[Do you ever use poetic licence]

Accuracy, Schmaccuracy!!

I use poetic/artistic licence all the time. I'ts all part of the hobby & down to the individual! Personally, I never go looking for "inaccuracies" in model kits. I do not & never will count rivets, scribe panel lines spend hours poring over plans/drawings & comparing kit parts with same! To me, it's a complete waste of modelling time. Others clearly disagree. What does it matter? . I respect & admire the skill & patience of those who strive for total accuracy. They are far better modellers than I but, it's not for me. I try instead to get the best results out of what comes out of the box. I just want something that looks right to me!

What I will NOT tolerate is people denigrating other models just because they havent "corrected" this part or replaced "that part" or, they have used the "wrong" colour or, "inaccurate" markings.. I fell victim to this latter type once before. Many years ago there was a local hobby/model exhibition. I entered an RAF Stirling. I like the Airfix Stirling.As usual, I didn't bother doing any detailed research but, I did try & at least improve the gun turrets ( always a weakness with the Airfix bomber kits). The nose turret was adapted from the Matchbox Halifax, the mid upper & rear turrets were adapted from the Airfix Lancaster parts.

Now even I know that the Stirling used a different rear turret but, I figured " what the hell"! A tail turret is a tail turret & it looked a whole lot better than the kit original. Besides, to a casual glance, who'd know the difference. Big mistake! Despite generally favourable comments about the quality & standard of the build/finish, there just HAD to be one self appointed "expert" who proceeded to take the thing apart because I hadn't corrected various "inacurracies" and,I used totally inaccurate & inappropriate gun turrets!

The look on his face when I told him I didn't give a damn about accuracy and was more concerned with appearance and effect was delightful. This gentleman clearly did not understand the concept of modelling as fun. He grudgingly admitted that the model WAS made to a high standard but, he "could not live with " (his words) such an "inaccurate" model!

Ultimately, we are all enjoying the same hobby. Surely,how we pursue this hobby is a matter of individual taste? There is I believe, no such thing as a right or wrong approach. Only a personal approach. It would certainly be a very dull world if we were all the same!

As an example of "poetic/artistic" licence, I have hopefully( photobucket permitting) attached a couple of photos of my current project - the Avro Vulcan B3! Obviously I don't modelling seriously Heaven forbid that I ever do!

[An open letter to Revel Gmbh............]

In broad agreement with the posts complaining about (a) the Revell paint "mixes", ( the packaging. However, being practical, I'm willing to put up with that ( including yucky coloured plastic!!) in view of the quality & very reasonable prices..

For a long time now I've been using the following for bright coloured plastic ;

black as a primer /undercoat for models requiring a natural metal finish

Silver/aluminium as a primer for a white finish (found this works well on red/yellow plastic)

Doubtless many of us will have our own pet methods.

I don't airbrush my models so,in order to avoid unnecessary paint build up, I take extra care in priming/undercoating

[Italeri Tracker 1/48 pricing]

Looks like Italeri is now going to have to added to my "banned" list!! Does not bode well for the forthcoming Sunderland kit!

[Revell A400M]

I'm sure October 2011 was mentioned as the scheduled release date. Near enough to Christmas I guess!

Personally, I'm glad it's 1/72. I wish they'd done their C-17 in 1/72 as well. I really don't like that 1/144 tiddler scale. That's what put me off buying the C-17. I've only made one exception to that rule - my Otaki 1/144 scale C5 Galaxies.

At least 3 A 400s needed here methinks!! Slightly off track but, a decent C-130J in 1/72 wouldn't go amiss either together with an IL-76, AN-12 (the Roden kits seem hard to get hold of!), C-141, C-124, C-133, C-74, DC-7, C-54, Argosy, Brittania, Beverly, Hastings, Andover, York...........................!!!!!!

Sorry - just my "transport of delight""

Will keep on taking the pills!

[1/32 Canberra]

Be nice if there was one! How about it Revell? I hope none of the Far Eastern manufacturers ever decide to do one because I'd probably have to sell the flat to raise money to buy it!! Even at 1/32 the size wouldn't be too much of a problem! I guess a 1/32 Javelin is TOO much to hope for?

[Any news on the Valiant from Airfix?]

:

Might be before Christmas then, with luck...

Sorry, I'm getting a bit cynical before my time!

