Jump to content

Veeday 1/72 Flycatcher


phat trev

Recommended Posts

On ‎3‎/‎3‎/‎2017 at 0:31 AM, e8n2 said:

I thought I had remembered them doing another Brit fighter from that time period besides the three listed.  I liked the Heller Gladiator better, except for the wheels of course.  I have two of Revell's re-pops of the Fury, and I wish they would also produce more of the Matchbox, and Monogram, fighter kits from the 20s and 30s.  What I really liked about them, and now Airfix is starting to do this as well, was that the cabane struts were attached to the fuselage in Monogram's case, and could be pre-assembled and attached to the fuselage in Matchbox's case, so that the angle was correct and only maybe a slight bend or two was needed to get them to line up correctly on the upper wing.  I like all the choices we have now days, but just wish they could do for the cabane struts what the two Ms did.  All that those older kits really need right now is a more detailed cockpit, and the aftermarket people can cover that nicely, such as Starfighter Decals has done for the Monogram kits.

Later,

Dave

 

P.S.  It puzzles me because as I remember it, it was an in-line engine aircraft and the box art had it flying around sunset.  I'm thinking Sea Fox or Fairey IIIf, or something like that.  Oh well, it's been nearly 35 years since I last saw the thing in the stores.

IIRC, Matchbox did the Siskin IIIA, P-12E, Fury, Gladiator, Seafox, Swordfish, and Walrus biplanes; I have them all and they are the best Matchbox kits, in my opinion- it's a shame they didn't continue making kits from the between the wars era!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, 72modeler said:

IIRC, Matchbox did the Siskin IIIA, P-12E, Fury, Gladiator, Seafox, Swordfish, and Walrus biplanes; I have them all and they are the best Matchbox kits, in my opinion- it's a shame they didn't continue making kits from the between the wars era!

+ Stranraer and HP Heyford :)

J-W

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, 72modeler said:

IIRC, Matchbox did the Siskin IIIA, P-12E, Fury, Gladiator, Seafox, Swordfish, and Walrus biplanes; I have them all and they are the best Matchbox kits, in my opinion- it's a shame they didn't continue making kits from the between the wars era!

I have three of the P-12Es.  I plan on doing one as an F4B-3.  If Revell would re-release these things they would sell a ton and the aftermarket people could go crazy selling detailed cockpits for them.

Later,

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Matchbox 1930s biplane kits were all delightful - I know it's far too late now but just think if they had done a Hart or a Demon. For instance after the Heyford just think what how Vickers Virginia would have been received.   

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I cam assure you, Matchbox never did a Flycatcher.

 

If they had survived, they may very well have got around to doing one eventually.

 

As for Veeday, weren't there some legal issues in respect of the proprietor?

 

It was the dawn of the short run/cottage industry era (late 70s early 80s).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, e8n2 said:

I have three of the P-12Es.  I plan on doing one as an F4B-3.  If Revell would re-release these things they would sell a ton and the aftermarket people could go crazy selling detailed cockpits for them.

Later,

Dave

Dave,

 

In case you weren't aware, there is a web store called Starfighter Decals that have excellent decal sheets, resin cockpit upgrade sets, as well as resin conversion sets for the old Monogram, Revell, and Heller between the wars kits. I have several and they are outstanding See the link to their page below. I wish they had made a set for the MB Siskin, as I had to scratchbuild my cockpit, and in those days I didn't have the references I do now, so it was an educated? guess as to what it looked like. The MB Siskin was a joy to build and detail...a BIG airplane, too! Hoping this helps you.

 

Mike

 

http://www.starfighter-decals.com/index.html

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, 72modeler said:

Dave,

 

In case you weren't aware, there is a web store called Starfighter Decals that have excellent decal sheets, resin cockpit upgrade sets, as well as resin conversion sets for the old Monogram, Revell, and Heller between the wars kits. I have several and they are outstanding See the link to their page below. I wish they had made a set for the MB Siskin, as I had to scratchbuild my cockpit, and in those days I didn't have the references I do now, so it was an educated? guess as to what it looked like. The MB Siskin was a joy to build and detail...a BIG airplane, too! Hoping this helps you.

 

Mike

 

http://www.starfighter-decals.com/index.html

 

I have spent some time and money over the past few years with Starfighter Decals.  Even mentioned them earlier in this thread.  I have the SBC-3 and BFC-1 conversions plus some other items.  I'll have to check to see if the still have the F4B-4 cockpit detail set since it should be adaptable to the Matchbox P-12E.

Later,

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎05‎.‎03‎.‎2017 at 11:00 AM, Eric Mc said:

As for Veeday, weren't there some legal issues in respect of the proprietor?

