Eurocopter Tiger 1/72

[Air Hockey Propellers]

Hello everyone,

 

I started this one in a rush hoping to get it in the blitzbuild page but I didn't realize it was over.

 

This is from an Italeri and my fifth Italeri at that. All previous Italeris have disappointed me one way or another and this kit is no different. Indeed it's the straw that broke the camel's neck. Not a single more Italeri for me, thank you.

 

 

Seat was connected to the sprue in the most unnecessarily inconvenient way. The shape was also "bad".

 

Ultra simplistic cockpit, and Italeri never bothers making gauge decals. It expect more precision from us by painting the gauges while it's kits lack precision.

 

Gathering together all the pieces that will go the same color.

 

 

I diligently painted in grey all parts to be painted in grey according to the manual. If they bothered indicating what goes in grey, why did they miss this out? To bother us, instead?

 

That was pretty much it. What nonesense. Maybe I put the panel wrong . Maybe it was supposed to go a little back, but the detail lacking manual and all the rest of indications made it seem that the panel goes there, 

 

Was I right about the panel? I thnk so. But Italeri was wrong somewhere in the placement of the control stick. Had the same problem with another Italeri and hated it.

 

Besides being wholly inaccurate because the Eurocopter Tiger does not have "just a whole" on the sides as you can see here, they could have bothered asking us to paint the inside in black so it wouldn't look this bad. Do something Italeri!

 

I put that round thing confidently where it goes thanks to the indication on the plastic. Is this a ******* joke Italeri?

 

 

Only the antennas had indications as to where they go. But just the indication. Nothing to help you secure them in place while the cement dries, nothing. The handles were all guess work, to be placed on smooth plastic.  

 

The horizontal stabilizer was really fun. Minimum indication and no creativity from the maker to make sure the modeler knows when he's doing it right.

The little pin heads (whatever you call them)... too long for the holes the go into.

 

 

 

After the first coat of paint.

 

It's too bad that Italeri is so bad at this because I finding another maker that makes models like these is not easy. Hasegawa and Fujimi, the big and high quality made in Japan companies only seem to make mainstream jets and they hardly have a selection of helicopters. It is as if one has to do whatever the quality companies produce in order to have a pleasant time building the models.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[celt]

I agree, Italeri has some soft detail but the price on the other firms you mentioned are extraordinary expensive here in the U.K.,and as you rightly pointed out the others dont to much in the way of helicopters. Nice work so far.

[celt]

I agree, Italeri has some soft detail but the price on the other firms you mentioned are extraordinary expensive here in the U.K.,and as you rightly pointed out the others dont to much in the way of helicopters. Nice work so far.

[Air Hockey Propellers]

I'm afraid to say that I cancelled this project. Read: I threw it away. 

 

What happened was that I got online to see if I could find the real version of the model to no avail. I wonder how Italeri managed to name this thing an Eurocopter Tiger. It's just a glue together toy that looks something like the ET. They should have named it something else or put some warning indicating that it's not a plastic "model".

 

So far, I have lost around 30$ on Italeris. But lesson learnt. I'll do my due diligence before buying anything that's not Hasegawa or Fujimi, or otherwise, "Made in Japan".

 

Reminder: I've bought SIX Italeris and only TWO have made it to my """satisfaction""".

[lunarhighway]

I'm sory to hear that.

 

I can recommend this site (i think this page is the model in question here)

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/157377-italeri-013-eurocopter-h-a-p-tiger

 

What ineresting is that it also shows a timeline, showing when the model first came out.. and who first marketed it. Many companies rebox models from other manifacturers, especially Revell and Italeri, some of their reboxed stuff is quite good and often cheaper than the original.

