jargonking

Fans of Revell and Revell Germany might want to start worrying as their parent company has filed for bankruptcy..... http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2018-01-10/hobbico-files-bankruptcy-layoffs-next.html

Regarding the comment about the poor assembly and paint job....the model in the pictures is likely a 3D print from the CAD files prior to cutting the tooling. The images say 'subject to licensor approval'....better to make alterations to the CAD drawings than to have to redesign the finished tooling.

In case any of you are building the DeAgostini Millenium Falcon, you might like to know there is a new upgrade set for the cockpit courtesy of ParaGrafix. This is the first in a series of planned upgrades which will appear as the weekly build progresses. I have the prototype on my bench now and can say it is up to the usual standard of previous sets from ParaGrafix.

If it's coming through Amerang then here's a handy price calculator..... Take the US price in dollars.....double it.....add 20% VAT.....there's your price in pounds....

I use Humbrol 33 Matt Black as the starting point then once dry I drybrush with Revell 09 Anthracite followed by Humbrol 32 Dark Grey. I then drybrush random panels with a mid grey to lighten them further. I have an old Testors colour called Rubber which is a black/brown which is useful to further highlight certain areas.

I've just shipped a set of cockpit parts over to Paul Bodensiek of ParaGrafix for evaluation with a view to getting a brass upgrade set released. This would replace the panels provided as stickers (good though they are) and enhance detail in other areas....

It's looking likely that Revell may be about to release some of the FineMolds kits under their own label. Although Bandai have the license for Japan, Revell have it for Europe so can rebox the FM kits.....so far it looks like they may be releasing the 1/48 X-Wing (described as a Snap-Fix which the FM one is although much superior to your usual snap kits), the 1/72 TIE and X-Wing, and what appears to be the 1/144 Falcon judging by the parts count.....all good news particularly if the prices come down and they provide new decal sheets as they did with the reboxed Moebius BSG kits....

The locating blocks for the rear seats were removed and replaced by a simple styrene plate with a thin section of aluminium tubing to act as a socket... The rear seats had a column attached to the underside made from styrene rod and aluminium tube... One seat was detailed on the back with styrene strip and rod to replicate the ones used on the set.... Seats placed in position...having one facing the side console adds some animation to the cockpit....

The two panels I've had so far.....the second one on the left is much lighter than the first, not a problem as I'm repainting them all but for anyone building it as it comes it could end up looking like a patchwork quilt.... The rear passenger seats were sanded lightly on the backs to level them off.... One simple improvement is to sand the headrests to the shape seen on the real thing...I also removed the boxy plinth under the seat....the arms looked too high to me so I cut them off, sanded them thinner, then repositioned them... The cabin door is way too deep compared to the set....I suspect this was to allow DeAg to position the lighting module away from the bulkhead as it attaches to the back of the door....I used the sticker (still on it's backing) as a template to fabricate another door from styrene sheet.... Small sections of styrene strip were cemented inside the doorway to act as supports for the new door....am I the only person that thinks this part looks like a coffin? The new door cemented in place....the sticker will be applied once I repaint the door surround....

I'm using thread lock on each screw as I thought the same...having said that, after the frame goes together all the hull plates bolt onto it using self tappers so I think the chances of it flexing and coming apart are remote....

Metal chess table just needs some seams polishing out and the sticker applied..... I've got some sorter boxes ready to keep the smaller parts safe till it's completed.... There's a fair way to go yet....

The frames from Parts 1 and 2 laid out complete with connecting plates and screws…. And assembled…. The resulting structure is strong and rigid…. With the hull plate in place…. The fit is perfect….

Turret from Part 2…..I’m not bothered about the paintjob as I’m going to do a full repaint however I am bothered about the wrong orientation of the window spokes…. Underneath you can see that the ‘key’ for the assembly matches the slot so it’s not the fault of whoever put it together but a moulding error…. Easily fixed though….I ran a blade around the seam on the underside a few times then simply pushed it out…. Cut the offending tab off and hey presto it’s fixed….I’m leaving mine loose for now till I find out how it’s glazed…. Test fit of the guns and it starts to look the part….

