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LeVi Tophatter

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Everything posted by LeVi Tophatter

  1. Hehe! As mentioned above, the Tamiya kit is very good, still, but they don't do the A-36 Apache/P-51A of which I find the most attractive... . If you're going to do a 'Family' series, it would be almost criminal to leave these Allison birds out...
  2. From the Tamiya 1/72 and 1/32 F-14 instruction booklets, it suggests XF-19 (Sky Grey) for the cockpit grey colour. XF-54 (Dark Sea Grey) is a good base but I find that the relatively new XF-83 (Medium Sea Grey) is pretty much spot on for the scale. As ever, the choice is yours...!!!
  3. Rats, was really, really looking forward to a scaled down 1/48th kit... The B-29 'Mother' with the Bell X-1 would have been a must buy for me, a great and important moment in the history of manned flight. Ah well, we'll just have to wait and see how this snap kit turns out.
  4. Seems like this thread has run it's course... I guess it was always going to be the F-4 Phantom that would get the lions share of the votes, always happens... Bit teary eyed that not much people care for the fairly versatile F-14... Did I mention the F-16? Can't remember with this Viggen-centric tennis match!!!
  5. Sweet!!! That really does look very nice, would like to have a looksy at the wheel bay. The addition of the folded wings is nice too, no hacking, aftermarket or holding up a bank to get the Dragon Hasegawa re-box with this option... Good job!!!
  6. Regarding F-4 Phantoms, whatever happened to the 1/72 F-4B (cat no.12421)? For all it seems(ed), this was to be a scaled down version of the new tool 1/48 kit...
  7. New decals for the F-8E most likely but the F-15E will be an updated kit. The updated F-15C in the 'MSIP II' box has all the MSIP II parts included in the box either as newly tooled parts or reworked original parts. All Academy F-15 kits share the same basic sprue set which has now been reworked. It's just a bit of a shame that the 'Bay 5' area of the F-15C is still filled with generic, featureless boxes rather than a new insert with better detail... Still, it's a great kit for a bang up to date F-15.
  8. Seeing as Trumpeter/Hobby Boss are on a mission to kit everything known to humankind, I wonder how long it will be before we see a 1/48 new tool OV-10 Bronco from them? Absolutely dying to build a 1/48 OV-10A Pave Nail, the Testors/Paragon designs combo is just too expensive and obscure today...
  9. Ah, my mistake. Your comment was in relation to the Viggen, not the concept of the blended body. Still, my vote is for the F-16, pretty much continues the legacy of the F-4 but with aerodynamic innovations (for the era, such as relaxed stability, lifting body) and of course a systems 'package' that has proven to be fairly easy to maintain, upgrade and add to over the last 40 years.
  10. The 'Wasp Waist' area rule was a bit different to the blended body in the metal. The body and wings are smoothly blended into one another to create lift, apparently. The SAAB Draken, F-16, B-1, are good examples of this. I'm sure there are many other examples...
  11. Absolutely, those SAAB jets truly were ahead of their time but of course they shot down nothing so they rarely get a mention. Maybe the fact they didn't shoot anything down while in service for several decades could be seen as a measure of how successful the design was? I'm a Generation X'er, so I tend not to recognise a lot of things before my generation, hence if I were a bit older or wiser I would choose something such as the F-4, MiG-21, Mirage III, etc... This is one of those never ending threads of opinion, so I just chose an aircraft of 'my era' I could identify the OP's criteria with... Interesting to read through though, as it's more an insight into the individual than anything else...!!!
  12. In direct response to your particular criteria, I would say F-16... No nostalgia, emotion or propaganda, just units sold, innovative technology and reliability... Compare the original F-16A/B Block 1 'Hot Rod' to the current F-16E/F Block 60 'Techno-monstrosity'. I think that ticks all the boxes Soviet Star! Of course, if I were 10-15 years older, I would say the F-4 or MiG-21... I'll get hammered for this but seeing as folks are focusing on this innovation aspect so much, what about the F-117 Night Hawk? Yeah, technically it's not a fighter but as with the F-111 it has had a remarkable impact on leading edge military aviation/tactics today in some respects, everything seems to be 'low observability' and 'combined systems' so much so that only a single pilot need operate it. Please be kind in your responses to the above!!!
  13. I'm sure the AIM-54 never scored a combat kill in US service, AIM-9's and AIM-7's were used during both 'Gulf of Sidra' incidents... The Iranians on the other hand, showed exactly how devastating the AWG-9/AIM-54 combo could be...
  14. The ESCI F-15A/B/C/D and E prototype kits are really very nice and honest, what you need is in the box. The problem is getting hold of them, they are quite hard to find plus prices can be fair to ridiculous (£15-£30 inc. P&P) is what I usually find. I always get outbid though... That said, the later Academy F-15C/D/E kits are very similar to the ESCI kits, though the panel lines on the ESCI kits are finer and more consistent than the Academy one when you have both kits to hand. Also, the F-15E kit is just an F-15D without the full compliment of CFT pylons and other noticeable details. Still, the Academy kits are probably the best choice today when it comes to price, availability and variants you can build easily OOB. PS. Academy is likely to release an upgraded F-15E at some point, the revised tooling in the F-15C 'MSIP II' kit seems to point that way at least.
