1/32 - ? "plane to celebrate VJ Day" by Kitty Hawk - release August 2015

[Homebee]

With the future 1/32nd Bell P-39Q Airacobra(http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234967987-132-bell-p-39q-airacobra-by-kittyhawk-cads-release-august-2015/), Kitty Hawk is to release in 2015 another 1/32nd WWII plane kit to celebrate Victory over Japan Day. Your guess?
Source: https://www.facebook.com/736521713066784/photos/a.736556396396649.1073741827.736521713066784/800741429978145/?type=1&theater

Kitty hawk 1/32 scale.
one of two 1/32 planes to celebrate VJ day

V.P.

Edited September 28, 2014 by Homebee

[Col.]

Well the Seafire III was one of if not the last Allied aircraft to see combat over Japan so that would suit my personal tastes. Unfortunately it'll more likely be a US machine or two. B-29 in 32nd scale anyone?

[Tbolt]

P-47N

[thepureness]

P-47N

Doubt it with trumpeter releasing one in the past few years.

It's got to be something new, that we do not have yet in 1/32 scale. i'm thinking Firefly, Seafire, Barracuda

[Radleigh]

Firefly is my guess..

[Tbolt]

Doubt it with trumpeter releasing one in the past few years.

It's got to be something new, that we do not have yet in 1/32 scale. i'm thinking Firefly, Seafire, Barracuda

The Trumpeter P-47N is about six years old and the MPM 1/32 P-39 is I believe is only a few months older than that and they are doing one of those, so why does it have to be something new? I could of understood that statement if the P-39 was new in 1/32 or the only kit was a very old one.

Edited September 27, 2014 by Tbolt

[mike romeo]

Clearly a Barracuda . . . .

regards,

Martin

[Stephen]

Curtiss SB2C Helldiver?

[Alan P]

A-26 Invader

[Max Headroom]

Beaufighter, or as the Japanese called it "Whispering Death".

Trevor

[Denford]

Hellcat

[hacker]

Ok they kitted the B-17 , and the Lancaster so logically the B-29 should be next cause the dropping of the atomic bombs was the major factor in Japan's surrender.

[tony.t]

Victory over Japan Day

So, not Japanese.

Kittyhawk is American, so the British involvement needs to be overlooked, so not British.

But as the VE Day Airacobra was little used by the Americans in Europe, it must be something esoteric but which will sell.

P-51B Mustang or Douglas Devastator.

Tony

[Tbolt]

Victory over Japan Day

So, not Japanese.

Kittyhawk is American, so the British involvement needs to be overlooked, so not British.

But as the VE Day Airacobra was little used by the Americans in Europe, it must be something esoteric but which will sell.

P-51B Mustang or Douglas Devastator.

Tony

Kittyhawk American? I thought they were Chinese?

[tony.t]

Kittyhawk American? I thought they were Chinese?

I thought it's American dosh. Maybe wrong.

Tony

[Tbolt]

I thought it's American dosh. Maybe wrong.

Tony

I maybe wrong, it's only what I've read on the internet in several places saying they are a Chinese company.

Edited October 3, 2014 by Tbolt

[smuts]

P38?

[colin]

P38?

Now that would be nice in 1/32 scale

[Hit Or Miss]

I wouldn't mind seeing a decent F4U-4C with the 20mms. That would also carry them forward into the Korean era and the Soccer Wars. F4U-5 is also a possibility.

What I would like to suggest however is kind've sideways:

1. 1/100th B-1B and B-2.

Yeah, I know, but think about this. 1/144 is a scale where the replica may be a foot long but the 'details' look like crap (buttons for tires etc.) and you just don't get the kinds of things you need to. The B-1B is almost never seen without it's LES/TEF dropped and wings forward on the ground. It's a CG thing. You also never see a jet on the ground without the auxiliary doors open because that happens as soon as the gear comes down.

Now consider, 1/144 is half of 72nd. But 72nd is a Euroscale. American base scale is 1/48. Which rneders a typical (F-4/14/15) jet fighter replica as 15-17 inches long. And guess what?

