fishplanebeer
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Posts posted by fishplanebeer
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Dear All,
Just received my example of the new Fiat G50Bis from Fly and want to share some initial observations having just inspected the sprues.
Overall the kit is fine with nicely engraved panel lines and lots more detail than the old Airfix kit from the 60's, which you would expect I suppose. Plenty of flash to remove mind, as is always the way with short run company products but nothing too drastic that an hour or so of sanding can't remedy. On minor moan though is the lack of any locating tabs and associated fuselage holes to correctly locate and secure the tail planes, just flush ends that will be tricky to fit with the correct dihedral. Can't say I've ever come across this before but I assume it made it simpler and cheaper to make the mould.
In short if you are a fan of Italian WW2 fighters it's worth investing in simply because the cost of an old Airfix version is very similar if not more these days. That said the Aifix kit will be less fiddly to build and can still be made into an excellent kit with a wee bit of effort, plus the Fly instructions are a little bit vague in some areas. So overall not a must have kit IMHO but another option for this neglected aircraft and the decals seem to be excellent.
Kind Regards
Colin.
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I'm pretty sure that Quill regarded the XII as the best he flew but also regarded the 8 as being probably the most cosmetic and aesthetic. That aside I'll try and find the Sword Vc as a basis for my XII conversion as it will save some time when it comes to fitting and the correct wing cannon bulges as I'm no expert when it comes to re-scribing panel lines etc...!
Thanks again for all the inputs.
Kind Regards
Colin.
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Me thinks that I'll wait for a more accurate version with out all the hassle as I'm no expert. My main aim is to find a good/better donor kit for the Brigade X11 kit in preference to the Italeri Vb but seems I'll have to wat a wee bit longer as no manufacturer, even the big boys, are willing to issue a half decent MkV with B and C wing options. Strange given that it was the most produced mark of this amazing aircraft so perhaps Eduard and others may come up with the goods as I'm falling over excellent Mk9's.
There again Airfix did do a MkXII in 48th scale so maybe they might down size at some point as Geoffrey Quill did consider this to be the best Spit he ever flew, and he knew a thing or two about it!
Thanks everyone for your replies.
Kind Regards
Colin.
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Dear All,
Can anyone shed some light on this origins of this kit (and its stable mates) as it looks like it could be one from another manufacturer and just re-boxed etc... so not worth the money?
I'm thinking AZ did quite a few early Spits along with RS and Smer so wondered if their offerings are actually new tools or just using those purchased from others?
Kind Regards
Colin.
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Many thanks to everyone who has responded to my post as up until now the P47 was never an aircraft that I had taken too much interest in and so my knowledge was limited to either 'Razorback' or 'Bubbletop'. However now armed with the excellent Tamiya 'Razorback' I hope to make a reasonably accurate model that correctly reflects the subject, probably a D15 or later.
However just a couple of additional questions to further clarify if I may.
The kit has 2 versions of the prop, parts A11 & A12 plus the other with parts D1 & D2 so does anyone know which types these are please? Also I've bought the Revell P47M so is this regarded as being a generally accurate kit or should I keep it on the shelf I wonder?
Kind Regards
Colin.
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Dear All,
Having just bought this kit and read the glowing review from a while back can anyone confirm which version(s) it represents as the P47D had so many.
I've just bought the Squadron Signal book on the subject plus perused the internet and now even more confused given that some of the changes between variants were either internal or quite subtle externally. I see that the kit offers a choice of propellers but again I think there were more than two types used at various stages, plus the excellent instructions don't actually say which variant they apply to only the A or B build options.
Kind Regards
Colin.
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I'm determined to get there as the time and money invested so far dictates that I must. However what's also a wee bit disconcerting with this kit is that the main wheels are moulded as two parts and the fit is so poor that they are of no use what so ever. I've even bought another example of the kit to provide some parts that were broken in the initial one (no customer service to help alas to request any extras) and they are the same so have also gone in the bin.
