Tiger331

Nice job..............I was interested in seeing one of these completed. I have one in the stash which I am contemplating completing in an Imperial Iranian Air Force scheme. My late father took the attached photograph in Iran (we think it was at Tabriz in circa 1962) when he was working with the USAF and IIAF on secondment from the RAF. I understand the aircraft was a gift from the Soviet Union to the Shah of Iran who then loaned the aircraft on occasion to senior IIAF officers as their VIP transport. Note the 2* plate under the cockpit. Anyway, you have done a great job on your Albanian Air Force example. Well Done, Sir !

Neil, You have succeeded where I failed...........Started one of these projects some years ago using the Heritage (I think) intake conversion set. I did not get very far before losing interest which was strange given that the Bucc' is one of my favourite aircraft although I far prefer the S.Mk.2 variant with the Speys. Anyway, you have done a great job with your model. Well Done, Sir !

Another great model. Well Done, Sir

In spite of their previous widespread use with the German Luftwaffe, and the availability of some nice kits in 1:48 scale, I don't think I have ever seen a completed McDD F-4F Phantom II model in the standard 90J Norm scheme. You have done a masterful job with both the kit and the paint job.......superb weathering which could have easily been overdone on this scheme but has not. Just as I remember these jets when they frequented the VAS at RAF Turnhouse and RAF Valley in the mid-1990s. Well Done, Sir !

I must admit that I was a little sceptical when Academy announced that they were releasing a new mould 1:72 scale kit of the F-14 Tomcat into an already 'crowded' marketplace of high quality kits. The Fujimi and second generation Hasegawa kits remain quality products and have, more recently, been joined by examples from Fine Molds and Great Wall Hobby.....but......judging by your model it looks like Academy have also nailed it !. Great model, which really tempts me to buy this and do a direct comparison with my other acquisitions. Well Done, Sir !

WOW !......Just picked up on this thread. My first tour in the RAF was at St Athan and one of my responsibilities was logistics support to EROS (Engine Repair & Overhaul Squadron) which had been set up to provide Third-Line servicing for the Adour (both Jaguar and Hawk) and, at the time, was also busy preparing a line to support the 'brand new' RB199 for the Tornado fleet. I spent a lot of time on the hangar floor and subsequently became even more familiar with the Adour engine, after tours at both RAF Coltishall and Valley. I was, therefore, very impressed with the work that has gone into those two engines for this model and really look forward to seeing the finished article. Judging by the workmanship and attention to detail that has gone into everything thus far, it is going to be a very impressive diorama. Well Done, Sir !

I would tend to agree with this assessment. If you balance quality of the product with value for money I don't think one could do better. I know that Eduard, Kinetic, and Tamiya are hot on their heels but Zvedza have produced two of the kits that have been on my 'wanted' list for years, with their high quality 1:48 Mil Mi-24 Hind and the truly sublime 1:72 C-130 Hercules. I know the former has received some criticism in certain quarters for its apparent lack of detail in areas (mainly the cockpit) but it is accurate and a great starting point for those wanting more. The C-130 is in another league altogether and apart from the minor error with the RAF style beaver tail, is superb and has to be a contender for Kit of the Year, so I am really looking forward to seeing what they have in store for 2021.....it also helps that I live in Estonia where I can get the kits at a very reasonable price too.

Hi Folks, I'm currently researching the possibility of building a USAF or USMC V-22 Osprey in 1:72 scale using the Hasegawa kit. The issue is that the only kit that seems to be readily available is a JGSDF variant and I'm wondering if this would be OK ?. I dare say there are differences in the 'lumps and bumps' that adorn the various sub-variants (MV-22 etc) but are they all, essentially, the same or do I need to look out for a specific boxing ?. Thanks in advance

Excellent work.........Well Done, Sir !

Lived and worked in a non-EU European country for six years. 'Imported/Exported' lots of kits, decals etc over that time period. Sometimes the Customs authorities charged...sometimes they didn't (even if the customs declaration stated the items were over the import limit). It was luck of the draw but then I was living in a country where the LMS was selling Airfix Canberras for £90 and Hasegawa A-4 Skyhawks for £75 so everything was a bonus !.