B-1B

146X137ft/100 = 17X16.4"

B-2A

172X69ft/100 = 20.6X8.2"

These are NOT small kits and they have HUGE potential for variantation as would a followon B-52 series. Or a Tu-95. Or a Tu-160. Or a Vulcan.

Those olden days folks who thought 'box scale' were not thinking just in terms of packaging as box price but rather: "How do we produce something in a size range that will look -good- sitting in the case or on the table or dangling from the ceiing?"

And they were right. We have created a monster in terms of 'up and out': bigger than anyone can store or display and with more detail pieces than anyone will want to put together. To the extent that Modeling is now being edged out by a secondary niche market: high quality, _finished_, diecasts. In which you can get 72nds for 40 and up and 48ths for 70 and up.

A good 32nd scale kit is 90-120 dollars and has nearly 1,000 parts. Derp. Think of that in puzzle terms.

With that in mind, let me suggest some other jets, since I seem to be on a go-squids kick here lately:

3. F-111 1/72

It's hard to get the Hasegawa around here. They are incredibly expensive (70 for a 72nd!) and with the release of the HB 1/48th range there is surely some CATIA floating around with which to cut a tool for a few new boxings. I would suggest you only really need to do three: F-111F 'Smart Bomber'. F-111A 'Iron Dropper'. F-111B. That's right. I said the F-111B. I think it would be an ENORMOUS cult favorite. Just like the YF-23 was. Do us all a favor though and give us both forms of the prototype/preseries noses. I like the later version.

4. A-12 1/72

No, not Kelly's version, the GDMD Dorito. Again, this is not a small jet. Wings unfolded, it has a 13" span. It has four weapons bays, the inner two of which can carry 10 Mk.82 each. If you add the optional outboard pylons, you can take that up to 22. I would only ask that you get the surface shapes right and include dropped flaps and slats as the existing (resin) kits have no such detail and the real Avenger II was a veritable Cuttysark of deployed surfaces. You don't need to fold the wings and that alone would major airframe part count compensate for decent internal bay detail and external surfaces in a simple to issue kit of no more than 20-30 dollars (the resin versions are 50+).

CONCLUSION:

Call me esoteric but we are really starting to fill in the major niches remaining in the old-school kits at the same time we are running up against some really hard pricing and parts count/buildability and display limitations in this sudden obsession with giantism (what, no 1/144th Titanic? No 35th Death Star?). (Re)creating an intermediate scale for larger aircraft models would allow an entirely new series run of supporting kits to be made with combinations like a 1/100 KC-46 and B-2A being a real dual-kit possibility on twin stands, 'doing the dance'. Or a KC-130J dragging CH-53K with underslung LAV-25. B-29 with Shinden or Raiden. B-52D with MiG-21 'Shadow'. An AC-130U with MQ-1/A-10/AH-64E etc. etc.

At the same time, there are a LOT of unique aircraft that never saw much attention in their real lives but which could now be important subjects because their last (new) kit manufacture occurred so long ago or in fact they never quite got to production:

YF-12, SR-71, OV-10D NOGS, YF-108, XB-70, AH-56 (Production Version), Gulfstream V (Eitam), Global Challenger (Sentinel). Almost anything in the Resin/Limited Run range which is a major seller could be done in injection, in 1/72nd or 1/100th scales and be cheap and fun to build for the weekend crowd that love the exotic and are only 10.

Think about your market. Think about your investment in existing toolings. Could opening up a smaller and/or less detailed lineup of easy to win-or-lose subjects be affordable?

[gingerbob]

What does all this have to do with "1/32... to celebrate VJ Day"?

[tony.t]

I understand the views of Hit Or Miss, but mostly disagree. Modeller demographics are predominantly male, 30s-70s, with the money and space for bigger models, albeit that most are bought for the stash and only a fraction built to completion.

A gazillion bits in an over-engineered kit can be irritating (try building the Trumpeter 1/35 Sa-2 tractor and trailer in a weekend !) but a good fitting 1/32 kit, without excessive parts break-down, produces some very rewarding models in terms of detail and heft. And, as long as you're prepared to fill, sand and rescribe (sometimes 2-3 times) the results from average modelling skills, given time and care, can be phenomenal. Like being ten again, but with bigger more detailed models that *look* like the completed ones you gaped at in wonder in the shop window as a child.

