Amo Aero

Those bomb racks look fantastic! Actually, the whole project looks fantastic! Thanks so much for posting a blow-by-blow build article. I have this kit in my stash. Not sure when I will ever get to it, but when I do I will refer to your article to help avoid pitfalls during the build--I know it will be an invaluable reference. Cheers! Karl

Does anyone even make an NC-4 kit? The only models I have ever seen have all been scratch builds.

Wow, that is beautiful!!

I would have guessed that to be 1/32. Stunning build and photos!!

Stunning model and presentation!

I love that big ol' bumblebee--beautiful work!

Nice work! Great to see different colors and markings on such classic subjects.

Thanks for the info--had no idea anyone made an out-of-the-bottle NIVO.

Beautiful work! What did you use for the NIVO? Karl

The bottom line of the windscreen angles up toward the nose on the Skybird kit--it should be parallel with the bottom line of the canopy. This is a common error on almost all published drawings of the Hornet. I believe it is caused by an optical illusion when looking at photos taken at different angles. Dynavector made the correction in their excellent vacuform kit of the Hornet. The spinners and nacelles may be a bit off too, but I'm not enough of an expert to tell--I only know about the windscreen error because I have a friend who did extensive research on the Hornet when he scratch built one in 1/24 scale. Karl

You are very welcome. I hope the review didn't appear to be too negative--it wasn't meant to be! I was trying to be as critical as possible, but really, I am VERY happy to have the kit--it is quite lovely. I've heard rumors A2Zee is planning to release a Short 184 (which presumably is also based on the old TC Resins kit). Even if the 184 has the same faults as the Vimy, I would not hesitate to buy it.

I asked some questions about the AlleyCat Vimy on this forum a week or two ago--see several threads down. One kind gentleman provided a link to another website that had some useful information. I decided to take a chance and went ahead and bought the kit. Based on the pictures that have been posted online, I had some serious reservations about the rib detail on the wings and tail surfaces. Now that I have the kit in hand, I must confess those fears were confirmed--IMHO the rib detail is grossly over scale. At the very least the ribs will need to be sanded away and new detail added using either strips of decal or perhaps masking and building up paint layers. I'm also not pleased with the kit's depiction of the rib tape detail on the undersurfaces of the wings--they are depicted with parallel engraved lines that vary in depth and width. Sanding away all ribs, and then adding embossed skins as per Harry Woodman would probably be the best option. My other concern is the size and weight of the solid resin wings--will they sag over time? I was really hoping to get some feedback from anyone who had built the TC Resins Vimy (that kit is the basis for the AlleyCat kit) or any other large resin biplane kit. I will probably scratch build replacement wings using Harry Woodman's technique when the time comes--if for no other reason than to sooth my paranoid tendencies. On the positive side, with the exception of the overdone rib detail, the kit is very nice. The resin castings are superb. I examined every single piece and was able to find only one tiny "pinhole". The fuselage is a single piece casting--very impressive! All trailing edges are a little on the thick side and will need to be thinned down a bit. The ailerons, elevators, and tailplanes exhibit a very tiny amount of bowing--the bowing is barely noticeable, but it is there. A dunk in hot water and application of gentle hand pressure will probably be all that's needed to bring them back to perfect straightness. I didn't examine the white metal parts as closely as the resin castings, but from what I could see through the baggie they look great--crisp, in register, and little to no flash. The PE sheet is small, but beautifully done. Though the basic interior parts are provided, most modelers will probably want to add additional detail. Decals are superb, perfectly registered, and appear to have very good color saturation. The instructions are well laid out and clearly illustrated. Overall, I am very pleased with the kit. I've wanted a 1/48th scale Vimy for some time, so A2Zee has saved me from having to build one entirely from scratch. Even if I decide to scratch build replacement wings, all the other excellent and very usable components make this kit a good value to me. The Vimy is the 3rd, or perhaps 4th purchase I have made from A2Zee. As always, they were a pleasure to deal with. I was amazed to receive the Vimy less than a week after placing my order (I am on the east coast of the USA). I wish them all the best and look forward to their future biplane releases. If they can improve the rib detail their kits will be close to perfect! Karl

