planeart

Fantastic looking aircraft!!! I want to have it myself!!! I was always a big 32nd scale fan!! Plus the reason that i painted it's boxart which means i have to buy it for collecting reasons! Years ago a kit like that whould have been a silly dream! And whoever whould have said that a kit like that is to be released, most of the rest whould treat him as a cooco!! Good Modelling!!

Hello there fellow modellers!!!! Thanks Jenshb! You just copied what i had in mind to reply!! The main subject on the painting is the aircraft and not the bloody ship! I could take any harsh critic about my work!!! Not a bloody problem!! I just found that photo of the sinking ship in the web site dealling with ships going down to the bottom!!!! it seemed good to place it in my painting to add drama in it! If mister Julien is obsest with that the ship is going to the bottom of the sea in the wrong way, should try to find out which ship was that and sue the captain for not doing it in the right way!!!! HU-16A Albatros is a beautifull airplane and i feel honoured that Trumpeter Models trusted me to paint the boxart for their product!! If my clients are pleased, i am too!!!! Dear HL-10, Heloman1, Albeback 52, Ray S and Jenshb, thank you very much for the kind words about my work! As i am a Modeller myself, i'll try to paint boxart in the best possible way, not because i want to avoid hard critisism, but because I LOVE IT TO DEATH!!!! Best wishes to all!! good modelling!!

Dear Guys hello!! I never realised that my boxart image would create this pickering! However i am a MODELLER myself and i am trying to portray box art in a good historical correctness and i always make big search in every image i have the commision for!! Dear Venomvixen, i did mentioned the possibility of you beeing joked so do not feel upset! Dear pacificmustang, abacus, thank you for the kind words about my art! Dear Greg B, i tottaly agree with you! However boxart is the first image that the modeller comes to face and i think it should be as accurate and historical as possible! I have bought Models in the past not because i really wanted them, but because i was so much amazed by the beauty of it's boxart! That's me! Other modellers do not bother too much! But since i work for Trumpeter-Hobby Boss clients i feel i have to explain/comment/correct matters concerning my work! As for the kit itself, sorry guys i do not know details of it cos my only contribution is just the boxart!!! Best wishes!!!

Dear Radleigh, Thank you very much for your good comments!! I really beleive everybody has the right for his opinion! Who's me to question that! My intention was just what you mentioned!! The HU-16A Albatros! A beautifull airplane and the aim to make modellers to look at it with joy! It does not mean that i am not trying to make my art as historical and correct as possible, but if a Modeller who wants that kit, won't buy it cos the ship in the boxart is not sinking in the right manner, then he is not a Modeller! The ship is there to ballance the painting, plus the fact that i used a particular picture in order to avoid making a mistake on how ships are sinking and in which way!! Thanks again, Happy Modelling!!!

Hello Julien, Your comments are very interesting indeed!! They'll make me a better painter when it comes with ships!! I used a picture of that sinking ship just to give drama in the painting and not to study Ship engineering! Trumpeter models will release the Aircraft as a kit, not the ship!!! I found that particular ship picture and it showed the funnel still smoking despite the caption of the image which was reading'' still afloat after hours''! So who knows, maybe the crew were still aboard trying to save whatever they could from it! I am sure the HU-16 would have flown above it even if they did not had an sos signal! Anyway, i hope the modellers to be able to buy this because they like the airplane, and not to be driven away because i did not study ship engineering in order to paint the ship in the correct sinking side!!!??? Thanks for the info and comments!!! regards!!!!

Fellow Modellers hello!! My name is Kostas Kavvathias and i live and work in Corfu-Greece!! My work is an effort in Aviation, military, and maritime art! This effort brought me in contact since 2010, with the Chinese model companies of Trumpeter and Hobby Boss! The last 3 years i work for them as a boxart artist! It was one of my dreams to come true! I was so much inspired all those past years by the great masters of boxart illustrations, such as, the late Roy Cross of Airfix, Shigeo Koike of Hasegawa Model co, and my favourite..Mr Roy Huxley of matchbox model kits!! In fact, i keep in contact with Roy and he gives me many advices in the fields of aviation art!! I did the above HU-16A Albatros boxart image, intenting for the soon to be released, HU-16A in 48th scale by Trumpeter models!! I can understand in the fields of art, some critics will be not pleasant, cos every body has his right for his opinion! I am hoping that mr T7 Models and venomvixen were joking in their view about HU-16's boxart image! Cos if not, i find this critic a bit cynical! Ships go under for various reasons not just because of rough seas!!! Moreover, i do not recall any ship to sink because was bitten by a shark! This image was done under collaboration with my client, Trumpeter Models, and they were very pleased with the result! That's the name of the game for me!! I am sure this painting will be more interesting if the sea was really heavy, plus thundering clouds above, and the HU-16 struggling to fly overhead! However, i wanted to show an image clear enough, where the aircraft will be the dominant object, and tried to use attractive colours in order to be eye catching for those potential modellers who want to purchace the kit!! Trumpeter and Hobby Boss models have trusted me to paint the boxart of some of their most important kits! I have done more than 35 images for them, such as the SU-25A and SU-25UB frogfoots, the supermarine Spitefull and Seafang, the A-1D Skyraider, Hobby Boss's F-14's, Me-262's, F4U-4 Corsairs etc!! I hope i did not tire you! Thanks again for allowing me to take part in this great Model site and forums!! If i can be able to help in any way please let me know!!! Best wishes!! Regards, Kostas Kavvathias