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HMSLion

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Everything posted by HMSLion

  1. I'd buy a 1/72 Javelin, and two 1/72 Sea Vixens. Having said that, I think the upcoming Spitfire XIV will sell quite well. But what I notice is that a lot of the online wish lists often feature kits that would be enormous when built. I'm a firm believer in the Rule of 225 (or 1600, in Metric). An assembled model must fit into a rectangle of 225 square inches (or 1600 square cm). 15x15. It means that 1/48 is good for Second World War single-engine aircraft and most twins...for a 4-engine bomber, it's really not a good scale (though you might use it for consistency). Jets after 1960 do well in 1/72...in 1/48, they are just too large. I've seen a P-51 Mustang parked next to an F-18B Hornet, and the Mustang is about half the size in every dimension. A model has to be scaled realistically. I'll add that it pays to go where the competitors aren't. Do the kits the other companies don't do. No, Company A's Me-109 doesn't make money for Company B, but Company B's Me-109 loses money unless it sells well. And the 109 market is pretty saturated.
  2. Rumor? No. Speculation? I would not be surprised to see Hasegawa offer a Kawasaki P-1. A 1/72 P-8. I'd like to see more 1/700 First World War dreadnoughts. Frankly, most Second World War subjects have been done to death - and the argument that Company A's Mustang doesn't make money for Company B omits the fact that Company B's Mustang has to sell...otherwise it loses money for Company B. Special bonus points for anyone releasing a good Apollo in 1/72 scale. The Dragon CSM is OK, but the LM is seriously misproportioned. Long-term speculation: An MQ-4C Triton will be announced at the 2020 show. Platz has a good RQ-4B Global Hawk (and I'd love to see someone do an RQ-4A), but their "RQ-4N" has major shape errors - and I'm not a rivet counter. The day one deploys to Guam, the Japanese will be trying to get measurements. More long-term speculation: Crew Dragon and Boeing Starliner for 2020. Hasegawa will do an F-35C as soon as they get one in the Pacific.
  3. Well, they had a Lancaster torn apart for the Dambusters movie, so it wasn't that much trouble to do a kit. And a lot of people were whining after the 0/400...
  4. I've built the original boxing. It's not a bad kit, but it's set up with both gear down and weapon bays open...and building them closed demands a lot of fit-and-file work. On the other hand, it came with a full set of external pylons (including the gun pod) and a good selection of stores.
  5. Not what I would have gone with. That thing will be a monster with a 36-ish inch wingspan. It'll be interesting to see how many kits will be built...as opposed to sold.
  6. Yes. Especially since there were sub-variants. I fully expect WNW to do one at some point.
  7. I don't think WNW has the design capacity to do a big bomber other than what has been announced. A Dr.1 is very plausible, or a Hanriot HD.1.
  8. Or they could go down the "whiffer" route that the Chinese makers are going down. An F-108 Rapier.
  9. Money. A-12 was intended to be an acquisition reform, with the development done on a firm, fixed price. The McDonnell-Douglas/GD team were running a year (or more) behind schedule, a billion dollars over cost, and they and the program management had just told SECDEF Cheney they were on cost and schedule. My personal opinion is that Cheney was provided bad legal advice. He tried to cancel for cause, but the vendors were not yet technically in breach of contract. And it went through a 20-year series of lawsuits...by the end of which, the value of the money in question had been reduced to a handful of Super Hornets (Boeing having inherited MDD's side of the lawsuit) and some submarine construction credits (from GD's side). One of the other problems was that U.S. acquisition laws of the period did not allow cost as an independent variable. The Government could not go to the contractors and say, "What can you give us for $3 billion in RDT&E costs?"
  10. 1/72 Vulcan would be my bet. Airfix plays strongly to the UK market, and a new-tool Vulcan fits in with the Valiant and Victor.
  11. Thunderous applause! Yes, everybody and his kid brother does a Spitfire...Mk I, V, or IX. The Merlin-powered machines are covered. But the Griffon-engined marks are NOT. And in many ways, the XIV is one of the prettiest airplanes ever built. A svelte ballerina of a machine - sleek, powerful, and lethal.
  12. I've long thought a Hanriot HD.1 and an AW FK.8 were likely, simply because they are both types that saw a lot of use but got very little publicity. WNW has a definite liking for the "Rodney Dangerfield" get-no-respect types.
  13. It will be recognizably a Fiddler. I'll buy one and build it happily.
  14. I have to give credit to the Chinese makers - they are willing to think outside the Spitfire/109/P-51 box. It's a welcome change.
  15. The other question - aircraft that never left the drawing board? The Chinese have been doing their share of the Usual Subjects, but also have branched out into prototypes and proposals. And the post-war RAF had no shortage of exotica on the drawing board. If nothing else, they would not have to deal with the rivet counters.
  16. I think Airfix needs to work on having a reliable U.S. distribution system. Right now, their availability is spotty. Having said that, but were I running Airfix, I'd be working on a good 1/48 Spitfire XIV. The Merlin-engine Spitfires have been done to death. The 1/72 scale Spits have been done to death, too. But the Griffon Spits? Much less so.
  17. The SA-11 TELAR will be welcome. At least it will be novel. The toy kits...well, I won't be buying them.
  18. And....It's a Halberstadt Cl.II. Which is a pleasant surprise, at least to me.
  19. An accurate 1/48 Spit XIV would be welcome. A T-62 would not surprise me, given Meng's preference for modern armor.
  20. +1 on 1/72 scale, especially for modern tactical jets. 1/48 is just too big to be conveniently displayed.
  21. I don't think so. The way I figure it, WNW has only a certain amount of design capacity. Assuming that retail price is roughly proportional to design resources, we come up with the following ratios: Single seat fighter = 1, multi seat/single engine = 1.5, multi-engine = 3, new markings/modification = 0.5. Consumption for 2018: Junkers = 1, Four new sets of markings = 2. Remaining resources = 2. Not enough for a bomber.
  22. I expect WNW will make another announcement...certainly they have indicated something at the Shiozuka show. WNW has a certain amount of design capacity, and it's not all accounted for. Which implies a new release. Viper-powered SE.5a, maybe. Be.2c. Hell, even a Fokker Triplane (though I think they are saving that one).
  23. Let the speculation begin! :-) Seriously, I really can't predict which way WNW will jump. Yes, there is the centennial of the von Richtoven shootdown...but that's too obvious. WNW likes to spring surprises on us. A BE.2C? Possible, they've certainly been on an Early War German kick. Nieuport 17? It's been rumored - though the Copper State announcement may spike that idea. Fokker D.VIII? Possible, but I'd bet on an Allied type. Hanriot HD.1? TVAL just built one, and it's the sort of "doesn't get any respect" type that WNW likes. DH-5? Strong ANZAC connections, I can believe it would have appeal.
  24. I can see Round 2 wanting to get their hands on the Revell and Monogram molds. Especially some of the old Aurora stuff. It would not surprise me if Revell of Germany wound up with the name, though.
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