I notice you didn't specify which YEAR this particular Christmas would be in!!

Glad to know I'm not the only cynic out there!!

I remember many years ago seeing an award winning diorama depicting a skeleton in tattered clothing lying at the foot of a rusty bus stop. It was entitled "Waiting for the Airfix Chinook to arrive". I guess that tells you how long ago THAT was!! Now, when is the 1/72 VC-10 due?

(only joking folks!!!)

[Anyone feeling rich?]

Sometimes when you count the rivets, you discover that actually a kit may be a poor representation of a subject. For some, the effort required to satisfy their desire to reproduce the original is unjustified. Who is to say either approach is wrong or worthy of reprimand/ridicule?

A reasonable comment. We all have our own individual approaches. Mine is to make the best job I can just by using what comes out of the box. Accuracy or otherwise is of little concern. It's the quality of the finished article that matters to me. Doubtless this approach will not sit well with some ( I have even been accused of not being a "real" modeller even though I am not sure what a "real modeller" is?). However, as the above quote suggests, who is to say whether I am right or wrong? I do not & never have spent valuable modelling time looking for inaccuracies to correct - especially as many of them will not even be obvious in the first place.

Probably it's because I'm fundamentally lazy!

I don't think it makes me a worse modeller!

Actually, I think that's getting off track slightly! My apologies folks!

[1/72 Fujimi F7U-3M]

I built all 3 of the Fujimi Cutlasses. These were excellent little kits of a rather neglected aeroplane. The only fit problems I encountered were joining the fuselage sections but, these were minor. I leave it to the rivet counters & purists to comment on accuracy or otherwise. Personally, I have no interest in looking for faults. These models looked every inch a Cutlass & it's just a pity they haven't been re-released in recent years ( to my knowledge). Unfortunately, I really don't see any other manufacturer willing to take this on. Too busy producing endless boring F-16s, F-18s, Spitfires, Mustangs, BF-109s .........................................(yawns!)

Come on Revell!! How about a 1/32 Cutlass?

[Airfix 1/72nd scale Concorde]

You've done a beautiful job Tom.

I don't know where the accuracy freaks are coming from but, I sometimes wonder if some of them go out of their way to find fault with a kit! Probably a rivet out of place here & the wings are 0.05 mm too wide there!

The fit IS a problem & I wonder at the necessity of breaking the fuselage into 3 sections. Doubtless the length of the fuselage had something to do with it!! I have one in my stash. Built one already & I agree it certainly looks spectacular when built. I wonder though how many WILL get finished due to appalling fit of the parts?

Still, I enjoyed building it. It certainly didn't turn into a chore like that wretched 1/72 TSR 2!!

When I finally get around to building it, it's going to be in the B A "Landor" scheme. All white is just a mite too dull for me I'm afraid!

Well done Sir!

[Anigrand VC10]

Accuracy, schmaccuracy!

Are any of the alleged inaccuracies in these kits obvious without a forensic examination of the real subject & hours of valuable modelling time wasted by poring over plans, drawings etc?? If not, then I suggest they aren't worth bothering about). So far I've built 3 Anigrand kits. No real problems with casting flaws & they went together pretty well. Good enough for me. I let other people bother about "accuracy" I sometimes feel that if I paid heed to every self appointed "expert" who declared that this kit or that kit was "inaccurate", I'd never get anything built at all.

I can guarantee that nobody who has seen the models will know whether they are accurate or otherwise so, I am not inclined either to make corrections that aren't going to be noticed. The only thing that really stops me buying most of these kits is the price

[Anyone feeling rich?]

Well i do beg your pardon. First time I have heard someone have something positive to say about them

Make this the second time! I've built 3 so far. Very few casting flaws in any of them & parts fitted together pretty well. I don't believe in wasting valuable time by searching for nits to pick or, counting rivets so I accept the bits as accurate! As long as they look like the original subject - that's good enough for me.

[BA Landor scheme paint match]

Try Halfords Acrylic Ford Polar Grey.

I know the colours are produced by Xtracolour but, I stopped using these paints long ago. Partly because of poor colour density but mostly because I prefer paint that doesn't take several days to dry

[B-70 Valkyrie]

I have one of those in the stash, but I have been reluctant to build it, both because of the horror stories from others who did build it and the problem of what to do with that beast once it is finished.

