Jon Bryon

Yep - just got the notification! Jon

Has anyone received their La-9 yet, or had a tracking number? Mine has yet to be posted from Russia and just wondering if the problem is unique to me. Jon

I am pretty sure, as Graham mentioned above, that VAT was charged on the total price, including shipping. Certainly when I had to pay it, I paid VAT on the shipping. Thus it was very difficult indeed to source an item from North America that was not liable for VAT given shipping costs. Jon

Sadly, this seems to be the way the world is going. The UK were not the first (Australia and New Zealand have been doing it for a while), and the EU is following in July. When it comes to products like these, with limited availability and distribution, everyone's a loser... Jon

Not significantly, but I might be wrong. Jon

For anyone waiting for parcels from abroad, here's my recent experience, all sent in Jan/Feb 2021: 2 x parcels from Lucky Model. Both have arrived. VAT was not paid at source and has not been levied by the courier. 1 x parcel from from Uprise, Russia. This is a small business. No VAT paid and not levied upon arrived. Parcel has arrived. 1 x parcel from Ebay, Russia. VAT *has* been paid via Ebay. However, this is not recorded *anywhere* on the parcel or inside the parcel, i.e. there's no way RM/HMRC know that VAT has been paid on it. This worries me as it means I may be paying VAT through Ebay but it's not displayed. Parcel has arrived. 1 x parcel from BAM models, France. This is a small business. No VAT paid and levied upon arrival. Parcel has arrived. This situation has changed my buying habits (I bought the new HB MV-22B from a UK retailer rather than an Asian one), but for the stuff I cannot get in the UK, I will (cautiously) continue to source it overseas when the vendor is willing to sell it. Jon

My La-11 arrived this morning from Russia. Positive: Unbelievably cheap - under 11 Euro (of course I had to pay VAT on top). Delivered to my house for £22, which is still remarkable. Mouldings are very clean and neat. Decals printed by Begemot. Colour markings profiles. 2 identical canopies supplied (not entirely sure why). Quinta interior set was included in mine. Negative: I agree with @ABeck: panel lines are wide. They are beautifully moulded, but wide. Similar, I'd say, to an Airfix Spitfire (like the Seafire 17 or PR.19) in 1/48. For the price I can live with it. I'm very happy with what's in the box, and looking forward to my La-9 (when the seller posts it!) Jon

The Ebay prices now include VAT. I've just ordered a kit from China. I'll be interested to see if charges are added upon delivery given that I've already paid the tax. Jon

I've also ordered mine from Russia. I actually ordered the first in November 2019 and due to Covid it was delayed and I got a refund. I've since re-ordered. I don't worry too much about the risk - if it doesn't arrive, Paypal has me covered. Jon

Have you seen it in the flesh? If it looks anything like this, I'll be happy enough: I've got the La-11 on the way and already ordered the La-9. For about £20 each, including UK VAT and postage from Russia, that's very cheap and I can set my expectations low. Jon

I'd add a Mystere/Super Mystere to that wish. Jon

I've had two orders from Lucky Model arrive this week, separately, both shipped in January (one on the 16th!!!), with no indication of RM, HMRC or anyone else paying any attention to them. The change to the current VAT situation will definitely dissuade me from ordering from some overseas vendors in the future, but if you're waiting for stuff that's in the mail now, I'd say there's a good chance it will get through. Jon

In November I ordered some 1/48 F9F wing tip tanks from Model Monkey in the USA. Parts were $12, postage was $15. I find it hard to believe that sellers like this are going to have their income seriously affected by the VAT change. There can only be a handful of people like me in the UK willing to stump up $27 for two rather small lumps of resin...aren't there? Jon

I'm quite surprised there's a significant market for buying direct from the USA to the UK. In my experience the postage charges are pretty horrendous plus the pound has been weak against the dollar for a long time. For example, I did order some OOP Two Bobs decals which arrived this week from the USA. Postage was $14.50 - for a single decal sheet! I've wanted to order some Sierra Hotel resin A-10 intakes. These are not large and cost $15, but postage to the UK is $25. Werner Wings, Lone Star Models and Nautilus Models have all been similar experiences for me and so I've only ordered from the USA in recent years as a last resort. There are exceptions, such as Caracal, but in general companies that distribute via outlets like Hannants seem to be much better value. Jon

