tempestfan

I guess it's a case of luck. Airfix and Heller decals from that period (I guess you have a mid 90s boxing ?) were notorious for their hit-and-miss Quality - if you got a sheet in Register, you had luck. I guess they didn't care that much, just like Revell. The head of Revell's Abteilung X once told me that they only checked the first sheet in a Batch, if that was OK, the Batch was accepted, after I had sent him about 60 out of Register Sheets. Not Long after, they dropped their local supplier and turned to Cartograf, Zanchetti and I think another Printer also from Italy. I am not sure how many boxings the Airfix F-5E had with Heller, but if there are later ones, chances are that the decals are better, as Airfix decals tended to be better from around 2000 onwards.

If you can find one, the Maru will probably be your best bet. I'd also imagine that Koku Fan will have covered the G3M in their modellers' section one time or another, but I can't provide any reference - and as it Comes from the same stable as the FAOW title(s), it may contain only the same material as the FAOW.

I seem to recall that Luftwaffe machines were, at some Point, fitted with 79s with some MTU Content (or possibly fully licence-built ?), and I *** think *** there was sosomething about a simplified nozzle, with fewer petals, but this may pertain to the S. IIRC MTU built the engines for the Luftwaffe Phantoms, and also supplied MDD directly, but this of course was a decade later. Not sure if it's correct, but I think I read somewhere the J essentially is a CF-104, which is subtly different from the G in a number of Areas, like wheels. I paid around 35 € for an Eduard Bundes/NATOFighter boxing some 2 months ago, but my favourite supplier seems out of stock at the mo.

Thanks for taking the trouble to take the pics - I am not familiar enough with either kit to make the judgement. I recall that the SMI reviewer noted that the curvature on some parts (tailerons ?) didn't match the fuselage, resulting in terrible fit. Possibly a myth that may be led to rest. OTOH, Esci's F-8 is not a "Korean style" copy, having slightly different parts breakdown etc., so they may have been "clever" enough to make it less obvious.

I do not have the Hase, but the SMI reviewer left no doubt that he considered the Esci a (bad) copy of a Japanese kit (Hase was not named, but it has been mentioned here occasionally), way back when (1988 ?). Esci's Crusaders also have "interesting" similarities with the Hase kit, for that matter, though not quite as many as the Kangnam/Ace/Revell one.

Thanks Giorgio, I had a quick look myself and found this,which made me strongly suspect the HC being a clone of the Hase. That Idea is also mentioned there makes sense, as apparently Idea "made" the tools and did the actual moulding for HC. In effect this means the HC and Esci are something like binovular twins... I doubt the loss of the MB mould was a financial loss to Revell, I am not sure if the tool was ever run after Revell bought the library, and even if so, it surely would have been written down to 1 €. Not running a mould means it essentially has no value...

While likely being on the wrong end of the scale, following the Scalemates link provided by André Shows a kit by Alanger - I assume this is the ex-Matchbox mould "lost" in the infamous deal which cost Revell quite a few moulds ? And another one - is it known on which kit the Hobbycraft is probably "based" ?

There was another 48th kit by HiPM, but probably released before you were even born, but it sounds like one of their better kits. And there was a 72nd kit by Model News which, well, does sound as if it calls for a certain tenacity.

Thanks for that - actually, I downloaded two sets from the airwar.ru drawings section. This one looks very, very well drawn. As the kits I am thinking about and have are early ones, I guess the 9.12 is the right one for me. Any comments on these ?

@ Troy, there really isn't a recent issue of the kit, the last release by Bünde dates from the early 90s, I think, and had decals by Revell's dreaded local supplier. THe most recent US release also seems to be 2 decades old. Shame really, as it's a good kit. If I remember the kit correctly, the lower wing has indentations on the inside in the rocket rail pylon positions, but the rockets are nowhere to be seen. Probably Revell planned an alternative release, possibly even bubble, which Didn't materialise.

Well, that's actually a gain, and has the added Bonus of freeing the space required for the 72nd Project

In Monogram's defence, the Spit II in their boxes was Revell's.

I do not know the Academy F-4E, but I think they used to have the Ex-Crown mould. If that's the case, I suggest the Arii ex LS which used to be superior.

I freely admit it's the usual cumbersome military-tech "Sprech" - actually it would be interesting if there was an ETN (elektrischer Träger für nichtzylindrische Außenlasten) or something else that gave a true identifying purpose to the description...

Ohyeswedo. But really the words ETC is derived from give a comprehensive description of purpose and function, a bit different than rack or Pylon.

I'm just envious that I have no full-scale kits in my Garage (which is spacious BTW), but perhaps I should look to Change this... All the best that that Project Comes to fruition.

I certainly will. Looking back at the drawings Troy posted, I have a strong sense of déjà vu - they seem to be ***very*** ***similar*** to those in the IPMS Quarterly I mentioned above. Be interesting to see whom the drawings are credited to in the book. No idea, I can tell you the equivalent in Deutschmarks or in Airbus stock if that helps...

Ah, OK, wasn't aware that it fell victim of CA's end of trading. Of course, 4+...how could I forget, as I have the book myself...

Treated myself to the Hellcat book, and while I was at it, ordered the Corsair one and Mig Master, too. All three combined for just over 20 € delivered, from three different sellers....one can hardly do wrong at this Prices.

If I understand the OP correctly, he has an AEW and wants to "backdate" it to ASW, so he has a radome he doesn't Need. The F40 booklet from ca. 30 years ago had good scale drawings but without sections IIRC. Just ordered the newer Version yesterday, I'll report if the drawings are new in that one once it has arrived.

As far as I'm Aware, the IDS and baseline GR. 1 had two Mausers not one. If it's correct what's written here and there, Blue Circle is actually a brand of concrete, as concrete was used as Ballast on the 2 initially as the Foxhunter was delayed. I don't think the nose and front fuselage differed between 2 and 3. Check out the ZA254 thread re differences between 2 and 3.

While passing through Lisbon on 13 January on my way home from the Azores, I noted an AN-124 (I guess). It looked like a parked White tailer (except a big "Antonov" on the fin), but having looked at the Airport layout on G. Earth, I do not think there's a parking area where I think I saw it - we must've come in on 03 from the south, and apparently turned off 03 after the intersection with 17, and the Antonov was Close to where we turned off in a northerly direction. Any thoughts ?

Talking about abysmal, check out the Faller kit - they have you fit the engines 90° off, with the exhausts pointing up and down, also depicted like that on the boxart...

I'll probably be doing the same shortly - it helps TREMENDOUSLY entering a correctly spelt Name on Abe... (to myself). A lot of promising books by him at bargain Basement Prices...

I do not have the Tilman book, and it does not seem easy to obtain via Abe. However, I found what I was looking for in IPMS US Quarterly Vol II #1 Fall 1975. The BuNo tallies with the one quoted by you, and it says it was the 3.451st airframe. The article is slightly dated, but very informative. And anyone liking Essex's, there's a great article by Del Palmieri on them.