Funny enough I even have a Tamiya 1/72 F16A that's  actually a rebox of a kit by.....Italeri, so the brand on the box is ever a garantee. i's no terrible kit, but no Tamiya quality either

 

I think your particular kit apparently dates from 1983, with some parts added in 1994, so it's a bit of an older model, add to that the first real plane flew for the first time in 1991 ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurocopter_Tiger) and only entered service in 2003, assuming you have the 1994 boxing of this kit, it's still going to be designed some 10 year before the real thing flew and released before any actual paint schemes where available, so it's to be expected some things are inacurate.. 

 

As this is a hobby there's no point going on when you don't enjoy a build, but that said, you can still try to finish the model as best as you can and use it as practice for the next one.

 

Happy modeling

 

 

[Air Hockey Propellers]

On 18/9/2016 at 11:12 PM, lunarhighway said:

I'm sory to hear that.

 

I can recommend this site (i think this page is the model in question here)

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/157377-italeri-013-eurocopter-h-a-p-tiger

 

What ineresting is that it also shows a timeline, showing when the model first came out.. and who first marketed it. Many companies rebox models from other manifacturers, especially Revell and Italeri, some of their reboxed stuff is quite good and often cheaper than the original.

Funny enough I even have a Tamiya 1/72 F16A that's  actually a rebox of a kit by.....Italeri, so the brand on the box is ever a garantee. i's no terrible kit, but no Tamiya quality either

 

I think your particular kit apparently dates from 1983, with some parts added in 1994, so it's a bit of an older model, add to that the first real plane flew for the first time in 1991 ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurocopter_Tiger) and only entered service in 2003, assuming you have the 1994 boxing of this kit, it's still going to be designed some 10 year before the real thing flew and released before any actual paint schemes where available, so it's to be expected some things are inacurate.. 

 

As this is a hobby there's no point going on when you don't enjoy a build, but that said, you can still try to finish the model as best as you can and use it as practice for the next one.

 

Happy modeling

 

 

 

Hello lunarhighway,

 

Thank you for your understanding. Now, I did know about the scalemate website but it didn't occur to me to investigate the entry dates of the real thing to compare it with scalemate's info. We are talking about an 8 to 20 year difference between the plastic model and the real thing. No wonder I wasn't able to find any photos of the model in real life version.

 

And well, I almost finished the model. All I had left to do was to apply the decals and paint the canopy lines.

 

On 18/9/2016 at 7:12 AM, celt said:

I agree, Italeri has some soft detail but the price on the other firms you mentioned are extraordinary expensive here in the U.K.,and as you rightly pointed out the others dont to much in the way of helicopters. Nice work so far.

 

Hello Celt,

 

I am now more aware of the reboxing issue. Thanks. 

 

Actually, Tamiya's 1/72 warbird series is all rebox of Italeri. I think it is because there is a lot of anti-competition rules in Japan so they didn't let Tamiya specialize in, let alone make, their own 1/72 war planes.

[perdu]

I think I'm a founder member of the neveragainanItalerrikit club

 

Hateful things

 

Well that will be after I make the Bell47

 

The Chinook HC3

 

The Apache AH1

 

 

And oh look I forgot I have this one...Merlin of the nautical persuasion

 

Anyway no more

 

Really understand why you don't like them anymore, but there will be another one along later

 

I keep looking, then looking away at their C130J

 

Er no!

 

 

I'm only looking thank you

[Air Hockey Propellers]

1 hour ago, perdu said:

I think I'm a founder member of the neveragainanItalerrikit club

 

Hateful things

 

Well that will be after I make the Bell47

 

The Chinook HC3

 

The Apache AH1

 

 

And oh look I forgot I have this one...Merlin of the nautical persuasion

 

Anyway no more

 

Really understand why you don't like them anymore, but there will be another one along later

 

I keep looking, then looking away at their C130J

 

Er no!

 

 

I'm only looking thank you

 

Well, it's nice to know I'm now member of the neveragainutalerikit club!

 

I sometimes get really close to buying them but then the PTSD kicks in and I get flashes of the oh so many agonizing moments and the disappointments.

 

Kind of like a girl who does anything but has a bad breath.

[perdu]

I knew her...