Stilwell

For some reason, some of the artwork for set FP45 (the bomb set) show it as including a centreline pylon, some do not. Set FP44 (the missile set) show the centreline pylon with the SUU-16 gun pod. Not sure if they are moulded separately of together, but it should't be too difficult to separate them if the latter. Given that the 1:72 Hasegawa kits don't include the centreline or wing outboard pylons (the drop-tank pylons differ from the stores pylons, and stay with the tanks when jettisoned), I took the liberty of ordering some of Fine Molds sets to broaden the options for both my Fine Molds and Hasegawa kit collections. Jonathan.

In addition to the new variants, my interpretation of the flyer is that the initial F-4EJ / F-4EJkai boxings, plus the USAF F-4E, will be getting another production run in June. Supported by the stock state at HLJ changing from Discontinued to Back Ordered. Jonathan.

From: https://www.armedconflicts.com/SOV-Mikojan-Gurevic-SK-1-t42406 https://galerie.valka.cz/data/389/IMG_0589.jpg I take it to be the brownish rectangle that the chest straps are in front of. On some of the pictures I've seen looking for this one, the rectangle is quilted: http://www.ejectionsite.com/russian/sk1_a1.jpg But the quilted part may be upholstered on the top picture. Jonathan.

"We hope that your choice will satisfy you. If not, you'll have to wait for the USAAF and US Navy Texans." Jonathan.

Another reference on the later Albatross engine installation, from IPMS Canada: https://www.ipmscanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/beaveRTales_05_2012.pdf Jonathan.

I prefer to give them my money. And as HLJ hasn’t sold out of the ADTW retirement scheme boxing at the time of writing, I was able to do that again yesterday. > but no magazine could afford to pay for mould tools. If the magazine are the only ones selling the kit, they will be the ones paying for the tooling – one way (at least some up-front investment) or the other (amortised over one or more of the production runs). Or a bit of both. > Suzuki-san, the MD, is a very shrewd businessman Indeed – hence my belief that the publisher made it worth his while to tool up what is probably the most popular subject in Japanese aircraft modelling (five years before Tamiya did), but not sell it himself for over a decade (I assume the 2019 A6M1 / A6M2a FM release is at least part based on the 2007 tooling - the Model Graphix releases can be hard to get around these parts, and I don’t own one myself). I am curious as to whether the greater coverage of Model Graphix (available in the majority of periodical sellers throughout Japan, rather than just the hobby shops), plus the publisher taking on what I assume would be all the risk of distribution, was enough of an enticement by itself to sign up for the arrangement. Anyway, the A6M Zero kit reference was intended as an observation that Fine Molds has precedent for sitting on tooling for years at a time. When magazine deals are involved. When they aren’t, the Ki-61 / Ki-100, the Me 410 and the Bf 109 kits are probably better examples; if the Scalemates site is to be trusted, in the same year that Model Graphix released the first Fine Molds Zero boxing, Fine Molds released five different boxings of their Bf 109 kit. So yes, on that precedent, the chances are that their Phantom will be available for some time to come. But not necessarily in the boxings it has been so far. Jonathan.

I suspect that SOVA-M have taken the route that Hasegawa have taken for most of their kits, and while including parts on common sprues in all boxings that are applicable to specific variants (floats and drop tanks in this case), they deliberately leave out a couple of parts specific to variants which aren't covered by the boxing (the short wings, and the larger nose radome). Unfortunately, looking closer at some pictures, and referring to this: http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=32849 It looks like they have also omitted the correct engines / cowls / nacelles for the JMSDF UF-2s. The cowls should have a larger diameter than earlier Albatross aircraft, and the area behind the cowl flaps should have a bit of a bulge to bring the original nacelle up to the required size, as well as featuring the air scoop: http://www.gonavy.jp/bbs1/img/2770.jpg http://www.gonavy.jp/bbs1/img/2790.jpg The exhaust configuration is different, and I think the bulged area also features smaller cut-outs to accommodate fewer exhaust pipes compared to the original engines. The box art shows the bulges, but the plastic appears to match the earlier configuration. Great for anyone who wants to build a long-wing Albatross of the USAF, USN. USCG, Germany, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines and anyone else who used the small radome configuration, apart from Japan and Canada. For reference material on the use of the Albatross in Japan, try: https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ja&tl=en&u=http://www.gonavy.jp/bbs1/index.cgi?page:695%3Dv Meanwhile ex-USN short wing Albatross N7025N / 141262 does currently feature scoops above the nacelles similar to those used on the JMSDF / RCAF aircraft, but the cowl appears to be the smaller diameter version used on earlier Albatross aircraft. Jonathan.

