Plasto

The honest answer is it’s difficult to give prescriptive replies when a lot of individual factors influence the outcome. For example: Type of paint what its thinned with and how much. How accurate is the pressure regulator on your compressor. Are you running a reserve system or total loss type compressor... I don’t preshade but I do spray fine lines I’d do the following. Thin my paint to an airbrushable consistency I’m happy with. Use a fine tip / nozzle in my airbrush. ensure the airbrush sprays the paint I have thinned. adjust the air pressure on my regulator to give me a fine line with the tip / paint consistency I’m using. I personally use the lowest pressure that gives me the best result. Spray the fine lines at the distance and using the methodology I’m happy to airbrush with... The secret to airbrushing is practice and experimentation so you know what your preferred paints and equipment can deliver. HTH Plasto

It is insanity... Add in a 1/48th Build as well and it’s certifiable...

Hi, Here is my Dragon Platz Panzer IV Ausf D. somewhere in the Western Desert.. I added a few bits here and there to make it more prototypical for a DAK panzer. Figures are also Dragon. The DAK Panzer and Artillery set... I’m not much of a figure painter so forgive me on that. They were enjoyable to paint and have spured me on to buy a better brush.. Thanks for looking.. Cheers Plasto

Hi, I’d like to take part with a quick build of an Aircraft kit... The Patton Tank GB starts in a few weeks so something straightforward is on the cards. Enter Monograms Recce Panther.. unstarted.... The sprue frame on the instructions is underwing stores which are a hangover from the regular F9f-5 kit and are not used on the PR Panther... The kit looks nice with good detail raise panel lines which don’t worry me. Neither do a few inaccuracies here and there. It’s going to be an OOB build. Cheers Plasto

Thanks for all the feedback.. Yes it would make a Nice Kit in 1/72 but it’s been out now for a few years and no sign of a 1/72 version so I wouldn’t hold out hope.

Hi, Here is Tamiya's nice 1/48 Gekko Build OOB and Painted with Tamiya lacquer thinned acrylics... All the markings apart from the kill marks are also painted with home made masks... Thanks for looking.. Cheers Plasto...

Hi, Here is the Dragon Platz Pz IV Ausf D with a few tweaks some Dragon Figures and a scenic base... Cheers Plasto.....

All done... More photos in the gallery... Cheers Plasto

FWIW I tend to look at it like this... In the model industry there are broadly 3 types of company. Enthusiast centered , Legacy Toy industry and Japanese corporation. Airfix and Revell and italeri are legacy toy industry have been around forever started out when model sakes were predominantly to the toy trade and a some of there Chanel to market (B2B) will be based around supply into that legacy customer base. Eduard, RFM,Meng,Takom etc are specialist enthusiast centered companies that design and cater for the enthusiast market only there Chanel to market is via specialist retailers who sell to you and me and our ilk. Tamiya and Bandai and Hasegawa are Japanese corporates with strong home market sales and wide complex product ranges and international presence. Airfix’s Brand recognition in the UK is phenomenal both with enthusiasts and the general public. Also it’s sales (b2c) while skewed to the enthusiast also include non enthusiasts. So if any brand can carry off sales if a range of reboxed 1/35 armour kits. Airfix can.. It isn’t complex and it isn’t brand damaging as the brand is so strong. I hope the armour goes well.

Really nicely done....

No Lacquer = acrylic lacquer. It uses a cellulose based solvent AFAIK to carry the pigment. Think Gunze Mr Colour or Alclad... what uou you get is a nice fine grain silver that can give you many different silver finishes depending on surface prep, primer colour and clear coat used... HTH

The new Lacquer silver not the aerosol...

Hi, Here is my 1/48 Sea Fury in Egyptian Markings. I believe this aircraft flown by Neville Duke Held the London to Cairo speed record obtained on its delivery flight.. OOB Airfix with Ventura Decals.. Painted in Tamiya Lacquer Silver. Thanks for looking...