 

Apparently Gordon Stevens of Rareplanes sued Mr. E. (who later ran Merlin Models) for using cut-out and prepared Rareplanes parts as masters for the Veeday kits. As was mentioned above, Chris Gannon seems to have made some masters for Veeday, so he may have used them as starting Point after Veeday folded and he started Peagsus.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I understood that it was the Buchon and Spit 22 that Chris Gannon "brought back" from Veeday, although I've also seen it said that he re-tooled them later.

 

The story I heard, which may be a scurrilous lie, about Veeday's legal problems was rather different and linked to the imaginative combination of a vacforming machine and credit cards...  this could simply be an example of how stories gain colour in the telling.  Generally speaking Veeday did imaginatively-chosen kits that weren't otherwise covered by other producers.  I hadn't realised that Veeday and Merlin were run by the same person: they shared an unappealing crudity (at least initially in the case of Merlin) but are hardly alone in that.  He wasn't involved in Toad or Unicraft was he?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

37 minutes ago, Graham Boak said:

 

I hadn't realised that Veeday and Merlin were run by the same person: they shared an unappealing crudity (at least initially in the case of Merlin) but are hardly alone in that. 

 

Actually, Merlin were the reverse - the first 14 or so subjects weren't bad at all for the time, but after those the direction of travel became profoundly off piste.

 

Paul.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Graham Boak said:

 I hadn't realised that Veeday and Merlin were run by the same person: they shared an unappealing crudity (at least initially in the case of Merlin) but are hardly alone in that.  He wasn't involved in Toad or Unicraft was he?

 

No idea re the latter two; he was also responsible for the Pamela Veal vacs, which actually appear to have been high up the ladder for the time, quality wise, from what I gathered from Reviews. While it moves off the Flycatcher,  this may be interesting. As an aside, Mr. E. was one of the most prolific Frog Penguin collectors.

Edited by tempestfan
fixed link
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 04/03/2017 at 6:25 AM, e8n2 said:

The funny thing is I remember seeing it, and think I even had the kit.  Oh well.  The other one that I was thinking of had an in-line engine like a Fury, flying over water, like at a harbor in Asia with the orange glow of the setting, or rising, sun on the water.

 

 

It's called Mandela Effect, and there are many other examples of people having such counterfactual memories

http://mandelaeffect.com/

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 04/03/2017 at 6:25 AM, e8n2 said:

The funny thing is I remember seeing it, and think I even had the kit.  Oh well.  The other one that I was thinking of had an in-line engine like a Fury, flying over water, like at a harbor in Asia with the orange glow of the setting, or rising, sun on the water.

Later,

Dave

 

 

maybe you are confusing with the Walrus?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Dave Fleming said:

 

 

maybe you are confusing with the Walrus?

After all this time i have no idea, although it could have been the Walrus as I do remember building one, and it wasn't the Airfix kit.  On to other things, I sent in an order to Starfighter Decals again last night and sorry guys, but I have apparently cleaned them out of the F4B-4 cockpit sets.

Later,

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On ‎09‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 11:44 AM, phat trev said:

Seems to me the Veeday Flycatcher/Gamecock set share the same fuselage? unless there are parts missing from my box... :(

 

From my memory of this set, which I once had, it was a bit difficult to tell what bits belonged to what aircraft other than the wings. Long since ditched any Veeday/Merlin kit as more buildable alternatives came along. Got a fair way into the TSR2, a kit with such poor quality control it had bits of mould stuck to it. Mr E was a somewhat interesting chap from all accounts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 3/6/2017 at 11:48 PM, tempestfan said:

 

No idea re the latter two; he was also responsible for the Pamela Veal vacs, which actually appear to have been high up the ladder for the time, quality wise, from what I gathered from Reviews. While it moves off the Flycatcher,  this may be interesting. As an aside, Mr. E. was one of the most prolific Frog Penguin collectors.

Story I heard was that Pamela Veal vacforms were actually the products of his sometime girl friend , they were certainly far better than anything he produced . I had a 1/48 Jungmiester and I seem to remember a reasonable 1/48 Meteor F8 .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I remember a very favourable review in SMI of the Meteor. IIRC there was at least an I-15 (or family ) under the Byplanes label. I also read she was his partner for a time,  but have no idea re her practical involvement. If Ms Veal was capable of producing top notch vacs, I 'd expect her name to be better known in the hobby, as then she would have probably kept on in the trade after the split,  in some position. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I have the 1/72 Veeday "Double Kit", kit Nos. O12/O13, of the Gloster Gamecock and Fairey Flycatcher. The fuselages and appear to be correct, but the fabric on the Flycatcher fuselage is overstated. I thought the Flycatcher is a small airplane, but the gamecock is even smaller! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...