Darwin

I'd take the hooror stories with a very large pinch of salt Darwin. I suspect the story tellers are juist playing to their audience. True, the fit of the kit parts is less than marvellous but, there's nothing a bit of effort can't cure. The finished article is spectacular & well worth it! I've built 2 of those kits before. Space of course is the biggest problem. I ended up giving both away to friends.

[New Dragon Avro VULCAN kit ?]

I'm afraid my initial excitement at the prospect of a NEW Vulcan kit sort of faded when I saw the tiny scale and, a pretty big price for a pretty small model. Sorry - this one will not be landing on my workbench! I might pay that for a 1/144 scale model but, I don't really like 1/144 either.

Still, that's just me. I guess if it was 1/72 the price would be unaffordable - given the current extortionate prices for Far Eastern produced kits.

Still, perhaps the bean counters at Airfix might just decide that there was money to be made out of updating/remoulding the existing Vulcan B2.

[Price of kits]

Woooooooops!!!

Typo - in previous post!! My last comment should read FAR eastern produced kits.................................!!!!!!! !!!!

Too much Guinness last night!!

[Price of kits]

This what I can never understand, Revell can buy a kit from Hasegawa, {Phantom, Spitfire, Sabre }, print new boxes, new decals, new instruction sheets and then sell them for much less than the original Hasegawa asking price. Sense or what ?

Totally agree Andrew ! However, they still have to turn a profit so, I suspect that by charging (say - £16.99) for the Phantom, they(Revell) are asking a price that their marketing people say their customers ( most of whom are in Europe & the UK possibly) will pay. In other words - sheer volume of sales at a low price will STILL turn a profit? Why else could they afford to ask a very reasonable £19.99 for a 1/32 AR-196 or BAE Hawk? Obviously, I'm speculating - I know nothing about marketing. But, if you want another example, Revell 1/32 Typhoon - £49.99, Trumpeter 1/32 Typhoon - £99.99!! I know which I'll buy! I know from experience that the recent Revell 1/32 kits have been waling off the shelves but, they are hardly selling any of the Fart Eastern produced kits.

As an aside, The current RRP of the Trumpeter 1/32 F-105D kits is now around the £90 mark. I got one ( re boxed & re issued by Hobby craft) for £42.99 in a local model shop recently. It's the same kit - just different decals!

[I hope i'm not the only one]

Spitfires...... so much diversity in one subject....something for everyone.........even non believers

Looks like this could be a good Sunday

:lol:

I'll drink to that one!!

Well, maybe not drink!! Too much Guinness yesterday.

I'm all for diversity - provided everyone agrees with me!!

Of course, Nigel Bunker is absolutely right but there has to come a point when people throw up their hands in despair & say "Jeez, not another f****** Spitfire!!" In all honesty Nigel, if your hypothetical company DID offer the first releases you mention then I'm afraid I wouldn't be one of your customers - why? Every one of these hypothetical subjects has already been done to death! However, that's just me. ( No offence by the way! ) Now, if you were to offer a B-52, Vulcan B1, Victor B1, B-47,DC-6, DC-7, C-17,C-141,C-124, Lockheed Electra ( The L-188 type!!), Twin Pioneer,Brittania, C-123 to name but few & ALL to 1/72 ( none of this 1/144 nonsense)...................................!!!!!!!!

Not that I ask much!!

:lol:

Yes, I know I'm fantasising now!!

[I hope i'm not the only one]

I know what you are all thinking ....form an orderly que behind me please!!!

Spitfires???? Pah!! (yawns!)

:lol:

Let's keep this one going! Livens up a dull Sunday morning!!

:lol:

[Price of kits]

I think sometimes it comes down to having to settle for second best. If you really want a 1/48 F-18E and you can't afford the Hasegawa kit, you pretty much will have to settle for the "slightly less good" Revell kit, warts and all. Because of financial concerns, I've had to do something like this for quite awhile. Even on eBay, prices for the Hasegawa kits have gotten out of hand. I think the same goes for the "legacy" Hornet kits…

Couldn't agree more. I'd rather have a more basic kit at at an affordable price. The Revell F/A 18D is a good example. It has everything I would need or want in a kit & I could get nearly four for the price of a Hasegawa kit ( which may be 4 times the price but, is it 4 times as nice?). I can certainly also echo your sentiments re ebay. Ironically, I have 3 Revell 1/48th Phantoms in my stash. They are ex - Hasegawa & the UK retail price was £16.99 each when I bought them. Compare THAT with the UK price of the Hasegawa originals!