Or, it may have been a requirement of the agreement with Model Graphix magazine that serialised the F-14D kit. The magazine pays for the tooling, but Fine Molds' use of it is limited, either for a length of time or to different versions. Likewise I don't think the Fine Molds A6M5 kit has appeared on its own. Their Ka 14 has come out, but in a different configuration to the Model Graphix version. And their A6M3 kit that was included with a Model Graphix issue in February 2013 looks like it is due to be released May 2021. But as it is paired with a 1:35 figure, my 1:72 filter didn't pick it up. So Fine Molds does have a track record of sitting on molds if they deem it appropriate. Hopefully the same will not apply to the F-4. Jonathan.

HLJ currently list the first few Fine Molds F-4 boxings (FNMFP-37 (F-4EJ), FNMFP-38 (F-4EJkai) and FNMFP-40 (F-4EJkai 8 Sqn)) as discontinued, and not available for back order. While I agree with Andy that the plastic is likely to be still be available, I'm not sure whether they will do another run of the same kit, or do the next run with different configurations / markings. The latter would require more investment in decals, instructions and box art (I note that they didn't go down the route of having separate decal sheets for stencils and unit markings / serials; and separate instructions for assembly and painting / decaling to reduce the costs of offering new squadron options), but would maintain the value of their product, in a "If you want that particular option, buy it now, because we won't be doing that one again" sort of way. I expect that they will go down the Aoshima-style route of marking a kit up as discontinued once the latest production run has been emptied from the warehouse, then putting it back in the catalogue once they decide to do another one. But I don't expect all boxings to get repeat runs - I expect the base line EJ and EJkai boxings to be back before too long; less confident for the retirement scheme and the 8 Sqn specials. Jonathan.

The UF-2 boxing does include the long wing – the pictures show the inboard end of the outboard wing panel have a section with parallel leading and trailing edges before they start to taper. Compare this with the SA-16A boxing pictured earlier in the thread, where the taper starts immediately at the end of the panel. I don’t know if the later engine spec introduced late in production of the long wing Albatross marks (R-1820-82 replacing R1820-76), and fitted to JMASDF (and RCAF) aircraft, changes the shape of the cowls and exhausts as well as adding the scoop above the nacelle. This page: http://hedgehoghollow.com/buzz/walkarounds/albatross.html on the RCAF CSR-110 Albatross, says yes, and suggests using a B-17 cowl. Since the later engine was the same mark as used on the Grumman S2F Tracker, I had planned (before the SOVA-M kit was announced) to graft the cowls and scoop from the Hasegawa Tracker onto the Monogram Albatross kit. My belief is that the engine spec didn’t change when Grumman switched production from the short wing SA-16A (HU-16A) and UF-1 (HU-16C) to the long wing SA-16B and UF-2. Assuming this is correct; and assuming SOVA-M got the cowl and nacelle correct for the SA-16A kit, and the only change they have made for the UF-2 kit is the addition of the scoops (from the pictures it doesn't look like the sprues have changed), then what they provide in the UF-2 kit should be correct (minus the scoops) for a USAF SA-16B (HU-16B), USN UF-2 or USCG HU-16E. That is, assuming none of the US aircraft got the later engine spec; the website linked above says that 16 aircraft were built with the later engines: 10 for the RCAF, 6 for the JMSDF. (Which would suggest that ex-USN Albatross N7025N / 141262 gained a set of these engines some time between 2002 and 2009, despite being a short wing HU-16C) If the cowls in the UF-2 boxing are to the earlier standard, that means I will have to decide whether I still want to graft Hasegawa Tracker cowls onto the kit to get an accurate JMSDF model. When the kit arrives I also want to check whether it provides a decent camber on the outboard wing leading edge (missing from the Monogram kit), or whether in could benefit from some attention with wet and dry paper. Jonathan.