I lived and worked in Italy for three years and have 'intimate' knowledge of the postal system there and how it works (or doesn't from time to time). Since then, I have regularly shipped parcels to Italy from Norway, Estonia and the UK. I have to say it can be a bit hit and miss. I've also had some unfortunate experiences with timewasters from Italy on that well known auction site and other instances with items going 'missing'. On one particular occasion the buyer went through the whole process, claimed his money back and then left me positive feedback including confirmation of receipt of the item (Oops !). Needless to say, I never got my money back. So, what am I saying here ?. Well, my recommendation is to insist on only shipping items where a signature is required (to both guarantee delivery or a return to you and avoid any claims for 'missing items'). Since the buyer has to foot the bill they may not be so inclined but if they are genuine and actually want the item they will most probably accept the additional cost this entails. As Jan pointed out, it is also a good idea to obtain the buyers telephone number - the street/residence numbering system in Italy can be quite haphazard in places so, to give the postmen their due, it is not always easy to locate a specific address. It's not all dire - I have some regular buyers who pay on time and provide the right information to get packages to them quickly and efficiently. I should also add that I experience similar issues with France, Spain and Portugal too.

Wholeheartedly agree !. Life's too short to allow a few armchair 'experts' (who have yet to actually see the kit in the flesh) sway me on any decision to buy this kit. It looks nicer than the Tamiya or Trumpeter renditions and eliminates the issues with the split fuselage concept, for those of us who just want to make a nice looking MiG-15 without too much fuss. I have no doubt that Eduard will finally come along and issue a superior 1:48 scale kit along the lines of their lovely little 1:72 scale but when will that be ?. I'll live with the minor inaccuracies (IMHO) and go ahead and buy one of these meantime.

Great portrayal of the 'Iron Tadpole'.........right out of 'Flight of the Intruder'. I have a couple of Hobbyboss A-6s in the stash so I will read your build thread with interest. Well Done, Sir !

NOTHING wrong with that, Nesdu. A great build and mighty impressive given it is your debut. If I am not mistaken you have portrayed a Beau' from the Dallachy Wing on the North East Coast of Scotland so there would be no issue with the weathering. Those aircraft took quite a battering, whether on the ground or in the air, en route to the Norwegian Coast (mainly). Contemporary photos provide some great coverage and clearly show heavy weathering. A cracking start and welcome to BM.....Look forward to seeing more of your work !

Glad to see that someone else shares my misgivings about the huge ROYAL AIR FORCE Logo on an otherwise very smart looking aircraft. I simply don't get the rationale behind it when you compare it with the likes of the (standard) Voyager. Still my gripe takes nothing away from my admiration for an excellent and well presented model, Rob. Well Done, Sir !

Great shots, Tony. Thanks for posting......"Hurry up and wait".....great phrase, very apt and one I can associate with. Still never really understood you guys and this fixation with jumping out of perfectly serviceable aeroplanes !.

Tony, Picking this up late after a week away from home. Looking good, so far. A quick check through my logbook confirms that I have operated in over half the RAF fleet but simply cannot remember the definitive colours for the cockpit (seats in particular) although pale (faded) yellow in the early days for the seat cushions looks/sounds familiar. If it has not already been covered in this thread, I believe Jan has done a quick check to see if the Brengun resin flap set can be fettled to fit the Zvedza kit and evidently it can without too much work - That's good since I have a set which I thought was going to be redundant. On the question of the lower fuselage protective coating, IIRC the first versions started to be introduced in the 1983-85 timespan. I see that XV195 features in one of your 'photospreads'. By the time I completed a memorable 'Red Flag' sortie in this aircraft (in 1985) it had been refinished in the Dark Grey/Green wraparound scheme with the black protective panel on the lower fuselage and the Astrodome retrofitted to allow ALM1 to act as an observer with two GIBs (Guys in the Back) doing the same out of the two paradoors (with individual restraint harnesses fitted and the doors having cargo nets fitted to provide an additional degree of comfort).....happy days.