[I hope i'm not the only one]

I hope i'm on the right section here and i don't wish to upset any fans of the spitfire, but PLEASE no more new kits of this aircraft!!!!!!

I have just gone through 4 months of magazines and found a review of at least one if not two or three spit kits in each one

Please this is overkill

Well done!! A comment like this is LONG overdue!! :lol: The mere mention of yet another Spitfire ( or P-51/P-47/BF109/FW-190 ETC !) is enough to send me on a trip to Yawnorama city! I fully appreciate its history & its vital role in war but, as a modelling subject, I find it as dull & tedious as the equally overdone F-16! I am proud to say that throughout my long modelling career, not one Spitfire has ever darkened my shelves. Fighters with twirly bits at the front are boring!!

Remember the saying? ;

"Fighter pilots make movies, Bomber pilots make history!!"

:lol:

I fully expect now to find myself besieged by Spit -o-philes & consaigned to to The Tower to face torture most horrible for my blasphemy!!

[Price of kits]

By chance, I went to a wargames show last weekend - not that I'm a wargamer but I've visited shows off and on over the years mainly to have a browse round the stands selling books. I didn't bother with this one last year, because the previous time there hadn't been much there of interest to me and, on top of that, it had moved to a new and less convenient (for me, anyway) venue. The first surprise was that it cost a fiver to get in. OK, it's not exactly going to break the bank but I was expecting maybe £3, as I seem to recall it was just a couple of quid two years ago. There were a couple of vendors selling books, mostly secondhand. One had priced their stuff very reasonably, and I made a couple of purchases. The other was charging prices that, in many cases, were out of this world. I spent some time picking out books that I already have a copy of, just for the entertainment value of seeing how much they were asking for them - invariably a hell of a lot more than I paid for mine, in some cases not all that long ago. Needless to say, I didn't buy anything there! Am I going to go back next year and pay £5 (or more) to get through the door, on top of a rail fare that's already £17.50, if I'm only getting access to one stall where I'm likely to find anything I'm prepared to buy? Probably not.

It's the same with kit prices. There have already been plenty of examples given in this thread, so I'll just say, I agree. We can debate the reasons, not all of which are within the vendors' or the manufacturers' control, but the bottom line is that I can now very rarely justify a purchase. My pay is frozen, the price of everything else is spiralling upwards and I have a large stash. Under the circumstances, I'm not going to pay (for example) the best part of a tenner for an Italeri kit that was around a fiver not so very long ago, unless I have a very specific reason for wanting it. I'll make some inroads into the stash instead and spend some of the money saved on paint, etc. - which is also going up in price.

Yep!! I can certainly relate to your second paragraph. Not only is my pay frozen, I only work part time so , my budget is a tad limited. I don't have a huge stash but,I try to get the most out of them. I certainly don't mind paying £17 - £20 for a Revell (Ex Hasegawa by the way!) F4 Phantom or, Revell 1/48 F/A18D but, I refuse point blank to be ripped off by Hasegawa et al to the tune of 3 - 4 times the price for a kit which is not 3 - times as nice!! I'm content with a basic kit at a low price. To get more mileage out of some of my stash, I've branched out into the "what if" field. Largely because of the largely uninspiring & unimaginative new kit releases that are on offer. I make exception for the forthcoming Airfix Valiant and Revell's Halifax & Airbus A-400. Endless F-16s, Spitfires & Mustangs simply induce yawn factor 10!

[Went out for some paint earlier]

Don't know what your worried about, i am not allowed to buy period. Here is the kicker i need 4 more A380's lol so how do i buy and get them in the house with being seen and showing any sign i brought anything lol. The annoying part is i am allowed to buy as much paint and Decals etc i want, so when i go into the model shop the A380 is there imagine how hard it is not to buy the damn kit lol.

A sad state of affairs indeed!! Obviously, I don't know your circumstances but, I'm reminded of a friend of mine whose wife ( she's a lovely girl really!) would always have a go at him every time he he came in with another addition to his stash!! ( How many do you need?. Not another one? etc etc!! ). Well, she has a large assortment of handbags (strange things women!!). She made the mistake of buying another one recently to which my friends reply was ;

" And just how many hand bags do YOU need?"