The problem is your original question lacks context.. It's just a question. Therefore it's impossible to tell if you have spent 6 months on research or just asked a question rather than hitting google. Also despite me being allegedly condescending I have actually offered 2 answers to your question which may be correct or open up further avenues of research.. So I've managed to be condescending and helpful at the same time. Enjoy your build....

If you want to enter the 1/35 market then you need some product to sell. To get this you either need to invest in tooling and the associated R+D or Re-box another manufactures product. Hornby are basically strapped for cash so they are not likely to invest in R+D or tooling. They also have little in the way of design experience with 1/35 armour especially to current standards. That leaves re-boxing. Once you’re down that route you need to find a company who will supply you and has a range of stuff. Clearly Academy are the pick. While the kits might not be cutting edge they are not entirely terrible. I agree the the market is now centered on enthusiast buyers in middle age with disposable income. But the market also comprises of new folk starting out , youngsters ,gift sales and all manner of sales to non core buyers who might want a tank kit in an Airfix box. This latter catergory probably don’t care that the Airfix Tiger isn’t as detailed as the RFM Tiger or WHY. To influence them you need market presence, compelling packaging and stock to sell them along with something inside that isn’t hideous to build and doesn’t have 1000 parts of which 800 are track parts.. Personally I hope it works out for them. Good sales may result in an increased range or perhaps investment in R+D and tooling. If sales are not good then you exit that market segment having made a minimal investment.. As a marketing and ranging strategy based on relatively little investment it’s pretty sound.

Sounds like you need to spend some time researching..... Dont forget the first 30-40 were manufactured from re-purposed Tank chassis where production after that was on purpose built chassis. Maybe that’s the answer...

If you’re a 1/35 armour enthusiast then Airfix’s reboxing effort possibly holds no interest. I tend to think of it along these lines. Reboxing Academy’s kits is pragmatic. It gets a range of reasonable kits into the market under your brand at relatively little cost and no R+D or tooling investment. It enables Airfix to compete in the entry level market reasonably well. Couple that with the distribution model they have and sales could flow. So viewing it with a 1/35 purists hat on while sort of valid is a bit blinkered as it misses the wider context. If you think academy kits have ‘issues’ then the Airfix kits will be no different. The issues you perceive they have as a purist are probably not the same as a novice or occasional builder would perceive. Airfix don’t want to own the 1/35 Pie they just want a small slice.

Here is a list of all of the Sdkfz variants http://globetrotter08.free.fr/indentifsdkfz.htm HTH..

I agree you see drooped elevators commonly. However given the control column has full range of motion and the elevators could therefore be in the neutral position. It’s drawing a long bow to say a Spitfire modelled with neutral elevators is inaccurate. Chopping the kit elevators to get a drooped effect isnt sacrilege. It’s modeling..

So I have been working on the dio base... it needs a few thing tidying up and antennas adding etc.. but it's pretty much done... Thoughts... Plasto

Premier Japanese Model company produces model of Japanese ww2 fighter aircraft. Not that surprising nor hard to get volume sales in your home market....

Sounds good strictly speaking it’s SEAD but I guess as it has to use ECM for that mission all is ok...

Spitfire kits evoke highly detailed comparisons. It’s just part of modelling in the internet age. 109’s are the same P-51’s to a lesser degree depending on the forum.. I appreciate the effort in the comparison. I personally would prefer the Tamiya over the Airfix as it will build up with minimal effort fit extremely well, has IMHO better surface detail. Isn’t made from ‘soapy’ plastic and I can absolutely be sure that Tamiya won’t sell me a kit with short shot or missing bits.. Also do I understand correctly the 0.8mm is based on comparison of the Tamiya Plastic to the Airfix Plastic? What determines the Airfix Plastic as correct?

Does a Wild Weasel fit into the ECM catergory...????

‘Those AK real colours I have look nothing like the real thing’