Looks like the UF-2 boxing of the SOVA-M Albatross has been released: https://ua-hobby.com/products/1-72-uf-2-albatross-sova-m-svm-72027 The artwork shows the intakes above the engine nacelles required for the later engine configuration that the JMSDF used. (I get the impression that the later configuration was similar to the hardware fitted to the Grumman S2F Tracker - good commonality for the JMSDF if correct.) From the sprue pictures I can't tell whether the kit allows the earlier engine configuration to be built, without the intake on top: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/model/Grumman UF-2 Albatross Or whether the kit has the earlier configuration, the same as included in the SA-16A boxing, with only the addition of the intake on top. That will have to wait until the kit arrives. Jonathan.

That JASDF weapons set is good for the F-4EJkai, but few if any of the contents are applicable to a Vietnam era USAF F-4E. I was hoping Fine Molds would take the opportunity to do a second weapons set, including AIM-9B, AIM-7E, AIM-4 and maybe some rockets and bombs. Good for the USAF F-4E release, and also at least partly applicable to early JASDF F-4EJs. But nothing so far. Jonathan.

In the Eduard -21PF kit, the first page of the aircraft stencil instruction pages gives a colour code: Use decals with their call-out number printed in black on the decal sheet for Marking option A, decals with their number printed in blue for marking options B, C and D, and use decals with their number printed in red for the upper surfaces if camouflaged aircraft (they will be the decals which are printed in white). I assume the -21PFM kit uses a similar concept. Option A is CzAF, Options B, C and D are Russian, East German and Vietnamese respectively, so potentially Option A has the stencils in Czech, and the others are in Russian. The Indian -21FLs were locally manufactured, so I assume they stencilled what they wanted on them. I don't know if that was an English version of the Russian stencils, or their own stencils based on what they regarded as being necessary. If the instructions for the Eduard 1:48 Mig-21MF / bis are accurate and representative of the -21FL, possibly the latter: https://www.super-hobby.com/products/MiG-21MF-BIS-in-the-Indian-service.html#gallery_start Jonathan.

I don’t think the Senkyo is that well known, even in Japan. Whereas the NATO Tiger Meet is a Public Relations event as well as being a military exercise, with Spotters Days to allow access to a limited number of people who have an interest, I understand the Senkyo is rather more private – despite having an active interest in JASDF operations, I haven’t seen advance notice of the Senkyo dates and location in the last decade. I assume they are available, if you know where to look, and I assume the enthusiast community do turn out, but I suspect the amount of people who go there is lower that the attendance for a Japanese air show. The Japanese military aviation magazines, like J-Wings, will usually cover any special schemes, and the schemes may hang around for months afterwards before being painted back into standard colours (I understand the Senkyo is normally held in August, and I have seen specials still painted up in November / December), but whereas a specially painted aircraft in Europe can be displayed at multiple airshows in multiple countries before it is repainted, in Japan the special will go to the Senkyo and maybe the show for the base of its own squadron. So the amount of exposure is comparatively limited, and hence the interest it generates. As for Hasegawa, I suspect their production of special editions is thanks to a strategy of getting a return on their previous investment – the tools are bought and paid for, so use them, but in a manner that gives the most return with minimum outlay / risk. So we were treated to multiple single and twin-set special editions of their T-3 trainer kit, with that year’s special editions from Shizuhama and Hofu bases: Nice bright colour schemes which, while they may have not got much attention in the enthusiast community, are attention grabbing on the shelves of the local hobby shop. Enough to shift a volume of units large enough to make the special edition worthwhile. Not enough to invest in a tooling upgrade to kit a T-7 to allow that strategy to continue. But for the fighters: I suspect if I looked back through Luigi Silverkite’s list, it would have started with kits that contained marking options with multiple aircraft from multiple squadrons at that year’s Senkyo, but finishes with kits that cover one (maybe two) aircraft from one squadron. Because Hasegawa are not interested in shifting as many kits as possible, only as many kits as produced in the special run for the minimum of investment, they don’t have to make the special edition as attractive as it can be. They can just pick the most attractive / attention grabbing scheme from that year’s Senkyo, and kit only that. The whole run sells out in a few months, Hasegawa’s assets get utilised, the modellers get a subject we have seen in the magazines, everyone is happy. I suspect if Hasegawa tried to milk the market with more special editions each year, then saturation and subject fatigue would set in – the subjects become more obscure and less popular, the specials start to hang around on the shelves longer and the shops start to question their order size. Better to maintain a seller’s market, and under supply. After all, despite the F-15J special editions, Hasegawa haven’t revised their F-15J kit to include the current aerial fit and arrestor hook fairing configuration (even though they have a sprue for it in their latest F-15E kit), carriage of AAM-3 (except by special edition), AAM-4 and AAM-5 missiles (even though they have had the tooling for the latter for a couple of years now, and the former are in their JASDF weapons set) and the low-vis markings used on 204 and 304 Hikotai aircraft on Okinawa. The aftermarket decal manufacturers could be different. It is more of a surprise to me that we haven’t seen more sheets covering multiple types and squadrons in Senkyo special markings (or same type & squadron, but multiple years), in the same way that someone like Xtradecals do update sheets for particular years. If the stencils are left to the kit decals, it should be possible to get a decent number of different subjects on one aftermarket sheet, to make it more attractive. But I assume that the aftermarket decal manufacturers decided that the market wasn’t large enough for the investment required. Given the apparent popularity of the current kit, Fine Molds will hopefully feel that they can do some more special markings editions before they reach market saturation. And given their timing, they are almost exclusively limited to "old" schemes... Anyway, while writing this I dug Green Arrow's Senkyo Schemes 1979-2000 out of the bookshelves (I assume that is the title; my Japanese isn't that good), so i'm off to leaf through that for a bit. Jonathan.