He's had no trouble since!!

Anyway - good luck in your quest.!

[Price of kits]

Same story in miniatures

Games Workshop have announced an annual price rise (ie nowt to do with anything other than it is an annual event).

Pretty much 20% across the majority of the range.

They have discontinued metal figures replacing them with resin, and hiked the price to celebrate the event.

Furthermore for non-EU Countries with a few European contries and the USA, they have told on-line discount retailers that they will no longer be able to supply those markets. Australians are already paying more for GW products.

With regard to kits I am a tad concerned that the Hase prices will drag up the other kit prices, it is noticable to me that Airfix are edging upwards.

Italeri have re released the 1/72 Hellcat with FAA for a tenner!

Thank goodness for the stash!

And thank Italeri for the Heinkel HE - 111Z, ME-321/232, SM81...!! I'm not particularly a W W 2 fan but, I like these because they are what I would call "slightly off beat" subjects. Splendid kits all of them & at bargain basement prices. I don't necessarily agree that the price of Hasegawa will force other prices up. Quite the reverse - I think it will encourage other manufacturers to produce similar subjects at far more reasonable prices. For example, the Revell Lancaster £14.99 compared to Hasegawa at £39 +!! . If sales of far eastern kits are ( as has been alluded to previously on this forum) dropping rapidly, I suggest the the manufacturers may be looking to their UK distributors & their mark ups. As I understand it, there is only 1 UK distributor for kits imported from the far east- perhaps someone can confirm/correct me? Seems they are operating a cosy monopoly here.

[Price of kits]

Mike,

I'd be happy to buy Hasegawa 1/48 jets at £ 40 ( or more likely £ 39.99 ) each, which I consider to be a fair price.

It's simply impossible at £ 50 / 60 / 75.

I can't see why a new decal sheet adds £ 10 or 20 to the price.

I remember getting their nice new 1/48 F-16I at £ 33 a few years ago. I managed to find the £ to get 2 of them, even.

In the old days though, I had 3 or more of their nice new ( original boxing ) F-16CJ though.

Price is the only reason that I'm buying no more Hasegawa.

( Almost ) Perfect quality is meaningless if the kit stays on the shop shelf.

Good quality means that I reach in to my pocket for £.

Revell's new Typhoons / F/A-18E/F are examples of that.

< deciding not to get any more Hasegawa until their price comes down a LOT >

Totally with you on that one Gerard. I havent bought anything new from Hasegawa, Tamiya, Trumpeter or Academy for at least 3 years now. I simply refuse to pay the outrageous prices. Have you seen the latest rip off? £105 for the Tamiya 1/32 P51D. I could buy 5 Revell AR-196s or BAE Hawks for that price!! £105 for a small single engined fighter?? That's criminal! Even £50 is stretching things for me because I only work part time. However, that's the limit I set for myself so, I will stick by it. No choice.

Perhaps Hasegawa et al might finally get the message when their UK sales drop through the floor? I'd rather have a good basic 1/32 or 1/48 kit at £30 - £40 than an all singing, all dancing one at 2 - 3 times the price. I don't do after market accessories - I'm content to use what comes out of the box!!

Just as an aside, you may have seen my earlier post here. I managed to get 2 Trumpeter MiG 23 kits at very good prices. Ordered direct from the shop in Hong Kong. the retailer was willing to combine postage on the two so, the TOTAL including postage) was roughly the same as the r r p for just ONE of those kits in the UK. I've also obtained the Trumpeter 1/32 F-105D (re boxed by Hobby Craft) for a reasonable £42.99. Funny how a reboxing leads to a 50% reduction in price!! I've also got a couple of Hasegawa's 1/48 RAF Phantoms. These were the Revell re boxings & they cost just £16.99 each in the shop when I bought them.

Regards,

Gerard

[Tamiya's new 1/32 kit. Who knew?]

Another P-51 ? ( Yawns!)

No, I'm not that interested in Spitfires either! ( Cue cries of "heretic" and, "burn him on the pyres of Smithfield!") Whatever floats your boat I guess. Still, even if I was interested, I wouldn't buy it. Can't afford the outrageous price!! £95 for a small single engine fighter?? Who are they kidding?