A couple of years ago the 1:48 scale examples (especially the single-seat variant) were commanding quite high prices on auction sites since they were difficult to find after a bit of a hiatus in production. Revell then re-issued the kit with 'Bronze Tiger' decals for a Luftwaffe machine and I think they have (or are about) to do another re-issue with other Luftwaffe special markings. The plastic is the same though and in any case you will need to make modifications to do an accurate RAF machine (nothing too serious though IIRC). Bottom line, don't pay premium prices (as others did previously) since they are more readily available these days (in relative terms).

Great Work, MrB17. Thanks for digging these two photos up. As you say, the beaver tail saga is just that.....a Saga, so everyone will need to check their references for a particular aircraft very carefully. I have a Canadian Armed Forces camouflaged C-130H on my shortlist but I must say that I am very tempted by the scheme shown above. IIRC, 26 Decals are looking to upscale their great 1:144 decal sheet to allow us all to seriously consider this particular option !. I also feel sure that we will be treated to a myriad of other decal sheets once the manufacturers latch on to just how popular this new Zvedza kit has already become. Again, thanks for sharing.

Agreed......but as others have stated, neither of these apply to the RAF C-130s (or many of the others). I have had a look through my old copy of the Modern Combat Aircraft series on the C-130 Hercules (since this book contains many photos of the C-130Hs as they just enter service with various Air Arms). As I suspected, modellers will have to check their references very carefully since there is quite a bit of variance. Of note, it would appear that quite a few of the civilian and military stretched C-130H-30s (but NOT the RAF C.Mk.3s) had the short tail and given that Zvedza appear to be looking at producing the C-130H-30 in the future (see my previous post), I am just wondering if some confusion crept in with the provision of the short tailcone. Many of the early export C-130Hs appear to have the shorter cone but not all of those with the longer tailcone had the squared off tips to house DAS. OK......a 'quick' check of some photos suggests to me that the Oklahoma ANG and Polish Air Force aircraft can be completed using the longer tailcone (Parts H47/48 at Stage 35). The ROKAF and JASDF aircraft appear to have a much shorter tailcone but I'm not sure that is as short as that portrayed with Parts H50/51, which also lack any of the DAS fitted to at least the latter aircraft. The latter parts appear to cater for a much earlier variant of the C-130 (C-130A/B ?) or the aforementioned C-130H-30 stretched version.

By the looks of it, another beauty from Zvedza hot on the heels of their sublime 1:72 C-130h Hercules.....I must admit that the single-seat Il-2 is not one of my favourite aircraft although that box art will definitely help this kit to sell. I also thought it would be difficult to follow on the heels of the Accurate Miniatures and Tamiya two-place variants but now I'm not so sure. I think Zvedza are going to be on another winner with this one. Keep 'em coming, I say !

Yes........well spotted. I must admit that I did not pick this up on my initial review of the kit contents. TBH I don't think it would take much to modify the longer tail option provided in the kit, removing the squared off section with DAS and replacing it with some plasticard/putty and a couple of nav lights......then again, I'm sure Freightdog or Quickboost will oblige us relatively quickly.

I'll see if I can post something......I must say, it looks good to me and Jen (who is obviously an expert on the real thing having maintained them for many years) has also mentioned this in one of her posts on this thread.

I see that they have now sold out.......the kit was in for less than a week. I returned to my LMS yesterday to buy my second copy. For obvious reasons, their most popular sellers tend to be for Russian AFVs and aircraft so they are slightly bemused with the sudden interest in the C-130 kit......I was not the only one buying. I have little doubt the price of the kit had much to do with it....It really is fantastic value over here.

I finally managed to get some time this evening to do a bit of dry fitting of the major components. Looks very promising. My concerns regarding the forward fuselage inserts were unfounded....they fit like a glove. The 'mainspar' wing section fit to the fuselage is also sublime.....the engineering on this kit is very impressive so far . The mainplane arrangement does seem to address the weakness with the other C-130 kits but I will still investigate the feasibility of fitting an additional plasticard spar to add extra strength. I will, however, have to find a suitably sized observation radome to fit over the forward escape hatch in order to reproduce that found on XV195 when I rode that bird on a memorable Red Flag sortie back in 1985.