Providentially the same manufacturer offers alternative wheels as extras, albeit not the type that are accurate for the 1941 desert version, so perhaps they had some inkling?
I look forward to seeing a build review at some point from someone far more expert than myself just to see if my issues are down to my limited skills or are also shared by others. Must admit that their HA-1112 M-1L Buchon 'Movie Star' BoB kit I bought last year has now very much gone to the back of the queue as it seems to be of an even earlier vintage and probably has similar if not more issues from a build perspective.
To some degree given my limited skills and recent experience I should probably stick to the mainstream manufacturers in future as my experience with 'short run' models has not been great to date, including AZ and Sword. All offer great subjects not generally covered by the big boys and are not cheap but I suspect I may not be their target market as the effort required to produce a nice kit from them requires a skill level beyond my current level.
I look forward to seeing a build review of the Kittyhawk at some point just to understand where I can improve my skills for the future.
Kind Regards
Colin.
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Bought this kit and first appearances were very good with what appeared to be a good dry fit, nicely recessed panel lines, accurate profile and decals by Cartograf, so I was expecting no real issues with the build. How wrong I was !
I'm currently only about two thirds of the way through the build after 10 days, something that I expected to have finished within 4 or 5 even allowing for my fading eyesight and modest modelling skills, however the following issues have had to be resolved so far with possibly more to follow.
ISSUES
- The fit of the two top wing sections to the lower wing/fuselage section is poor and requires a great deal of scraping and sanding internally just to get an acceptable trailing edge at the rear flap section in this scale. It's still not perfect but it's the best that is achievable to my eyes.
- Joining the assembled fuselage to the now thinned down wing section again required lots of head scratching and filing/scraping to both as they would not fit without leaving obvious gaps at the front wing root leading edge around the undercarriage sections as well as gaps at the wing root joint and a very obvious step between the wing and fuselage on both sides. Having now scraped and filed to give an improve fit, though still far from perfect, I'm now left with lots of filling and sanding which will remove all that nicely recessed detail. As I'm not adept at re-scribing panel lines this means that all this subtle detail will now be lost.
- I've yet to attempt fitting the upper internal cockpit cowling section that has the gun sight attached but I suspect this will also be a wee bit of a problem as the latest dry fit shows no obvious seating and the instructions are a little vague (perhaps I should have fitted it earlier)?
I'm determined to see it through as the excellent internal detail and the effort I've put in so far will not be wasted, but given the price and initial impressions (plus the after market extras purchased) this is clearly not an 'out of the box' build or one for a novice, new comer or anyone without plenty of time on their hands and patience!
CONCLUSION
Overall it is a really good kit and probably the best Kittyhawk 1a in this scale with excellent internal detail, multiple options and extras, great decals and nicely done pane lines but it is not to the fit standard of other more modern and recent kits from the likes of Airfix and Revell etc. etc. and what one has now come to expect from a kit of this price. I have now come to appreciate that this is definitely one for the more accomplished modeller which sadly I am not and perhaps with hindsight I should have opted for a different subject.
Kind Regards
Colin.
Ps. once I have the build finally done I will upload some photos to highlight all the issues
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Sorry to go back to basics but I still have a question/concern over the new kit before I actually buy it.
Whilst it generally looks very good the 'pro built' example on the Airfix web site seems to show a distinct step between the front canopy and the main hinged glazing section so can any purchasers confirm? After all if a 'pro builder' cannot hide or overcome this then I'm sure I'll struggle so feel inclined to go for the Revell version instead, albeit with a one piece canopy.
By the way I did try to post the same question on the Airfix web site but they declined to publish which is rather unfortunate as it just stifles genuine debate.
Any comments please?
Regards
Colin.
FLY G50Bis Review
in Aircraft WWII
Posted
Sorry, forgot to mention that the kit contains some resin parts, one of which oddly is the gunsight so this will need to be omitted or replaced with clear plastic sheet.
Colin.