I'm unsure if there is s fine raised circumferential line defining where the tyre joins the metal wheel rim. - This line is an important aid to painting and is absent in some of your earlier kits, which is why I mention it.
  3. You may find my build-log for the SS Model Grant of interest: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/missinglynx/viewtopic.php?p=1699773#p1699773
  4. I feel relatively well-placed to comment some more on SS Models, which stands for Super Star Models, although they seem to always refer to themselves as SS Model. Having bought and built several SS Model AFV kits I contacted them and offered my help in improving their products, on a purely voluntary basis, and began assisting by giving feedback on their 1/72 AFV range. I also encouraged their product promotions manager to join Missing Lyx's Braille Scale Discussion Group (DG), which is where I mainly hang out online; requested other group members to participate in giving feedback. Mention was made earlier of the game 'War Thunder' and it seems this game has influenced the production of several kits to exploit its popularity and market kist to gamers. But as will be apparent from the photos of my completed models below, they are also producing kits for the scale modellers as well; including many rare subjects that are poorly represented in 1/72 scale, if at all. With SS Model's agreement, I organised a vote for our DG to come up with three kit subjects to propose development into printable kits, and tonight I am wrapping up the vote and will forward the subjects with supporting marketing cases for their development. I have also provided SS Model with AFV and Naval reference material as I have a considerable archive of such information, as have other members of our DG SS Model has been unbelievably receptive and quick to respond to our product critique with modified iterations of their printed resin kits. Communications have been positive and full of goodwill, but SS Model has to machine translate English, although it seems their online shop staff seem relatively fluent in English. Their vertically integrated online shop is eBay store lixili2016: https://www.ebay.com/str/lixili2016 and AliExpress's SSModel Store: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1102301612?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.14.21ef1802ZryQDg I wish to make clear my only association with SS Model is that of an enthusiastic customer willing to provide them with feedback and free help as I would, and have done, for other kit companies. I will email my principal SS Model contact and draw his attention to this thread. He may already be busy enough before considering applying to join another English-speaking modelling site, but I will emphasise that Britmodller is one of the very best there is. I should explain that, despite my very high opinion of the Britmodeller community, I don't participate here more than occasionally because of the difficulties I often have with typing and mouse use due to my Parkinson's disease. As a result, I have had to restrict my participation in a number of sites. To end this post I shall post my completed SS Model builds that account for 11 out of my 19 1/72-scale AFV builds over the past three months since I became aware of the company.
  5. It will be another release based on the Pavla tooling but with injected canopy and styrene parts in place of the vac-formed canopy and any resin or PE parts of the original Pavla kit. Good to see it will be available once more.
  6. Count me in Martin, I suggested the F-84F and RF-84F to Milan Lucky as subjects for Sword many years ago through a mutual friend. I don't know if that influenced things as the RF-84F came out about three years later.
  7. Thanks, Andre, I'd forgotten that the Academy kit could be built as a G too. From memory, the Academy provides internal detail for an open ventral speed brake, something Tamiya doesn't offer. Also, for a quick build, there is the Hobby Boss kit, which might suit those primarily interested in lots of different Thunderjet schemes; being mainly focused on painting and decaling. I suspect the old Heller kit is pretty decent if you don't mind raised surface detail. I don't have time to check now, but it's bound to have been reboxed by half a dozen or so other brands. I've ignored the old 1950s Frog kit as it is more of a collectable these days. Four 1/72 kits ranging from quite decent to very good is not bad for a mid-1940s jet that served through the 50s and 60s, and no doubt the 70s somewhere.
  8. Academy also released an F-84E Thunderjet that stands up well in comparison to Tamiya's. I've no idea as to its availability, but it's usually cheap in most markets I think.
  9. I'm building SS Model's 1/72 Vickers A1E1 Independent, build log here: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/missinglynx/viewtopic.php?p=1695698&utm_medium=email#p1695698 More on them here: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/missinglynx/ss-model-1-72-churchill-vii-vickers-independent-t333987.html and Ali-Express store here: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/group/SSMODEL-3D-Printed/1102301612_40000003125019.html?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_allProduct.0.0.461b6900hYxUbP
  10. I can only say that I understand Pavla has ceased trading. I have been asked not to divulge more than that by a third party.* As mentioned in the post above, AZ Model/Kovozavody Prostejov has, for a while now, been using Pavla masters to produce new limited-run epoxy molds of some aircraft kits, but with injected styrene parts replacing Pavla's use of vac-formed canopies and PE details. This began some time before Pavla's "disappearance" or the matter I can't discuss; which I believe is unrelated anyway. Based on my understanding, if you see a Pavla Canopy or resin detail set in stock somewhere, and you want it, then buy it whist you still can! I am unaware of anyone else taking on Pavla's vac-from and resin set tools and masters, but never say never. I would suggest before buying a "rare" limited-run Pavla aircraft kit you may see offered, check availability of the same subject by AZ Model/Kovozavody Prostejov, as it may well be cheaper. Moreover, you may prefer having no vac-formed or PE parts; although, for some, these would be a reason to opt for a Pavla original. * I offer the above as my opinion only and to reinforce John's advice above. I don't have special insight into the Czech Modelling industry, although I do have Czech friends who do. My comments here are simply to offer advice to those looking for hard-to-obtain Pavla kits and accessories; readers should not assume anything more than that.
  11. Merry Christmas, Yg, Unfortunately, no. My Vespid Cent is literally on a slow boat from China as surface postage rates to NZ are about half the cost or less of air mail. It looks to be a very nice kit.
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