It may be pewter....definitely harder than regular white metal as used in figure kits but still soft enough to file off the seams and drill out. To drill the holes I just put the barrels in the vice from my drill press and did them with a pin vice....didn't bother trying to find the centres either, just eyeballed them....

Whilst I have no doubt that some details of the kit will require some improvement or possibly even replacement, and the factory finish will certainly not be up to my standards resulting in a repaint, overall the potential is for a superb replica to be made with a little effort. I built the quad gun last night and I'm very pleased with the results after some fairly basic clean up work..... Sanding the mating faces of the breech assembly reduces the gap between the parts but I then had to open up the groove a little more in each piece to allow the cradle to move.... The faces were sanded by rubbing each part on a piece of 240 grit wet and dry.... In addition to the gun barrels being loose, this piece from the top of the breech can be prised off and cleaned up...it was reattached using super glue.... The ends of the barrels were drilled out with a pin vice... Breech assembled and barrels test fitted...I'll glue them in after painting....the three brass screws have a very fine thread which means they have to be tightened quite a long way before they finally stop..... Just waiting for my next two issues to arrive...hopefully tomorrow....

Funny that, because the WHS near me sold out and had to order more....

In the interests of research and because it was only £2.99 I sprung for the first issue today. Here are my thoughts on the pros and cons looking at the parts individually.... Cockpit Bulkhead....the printing on the instrument panel is excellent and presumably the holes in the bulkhead are there to allow light through when it is backlit. My only misgiving with this piece is that for the scale, supposedly 1:43, it's a little one-dimensional...if this was a regular kit this would be moulded with some relief on the individual panels. The hull part....this is interesting as, to my eyes at least, this is an injection moulded plastic part as opposed to the 'resin' described in the advertising. Hard to tell if it's styrene or ABS but it definitely doesn't feel like any resin I've ever come across. Detail is very good with no obvious flaws or seams on the visible outer surface. I think the material could easily take additional detailing or scribing if needed. The paint job is OK given that it's just a uniform colour that's had a minimal wash applied....interestingly the magazine says it will be featuring articles on additional weathering techniques. I'm certain that a lot of builders, if they are modellers, will want to repaint anyway.... Cockpit floor...this part is OK but I think most serious modellers would want some additional detailing and lighting on the console... Metal structural framework....these are well cast and strong, they resist flexing or bending, it does make you wonder though how well these will stay together over time, if they will require additional bonding, will they creak or flex as the model is handled and what the total weight of the completed model will be... Cast metal Quad Gun assembly....well cast with some fine detail, the odd thing about this is it's not painted and the instructions make no mention of this...not a problem for the seasoned modeller but not ideal for the casual builder... Overall I think it's a nice looking kit. Is it worth the investment? Well I guess that's all relevant to whether you can afford it. Given the interest that's been shown in this on many of the forums I frequent, I'm almost certain that somebody out there will produce aftermarket parts for this and I'm also certain that some talented modellers out there will use this kit as the base for a museum quality replica. I have to admit I am sorely tempted to push the button on this.....

As I understand it the 1/72 Vipers will be two identical kits per box meaning you'll be able to put together a squadron quite easily....

I got a set of these decals from Cult although he's showing them as out of stock at the moment.... http://www.culttvmanshop.com/Mercury-Capsule-112-scale-decals-from-Space-Model-Systems_p_889.html