In 1:48 - yes. In 1:72, there is the Click to Detail T-400 kit available from Shapeways: https://www.shapeways.com/marketplace/miniatures/aircraft?type=product&q=t400 But currently at >US $220 without decals, so you still have to be needy to want one. > The decals look good and you can make any JASDF T-400. Indeed; although some incarnations of particular aircraft may be more of a challenge: Jonathan.

The senkyos are just one excuse for a special scheme - anniversaries, retirements and other special events could result in a much more extensive paint job - Andy's thumbnail being a case in point. And while Hasegawa's coverage has been extensive, it hasn't been comprehensive. For the JASDF 50th Anniveresary in 2004, Hasegawa did special editions for the white 302 Hikotai special, and the blue 501 Hikotai RF-4E, but didn't touch the yellow 301 Hikotai special: (Fortunately Syhart did a set in 1:72) Or the 8 Hikotai special: Which should be do-able with some masking tape and the grey-backed stencils from the DXM Sea Camouflage F-4EJkai set. So there are plenty of options for Fine Molds to re-market their kit with different markings to try and increase sales volumes. For an organisation with limited resources, the relatively small addendum sheets required for most of the senkyo specials will probably more cost effective than a larger sheet for the more detailed / spectacular specials. Jonathan.

Proposed and produced - I have one of each in the stash. A shame North Wing Model Craft ceased production - they had some interesting subjects. And before that, Raccoon Resins produced a 1:72 kit of the transport version. Looking at the Wing Factory site, they appear to do completed / desk-top type models as well - it wouldn't surprise me if they decided to sell these in kit form as well as completed. (Where they are using their own kits - the 1:72 P-3 family appear to be the Hasegawa kit, suitably modified.) I await with curiosity to see whether the Wing Factory kit changes One Man Model's plans for his 1:72 C-1 kit - in the same way the Mach 2 DC-8 kit caused his plans for a 3D printed kit of that type to be put aside. Possibly not, given the need to do the research and modelling anyway, for the 1:48 C-1 kit; plus the price, lack of interior and current lack of variants of the Wing Factory kit may result in a One Man Model 3D printed kit in 1:72 still being viable. Jonathan.

Due February 2021, according to Hobby Link Japan: https://www.hlj.com/1-72-scale-kawasaki-c-1-jasdf-tactical-transport-aircraft-resin-kit-mwf001 Wing Factory site here: http://m-wingfactory.com/entry20.html Jonathan.

I'm not one of them, but I did learn enough to know that "spema" - "スペマ" - Literal transliteration = supema (because Japanese isn't fond of consonants without them being followed by a vowel) is in the Katakana alphabet, so has been borrowed from a different language. I suspect "spema" is a concatenation of "special marking", because transliterating all of that into Japanese is a real mouthful. 戦技競技 is "Sengi-Kyougikai" - usually shortened to Senkyou or Senkyō - the (usually) annual JASDF fighter meet. Which has always been an excuse for the participating squadrons to put some non-standard markings on their aircraft, while giving Hasegawa (and possibly now Fine Molds) an excuse to pop special editions of their JASDF fighter kits on a regular basis. Jonathan.

A little reference material for the ""Phantom Forever" boxing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzoNirlvARE Jonathan.

