Kiwikitbasher

Thanks, Wolfhound, for your very generous comments. I am proud of my model, but yours is built to a standard the subject deserves; that makes it all the more pleasing to see. I agree, we do seem to be in rare company, as I have only seen another two built and published online from memory

A wonderfully executed build and a very deserved medal. Having built the same kit three years ago, I can fully appreciate all the extra details and engineering workarounds you included. You put my 6-week OOB build of the same kit to shame. I posted it here on Britmodeller in May 2022: Ukraine Tribute Build It's now displayed in my public model gallery, which raises money for charity (see: www.miniature-marvels.kiwi.nz)

It's the same company as SS Model, which produces a lot of printed resin AFVs and warships, mainly, but also some accessories for these, plus aircraft, personnel, a few buildings, and other items. See their main website, which is Mr Yao's Super Fantasy World, see: https://mry-sfw.com/ They also have SS-Model shops on Ali-Express, eBay and other platforms.

Thanks, Doc D, (for a moment I assumed you were an Auckland-based modelling mate, Doc Darlington) but I think you are being overly generous. I think OOB, it would still make for an impressive model but it would be best made with wings swept back since the kit's inboard flaps are fixed in the retracted position.

Lovely job on your Javelin, it puts my 1/72 Airfix FAW.9 with "corrected" engines and rear fuselage of nine years ago to shame. We deserve a new and modern kit of the beast. Link to my build-log:

Very nicely done and quite eye-catching.

That looks very good, Chen: - The pioneer tools look especially well done. - The road wheels look promising, but I'm unsure if there is s fine raised circumferential line defining where the tyre joins the metal wheel rim. - This line is an important aid to painting and is absent in some of your earlier kits, which is why I mention it.

Mine was completed over 3 days.

You may find my build-log for the SS Model Grant of interest: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/missinglynx/viewtopic.php?p=1699773#p1699773

I feel relatively well-placed to comment some more on SS Models, which stands for Super Star Models, although they seem to always refer to themselves as SS Model. Having bought and built several SS Model AFV kits I contacted them and offered my help in improving their products, on a purely voluntary basis, and began assisting by giving feedback on their 1/72 AFV range. I also encouraged their product promotions manager to join Missing Lyx's Braille Scale Discussion Group (DG), which is where I mainly hang out online; requested other group members to participate in giving feedback. Mention was made earlier of the game 'War Thunder' and it seems this game has influenced the production of several kits to exploit its popularity and market kist to gamers. But as will be apparent from the photos of my completed models below, they are also producing kits for the scale modellers as well; including many rare subjects that are poorly represented in 1/72 scale, if at all. With SS Model's agreement, I organised a vote for our DG to come up with three kit subjects to propose development into printable kits, and tonight I am wrapping up the vote and will forward the subjects with supporting marketing cases for their development. I have also provided SS Model with AFV and Naval reference material as I have a considerable archive of such information, as have other members of our DG SS Model has been unbelievably receptive and quick to respond to our product critique with modified iterations of their printed resin kits. Communications have been positive and full of goodwill, but SS Model has to machine translate English, although it seems their online shop staff seem relatively fluent in English. Their vertically integrated online shop is eBay store lixili2016: https://www.ebay.com/str/lixili2016 and AliExpress's SSModel Store: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1102301612?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.14.21ef1802ZryQDg I wish to make clear my only association with SS Model is that of an enthusiastic customer willing to provide them with feedback and free help as I would, and have done, for other kit companies. I will email my principal SS Model contact and draw his attention to this thread. He may already be busy enough before considering applying to join another English-speaking modelling site, but I will emphasise that Britmodller is one of the very best there is. I should explain that, despite my very high opinion of the Britmodeller community, I don't participate here more than occasionally because of the difficulties I often have with typing and mouse use due to my Parkinson's disease. As a result, I have had to restrict my participation in a number of sites. To end this post I shall post my completed SS Model builds that account for 11 out of my 19 1/72-scale AFV builds over the past three months since I became aware of the company.

It will be another release based on the Pavla tooling but with injected canopy and styrene parts in place of the vac-formed canopy and any resin or PE parts of the original Pavla kit. Good to see it will be available once more.

Count me in Martin, I suggested the F-84F and RF-84F to Milan Lucky as subjects for Sword many years ago through a mutual friend. I don't know if that influenced things as the RF-84F came out about three years later.

Thanks, Andre, I'd forgotten that the Academy kit could be built as a G too. From memory, the Academy provides internal detail for an open ventral speed brake, something Tamiya doesn't offer. Also, for a quick build, there is the Hobby Boss kit, which might suit those primarily interested in lots of different Thunderjet schemes; being mainly focused on painting and decaling. I suspect the old Heller kit is pretty decent if you don't mind raised surface detail. I don't have time to check now, but it's bound to have been reboxed by half a dozen or so other brands. I've ignored the old 1950s Frog kit as it is more of a collectable these days. Four 1/72 kits ranging from quite decent to very good is not bad for a mid-1940s jet that served through the 50s and 60s, and no doubt the 70s somewhere.

Academy also released an F-84E Thunderjet that stands up well in comparison to Tamiya's. I've no idea as to its availability, but it's usually cheap in most markets I think.

I'm building SS Model's 1/72 Vickers A1E1 Independent, build log here: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/missinglynx/viewtopic.php?p=1695698&utm_medium=email#p1695698 More on them here: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/missinglynx/ss-model-1-72-churchill-vii-vickers-independent-t333987.html and Ali-Express store here: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/group/SSMODEL-3D-Printed/1102301612_40000003125019.html?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_allProduct.0.0.461b6900hYxUbP