There have been at least two recent Tailpiece articles by Mr McEvoy. Jon

It was a pretty good year for me, exceeding my current target of 8 finished models per year. All in 1/48 and with extensive build articles and bazillions of photos at https://jonbryon.com/ Hasegawa A-4E in Fights On decals: Hasegawa A-4L: Hasegawa TA-4J: Hasegawa A-4H with ArmyCast decals: Special Hobby G.55A Centauro: Revell SA-10A Catalina with Belcher Bits resin tail, Eduard etched landing gear set, Brassin resin wheels, Quickboost resin engines and all markings airbrushed (no decals on the model): AMP HUK-1 Huskie: Hasegawa F-16C with Kinetic decals, Eduard resin main wheels and Quickboost resin seat: Kinetic F-16B with Wolfpack resin seats and Eduard resin nose wheel: Hopefully 2021 will be similarly productive! Thanks for looking Jon

Fortunately that's not a Kinetic kit, but rather Kitty Hawk Cheers Jon

Plus they released it relatively recently in 1/72, so presumably they've got the research material somewhere. Every year I hope (in vain?) to see it on their release schedule. Likewise the Jet Provost... Jon

This is my first one. It was only the second kit they made in 1/48 and I expect things have progressed significantly since 2008. I got most of their 1/48 range in the loft and most of it looks better (in some cases, a lot better) than the F-16. Jon

Thank you all for your comments. Starting today on Hasegawa's Mitsubishi F-2A in 1/48 Jon

Hello all, This is the last kit to make it to the finish line in 2020. It's been a productive year. This is Kinetic's 1/48 F-16B made from the F-16A/B NSAWC Adversary boxing. The decals are from the kit, although I did not like the 'TOPGUN' marking (too wide) so masked and sprayed it. The blues are MRP and the greys are Mr Color. I've really struggled to photograph this one and it's not quite blue enough. The only aftermarket are some Wolfpack resin seats and an Eduard resin nose wheel. The pitot is brass tubing. The kit is a pig that was no fun to build whatsoever. You can read my diatribe at https://jonbryon.com/kinetic-1-48-lockheed-general-dynamics-f-16b-fighting-falcon/ Comments welcome and thanks for looking. Jon

In relation to the duplication I have no complaints - these things happen. It was the best issue of SAM for a while (not that there was anything wrong with recent previous issues - just more aligned to my interests in the January edition) and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. But in relation to the accuracy I feel a little less sanguine: it's completely the wrong model! The differences are massive and obvious, not subtle and obscure; one might say as clear as the differences between a Tempest II and V . I have absolutely no problem with the magazine featuring a grossly inaccurate model because, as you say, it does cater to a segment of the market, but I think it does also affect the credibility afforded to the author to not even mention this at all, especially when he made a point of the research he did. As for contributing, I would be delighted. My photography and writing have been around for all to see online since 2004. Feel free to PM me if I can contribute in any way, but I suspect we'll run into problems given I write a blog that I would like to keep going. I hope none of that came across as snarky - it certainly wasn't intended to. SAM is one of the two magazines I continue to buy, and I hope it's around for a long time to come. It's definitely better off for having people like you on board. Cheers Jon

Their website is closed at the moment for the holidays and says it will reopen on 6th Jan. You can order from them direct - I have several times without issue, including the 1/48 version of these decals. I've not seen them stocked by many other places, if any. Jon

It's in Scale Aircraft Modelling. It's not only the repetition that might be disappointing, but as Greg pointed out, the model is inaccurate to the point that really should not be ignored in a magazine. Jon

This has happened before and I wrote to one of the editors about it (I can't remember the magazines or author involved). The response I got was that the magazine would not accept contributions from that author again, and IIRC no more articles did appear by that person. I think editors depend on contributors being honest - I'm not sure there's a realistic mechanism to deconflict articles. Jon