Tamiya's New item(Shizuoka hobby show 2014) -1/35 WWII Sheman firefly VC(AsukaModel=Tasca+Tamiya figure) -1/35 WWII Sheman M4A3E8(AsukaModel=Tasca+Tamiya figure) -1/35 WWII Airborne Troops /w motorbike(brand new) -1/35 WWII 7.62cm Pak36® diorama set(ICM+Tamiya figure,accessary) -1/35 WWII Sd.kfz.10(ITALERI,/w renewal parts) -1/48 WWII British Achilles tank destroyer -1/700 CV-3 Saratoga(brand new) -Mark IV's man type AA. And British infantry of the new mold 5 Asuka is released, Firefly and the easy eight's (Tasca) party. Tamiya figure set sales. -British Airborne Infantry small motorcycle set a new mold figure 3D modelling-7.62 cmPaK 36 ® set Tamiya figures to the cannon of the ICM. Set to enjoy even for beginners, with sandbags and wagon and scene-based scene. -Comes with a runner of the Tamiya 1-ton half is made by italeri, new mold becomes part of the. Tamiya's New item (Shizuoka hobby show 2014)-1 / 35 WWI Mark IV tank Male (brand new, motorized)-1 / 35 WWII Sheman firefly VC (AsukaModel = Tasca+Tamiya figure)-1 / 35 WWII Sheman M4A3E8 (AsukaModel = Tasca+Tamiya figure)-1 / 35 WWII Airborne Troops/w motorbike (brand new)-1 / 35 WWII 7.62 cm Pak36 ® diorama set (ICM+Tamiya figure, accessary)-1 / 35 WWII Sd.kfz.10(ITALERI, / w renewal parts)-1 / 48 WWII British Achilles tank destroyer -1 / 700 CV-3 Saratoga (brand new)

Translation from wholesale list given to dealers.... Tamiya's New item(Shizuoka hobby show 2014) -1/35 WWI Mark IV tank Male(brand new,motorized) -1/35 WWI British Troop set(brand new) -1/35 WWII Sheman firefly VC(AsukaModel=Tasca+Tamiya figure) -1/35 WWII Sheman M4A3E8(AsukaModel=Tasca+Tamiya figure) -1/35 WWII Airborne Troops /w motorbike(brand new) -1/35 WWII 7.62cm Pak36® diorama set(ICM+Tamiya figure,accessary) -1/35 WWII Sd.kfz.10(ITALERI,/w renewal parts) -1/48 WWII British Achilles tank destroyer -1/700 CV-3 Saratoga(brand new) -Mark IV's man type AA. And British infantry of the new mold 5 Asuka is released, Firefly and the easy eight's (Tasca) party. Tamiya figure set sales. -British Airborne Infantry small motorcycle set a new mold figure 3D modelling-7.62 cmPaK 36 ® set Tamiya figures to the cannon of the ICM. Set to enjoy even for beginners, with sandbags and wagon and scene-based scene. -Comes with a runner of the Tamiya 1-ton half is made by italeri, new mold becomes part of the. Tamiya's New item (Shizuoka hobby show 2014)-1 / 35 WWI Mark IV tank Male (brand new, motorized)-1 / 35 WWII Sheman firefly VC (AsukaModel = Tasca+Tamiya figure)-1 / 35 WWII Sheman M4A3E8 (AsukaModel = Tasca+Tamiya figure)-1 / 35 WWII Airborne Troops/w motorbike (brand new)-1 / 35 WWII 7.62 cm Pak36 ® diorama set (ICM+Tamiya figure, accessary)-1 / 35 WWII Sd.kfz.10(ITALERI, / w renewal parts)-1 / 48 WWII British Achilles tank destroyer -1 / 700 CV-3 Saratoga (brand new)

Personally I'd hang fire until Shizuoka before writing the kit off as any information, regardless of it's source, will be speculative at best and is probably based on the odd conversation with Tamiya employees in Japan. Tamiya have made RC tanks at 1/35 based on perfectly acceptable non-motorised kits so the motorised version, should it exist, may be just one of a range of options Tamiya may be planning to offer.

Just posted on Facebook by Marcus Nicholls..... "So folks, the news has leaked out, so I might as well share it here! Tamiya's 1:35 WW1 Mk.IV 'Male' tank will be shown at the Shizuoka Hobby Show in May - more news soon!" At last!

I've just picked up the Revell reboxing of the Moebius Skipjack submarine and, as usual, Revell give mixing ratios for some of the main colours rather than an FS number. Does anyone have information on the correct colour references? I'm particularly interested in the colour used for the topside of USS Sculpin which Revell suggest as 80% Matt 56 Blue/ 20% Matt 9 Anthracite.