  15. Hi Sovietstar, I agree with Richard E... Mind you, your headaches will begin when you come across variants, upgrades, timeframes, etc!!! With regards to the Hasegawa F-15’s, I would add: Compass Ghost scheme F-15A/B/C/D All Hasegawa F-15A/B/C/D kits are in the configuration most commonly seen throughout the 1980’s. The F-15A/B kits lack the earlier mainwheel design to match the decals in their respective boxing’s which is a shame considering Hasegawa’s modular approach. These earlier wheels can be found in the ESCI F-15A/B or E Prototype kits. For faired jet nozzles on F-15A/B/C/D jets throughout the 1970’s, you’ll have to steal a pair from the Academy, ESCI or updated Hasegawa F-15I Ra’am kits. Mod Eagle scheme F-15A/B/C/D 'MSIP II' No Hasegawa F-15A/B/C/D kit can be built in the so called ‘MSIP II’ configuration OOB without scratch-building or using the F-15J ‘MSIP II Config’ kit for an F-15A/C or updated F-15E kit for an F-15B/D. You’ll also need Hasegawa’s Weapons Set 5 for the later missile launchers on the wing pylons, AIM-9L/M, AIM-7M and AIM-120B missiles (if wanted). ‘MSIP II’ decals can be found on Supercale, Repliscale, Astra and Caracal decal sheets. A massively expensive project if buying outside of Asia. Alternatively, you could just get hold of the updated Academy F-15C ‘MSIP II’ kit which has everything you’ll need in the box. Some UK RRP prices for you... Hasegawa, Academy.
  16. Just like the 1/72 F-22 Raptor... Mind you it's good for a quick, cheap and cheerful 'de-stress' build. I built a few just to use up all the markings on a Microscale decal sheet. The Italeri kit is the best of the bunch, whether re-scribed or not, the dark green plastic is a bit yucky though!!! I only wish that either ESCI tooled an F-5 Tiger II range or Hasegawa re-worked their F-5 Tigers to go along with their F-20 and X-29.
  17. Thanks for the images and links Ken, a 12 year old guard, grief! The decal sheet is by Rocketeer Decals (never heard of them before): ROCK72018 "Challengers Ultimate" Been waiting a very long time for something like this, the Hasegawa Streak Eagle decals are pretty poor and I've not known of the Bergamot decals 'till now . The Streak Eagle is easy enough to do - Nose boom, Escapac seat, F-15A/B early wheels, faired jet nozzles but the P-42 looks quite challenging... I've ordered a sheet and will look forward to building a P-42!
  18. Thanks for the info and inspirational models Ken. I guess I'll use the Trumeter 'early version' it as a bass for a P-42 conversion, I've just spotted a decal sheet for it at Hannants too, which also has markings for the 'Streak Eagle'... Neat! If well informed and entusiastic people stopped saying what they saw, the modelling world would be more the worse!
  19. SWEET! I really like Trumpeters 72nd 'Flanker Family' so far, this J-15 kit is a step up with the carrier deck. Interesting that there are two options for the outboard wing sections rather than just moulding the flaperon on it's own. Either way it should cater to a variety of modelers tastes... With Trumpeter also doing the oddball Su-27 KUB, I wonder if the bare metal record breaker will come along at some point?
  20. Highly unlikely we'll see the P-1 in RAF service, even as a stop gap. We'll find an eventual sloution from the US or continental Europe, as ever. I'm very sure we'll be treated to a top notch Kawasaki P-1 and C-2 kit fairly soon, the only question is whether it will be 1/144 or 1/200...
  21. HC = Hobby Craft. This is how we communicate now that we are netwoked, abbreviate as much as possible. I lerndid this @ skool.
  22. I would say that lots of folks know about Hobby Craft, it's a very big chain store. I agree that the range for folks like 'us' is pretty unexciting and/or slim but it has to cater for 'Lil' Johnny/Jeanette' and 'Casual Chris/Christine' (got my PC hat on today!). HC won't become anything like the LHS we fondly remember because it's a general creative hobbies store. The more kits that are bought off the shelves, the more they'll restock... With the same range of kits. No Hasegawa, Fujimi, Eduard, Xtrakit, etc. just Airfix and Revell (half of which are 'gift sets') with a dash of Tamiya. I guess this is HC's strategic approach to the subject. I used buy Tamiya kits at HC when they had seasonal sales (they used to have some real good ones, upto 50% off kit RRP sometimes) but this no longer happens anymore, at least at the nearest 'megastore' to me, just high and odd pricing for some reason. The only options left are a short trip to Hannants Colindale, the internet and mail order or take up a modern hobby like 'Candy Crush Saga'.
  23. Had a look at the 'combat search and rescue team' today, again it's really good stuff and very special to see all the machines together... I also like that you have shown us that 'old' model kits can still look good!!! Very nice Bronco's Mario, I do have a bit of a soft spot for them. The lovely OV-10D you show us is the YOV-10D NOS prototype, it was developed from the OV-10A NOGS the US Navy/USMC used in South Vietnam and Cambodia. Both of these OV-10's were also developed from the YOV-10A NOGS prototype which used the 6 barrel Vulcan gun but it was mounted at the back of the open cargo bay, firing to the side or front of the Bronco... Fearsome and very accurate!!! Now you have inspired me to build some again!!! All the best.
  24. There is an underlying truth of sorts. Of course Argentina will still have to pay for any hardware they might aquire, just more political theatrics to try and bypass 'sanctions'. It's quite funny as it's pathetic, the long term 'gainers' are the Russian and Chinese interests taking advantage of foolish/desperate polititians. Feel sorry for the everyday Argentinian. BTW, does the airforce even have the infrastructure to operate Su-24's?
  25. Mario, Absolutely fabulous work!!! We don't often see stuff with regards to operations 'over the fence' in Laos, Cambodia, etc. Love it!!! The pilots are a very nice touch too. If you fancy doing more Special Operations builds, perhaps a C-130A Blind Bat or OV-10A Bronco/OV-10A Pave Nail...? I did both with the Academy kits a long time ago, the only problem with the Pave Nail is all the special equipment in the rear seater's cockpit, I've never been able to find a single picture of the instrument panels . Again, very nice builds!
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