Kittyhawk have stated there are ten 1/32 kits coming by the end of 2015, so the VE/VJ Day pair, one of which is a P-39 Airacobra, leaves nine to ponder over including the mystery Pacific item.

Ruling out three NA Sabre variants and the Fury naval derivative, plus two Thunderstreaks/Flash jets, a T-33 and Seastar (?), it is maybe increasingly looking like a hinted at T-28 Trojan/Fennec.

Whatever it is it will doubtless give many pleasure.

As for Hit Or Miss, there are a bunch of Eastern European kits in 1/72 from firms like A-Model, ICM et al worth looking at if you like Cold War era fighters (and the bigger stuff). More work than a Revell or Hasegawa, but very rewarding. Airfix are also doing some new tools of very dinky attractive jets like the Gnat, Vampire etc. Am building a few alongside 1/32 biggies and it is refreshing to be able to complete something in just a few days. Some, like the Su-15, will in all likelihood never see 1/32 scale sadly.

Tony

[HMSLion]

F6F Hellcat, obviously. Maybe a TBM.

[Hit Or Miss]

Tony,

I understand the views of Hit Or Miss, but mostly disagree. Modeller demographics are predominantly male, 30s-70s, with the money and space for bigger models, albeit that most are bought for the stash and only a fraction built to completion/

It would be unfortunate if we disenfranchised an entire generation of novice military modelers, either because they couldn't buy in to the price levels of a modern tool kit. Or because the subject matter (old prop jobs) utterly disinterested them.

I would rank the A-12 Avenger II alongside the BAC TSR.2 in terms of cult interest and the other jets (particularly the YF-108) are equally 'cool looking' while being large enough that they could have considerable presence, even in 72nd.

We should not overlook style as a function of collective appeal, especially to younger modelers who have their fill of F-teen clones every night on CNN.

A gazillion bits in an over-engineered kit can be irritating (try building the Trumpeter 1/35 Sa-2 tractor and trailer in a weekend !) but a good fitting 1/32 kit, without excessive parts break-down, produces some very rewarding models in terms of detail and heft.

The SA-2 you mentioned should be exactly one foot in length while the tractor is another 8 inches or so. This is manageable and given the density of details (and no need to aerodynamically enclose them) on ground vehicles, it is not reasonable to expect a fast and easy build from them.

That is part of their automotive works appeal.

However; in relation to kits like the 1/32nd B-17 and the proposal for a 1/32nd B-29, we are now in the realms of 25X35" and 34X48" That's a display area larger than a card table, each side and a price on the order of 300 dollars.

No.

The company who applies _modern_ tooling techniques to INTERESTING (well known or very aesthetically appealing) designs in scales where there are either only pricey (Hasegawa owns 72nd), old (Monogram 1/48) or no competition (1/100 anything in larger subject matter) will have massive breakout potential.

Because what modern tooling and specifically slide molding lets you do is buildup complex detail from relatively few parts in a manner controllable for price vs. sophistication.

Consider this, especially relative to the B-1B. Which has _no kit_ of an accurate-for-dimension and detail appearance jet. Wings forward, on the ground, the flaps all down. Sniper and ALE-50 fairings. Open auxiliary inlet doors and accurate landing gear approaching the level of detail in the Revell kit. Not to mention a THREE bomb bays with conventional or SIOP modded MPRL and CWM.

Consider it again when choosing the WWII fighters which have yet to be done and are appealing to a VJ Day anniversary release (Myself, the shortlist comes down to an F4U-4, before Tamiya makes another 130 dollar lockdown of that market).

And, as long as you're prepared to fill, sand and rescribe (sometimes 2-3 times) the results from average modelling skills, given time and care, can be phenomenal. Like being ten again, but with bigger more detailed models that *look* like the completed ones you gaped at in wonder in the shop window as a child.