Shouldn't the new SOVA-M 1:48 DH.60 kits have their own separate thread from the Avis 1:72 DH.60 kits? Or is the scale on the box art believed to be incorrect? Jonathan.

Fortunately they (and Fujimi) have recently been willing to supply sprues from their out of production kits to Hobby 2000 for them to release. Hopefully this will continue, so at least we will have access to kits which Hasegawa don't see as having a market big enough for them to re-issue. As for new tools, it looks like we will have to look elsewhere, even for Japanese types. Jonathan.

Given the aircraft were produced by China, and given Trumpeter have kitted at least some of those types already in 1:48, it would make sense. But given how long it took Trumpeter to deliver on their Q-5 / A-5 Fantan kits, and how long it is taking for their MiG-19 (which I assume will also be sold as a J/F-6), I won't be holding my breath. Omega Models do produce kits of the double delta wing version: https://omega-models.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=96&product_id=82 https://omega-models.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=96&product_id=83 But as they include the three piece windscreen and a gun on the starboard side only, they would benefit from some conversion work to make an accurate Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Namibian or Chinese display team aircraft. Maybe Modelsvit themselves would see the J/F-7 as an opportunity, once the well of Soviet prototypes (and more frequently now, production types) dries up. In the meantime, if you want to convert the Modelsvit MiG-21F-13 to an F-7, the Eastern Express MiG 21-98 kit is the only source I know for a MiG-21 compatible wrap-around windscreen in 1:72 scale; it should also have the slightly domed canopy, but I don't know how well that would interface with the earlier spine. I haven't looked yet into whether the windscreen part from a MiG-21PFM (and later) style sideways opening canopy is a suitable fit for the J/F-7. I'm not sure whether the brake chute fairing is the same diameter on the F-7 as the MiG-21 (RV Aircraft thought so, as their J-7III kit just tells you to re-shape the end-cap on their MiG-21MF tooling), but the Easter Express kit (or any MiG-21PFM or later kit, or the Quickboost resin improvement parts) could have its ventral fin and brake chute fairing robbed, with the latter being reprofiled and the hinge added at the top. If memory serves, the gun fairings are separate pieces on the Modelsvit kits, which should make adding the port gun easier than on the Revell kit, especially if you have the Modelsvit MiG-21F kit nearby for reference. Jonathan.

Does that refer to the F-7 configuration that adds the second, port side gun, and adds the brake chute fairing underneath the rudder, while keeping the canopy hinged at the front? https://imgproc.airliners.net/photos/airliners/5/4/3/2005345.jpg Or the configuration that includes the second gun and the brake chute fairing, but changes to having a separate canopy piece hinged at the rear (with the rear glazed panels removed and a different ejection seat), and adds outboard wing pylons? https://imgproc.airliners.net/photos/airliners/0/0/5/2782500.jpg https://www.flickr.com/photos/53995653@N00/1223850794/ Or the configuration that includes the above but moves the pitot tube to the upper starboard side of the nose and adds the angle of attack sensor to the port side of the nose? https://imgproc.airliners.net/photos/airliners/8/9/0/1775098.jpg https://imgproc.airliners.net/photos/airliners/9/4/9/1639949.jpg With or without having a one-piece wrap-around wind screen: https://imgproc.airliners.net/photos/airliners/8/8/2/2050288.jpg Or one of several detail variants of the double-delta configuration? https://imgproc.airliners.net/photos/airliners/5/1/7/2487715.jpg https://imgproc.airliners.net/photos/airliners/9/8/6/2397689.jpg No. Not that I am aware of, anyway. If you want the early configuration, as used by the Albanians, which matches the MiG-21F-13 configuration: https://imgproc.airliners.net/photos/airliners/2/5/1/1122152.jpg That one you can build out of the box. Jonathan.

No better or worse than the white JASDF "60th Anniversary" markings this aircraft wore back in 2014. I thought this aircraft, the first JASDF Phantom, had been grounded several years ago, but it looks like it is back in the air again: https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/9987088 Although the Phantom squadrons have been dis-established, a couple of airframes still fly at the test base at Gifu, presumably with the Test Pilot's School. Given the markings on the belly I assume they intend to fly it through at least some of 2021. And potentially as well as being the first JASDF Phantom, it may end up being the last. > Full credit to FM for adding this small difference in antenna. Indeed. The larger aerial is on the F-4EJkai sprue, but it was probably more cost effective to include both the new aerials on the stabilator sprue usually included in the kai boxings. Jonathan.