You're so right--I can't imagine Tamiya will be releasing a Vimy anytime soon! The rib detail on the Alley Cat Vimy is really just an annoyance. A bigger issue for me is the potential for warping or drooping over time--but even then, I suppose the relatively short span and broad chord of the Vimy may make that less likely. The forthcoming Short 184 OTOH... It is a shame that vacuform looms as such a large fear factor in the minds of so many modelers. IMHO, the ideal solution would be a kit with a resin fuselage, detail parts in resin and PE, struts in white metal, and wings in vacuform plastic. Unfortunately, vacuform no longer seems to be a commercially viable option for kit manufacturers, so we are stuck with kits where resin is used in less than ideal applications.

Funny how LifeLike was able to create convincing fabric-over-structure detail on 1/48 scale plastic model kits 50 some odd years ago, and ever since that has been a hit and miss task for kit manufacturers. Reminds me of Medieval monks copying illustrations of plants for their herbals generation after generation, until the drawings no longer looked like what they were supposed to represent--no one ever thought of going outside to actually look at the plants in question.

Thanks Mike! I look forward to seeing the review. Karl

Thanks for the link! Karl

Anyone have it yet? Or seen it first hand? Based on the pix I've seen online, it looks like the wing ribs are quite over scale. Is that a fair assessment? Are the struts (LG, interplane, cabane) metal reinforced? Does anyone know if Alley Cat's resins are post-cured (under heat and/or pressure)? Post-curing helps to strengthen resin and make it less prone to warpage. I understand the Alleycat Vimy is an improved version of a kit originally made in South Africa many years ago (I forget the name of the manufacturer). Has anyone here built the original kit? If so, how well has it stood the test of time--particularly in regard to the wing and/or the struts drooping/warping over time? I would very much like to have the Vimy, but given the kit's expense and the size of those long, thin wings in resin, I am very hesitant to open my wallet without more information. I don't need to hear about Alley Cat in general--I know it is a class act. I have the Alley Cat Vampire FB.3--it is exquisite. I have ordered from Ali several times and he is always a pleasure to deal with. Thank you. Karl

Thank you! Karl

Found this photo while web surfing. Does anyone know what it is? And who was the talented modeler who built it?

Beautiful!!!!! It may have given you troubles, but none of that is evident in the finished piece.

Nice Newpy!

Good work Epeeman--she's shaping up nicely! Hang in there 487--you can salvage it!

Me too!

So sorry to hear of the problems you are having with the struts, etc. Just a few threads back, I posted a solution which worked well for me. I used a drill to SLIGHTLY deepen the mounting holes for all struts, then made left and right handed jigs from cardstock to align the interplane struts. The interplane struts were then glued to the bottom wing, and when the glue had fully set up the top wing was mounted with no trouble. After the glue dried thoroughly, the model was inverted, and the cabane struts were installed--the rear cabanes will fit perfectly--the front struts need a bit of trimming--trim the ends that attach to the wing so you will have the pins available to mate into the dimples on the fuselage. Results--angle of incidence, gap and wing alignment spot on, top wing perfectly flat (no anhedral). Here is a link to the previous thread, with pix--scroll down a bit to see: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=72668 HTH! Karl

Instead of laying down a white decal disc, if I suspect there will be a problem with translucency, I spray the area white, then use a circle cutter to cut a mask. The mask is placed where the roundel is to go, then proceed with the rest of your paint job. Peel up the mask, apply a gloss coat, then roundels--works great and no concerns with double thick decals (also, given my luck with decals, I'd rather use paint when at all possible). I also experienced a problem with MA decals not sticking--very disappointing given the unique nature of many of their markings. HTH! Karl