I'm in the midst of doing just that on an Anigrand A-12 sir. Imagine a kit in which EVERY panel line is literally flipped. Top to bottom. It is pitiless exercise. To which I can add the sheer nastiness of sanding down resin to achieve scale thickness sufficient to insert multiple, closely adjacent, weapon and landing gear bays.

Very. Unpleasant.

I have massive investments in CMK F-117 aftermarket, Aries cockpit sets and Skunk GBU-38 to go with. And all the while I can't help but think: "Here is a great subject, ill served, because it could all be done, just as easily, in half the parts count and a tenth the price. In plastic."

Kittyhawk have stated there are ten 1/32 kits coming by the end of 2015, so the VE/VJ Day pair, one of which is a P-39 Airacobra, leaves nine to ponder over including the mystery Pacific item.

Not much suspense to generate there sir. The technology is old, the moral high ground very shakey.

Call me unpatriotic but I never had a lot of interest in the PTO for the simple reason that we fought stupidly, trying to crush a very primitive warfighter on an island-by-island basis, losing tens of thousands of men to suicidal mindset, where the ground we fought over was so useless and disease infested we couldn't be bothered to hold any of them for six months after the war ended.

Then, when the pathway to victory was clear in the mines+torpedo approach to economic warfare starvation which had already denied the Japanese the fruits of their Dutch and British conquests, we instead dishonored ourselves and our enlightened Western viewpoint by flashing to glass two cities full of women, old people and kids who _did not_ have to die to ensure the defeat of Japan, without a single U.S. soldier setting one bloody boot on a contested beach.

We made a mistake in the Pacific. And it will haunt us for the rest of our existence as a nation by providing the historic proof that civilian centers are no-warning justifiable targets.

This is not something to celebrate, IMO.

As for Hit Or Miss, there are a bunch of Eastern European kits in 1/72 from firms like A-Model, ICM et al worth looking at if you like Cold War era fighters (and the bigger stuff). More work than a Revell or Hasegawa, but very rewarding. Airfix are also doing some new tools of very dinky attractive jets like the Gnat, Vampire etc. Am building a few alongside 1/32 biggies and it is refreshing to be able to complete something in just a few days. Some, like the Su-15, will in all likelihood never see 1/32 scale sadly.

If that's your thing, go to it. I'm just telling you what I think would appeal to young folk is cool jets that are relevant to their era and not dominated by the mistaken mystique of another generations fascination with WWII while being 'big enough', by scale and subject, to provide adequate visual area and detail at attainably inexpensive price.

Thanks for the reply.

[tony.t]

I think you'll find a lot of youngsters are very interested in props Hit Or Miss. Not me. I'm a kerosene head. But few of those youngsters build models.

Sadly, the Xbox / Playstation generation's modelling community is miniscule compared to older modellers. It is on the decline.

There used to be *at least* two good model shops within a 1.5 mile walk of where I lived as a child. Forty years later I believe there is only one left in the whole city. Every high street post office and newsagent also sold kits. Alas no more.

The future is 3D printing, laser holograph modelling and gaming.

But for now 1/32 IM plastic kits will do very nicely. Just wish there were more models of jets that were in operational service in the 1960s-1970s: Draken, Flagon, the mighty Six, Buccaneer and *good* models of the Corsair II and EE/BAC Lightning.

Tony

[tony.t]

The SA-2 you mentioned should be exactly one foot in length while the tractor is another 8 inches or so. This is manageable and given the density of details (and no need to aerodynamically enclose them) on ground vehicles, it is not reasonable to expect a fast and easy build from them.

I've been building kits since 1965 and in my extensive experience the Trumpeter 1/35 Zil-157K tractor and SA-2 trailer is ***grossly*** over engineered. Apart from the missile components, there is only one part that wouldn't fit in a small Swan Vesta or England's Glory matchbox ! The number of parts should have been reduced by ***at least*** fifty per cent.

I love the simpler approach used by HKM with its 1/32 Meteor kit. Chunky skin. Parts which fit like a glove.

I am very much looking forward to the Kitty Hawk T-33, and hope accuracy and simplicity win over gimmicks.

Tony