Minicraft B757

[ATPER]

hi

can anyone tell me, if there is a difference in tooling at Minicraft's different boxed 757s? for example: the AA AstroJet vs. USAF C32 version?

I have already two Minicrafts built: one perfect MD82, with nice plastic, easily to be overpainted, and my FedEx 757 (base: AstroJet-boxed 757) was WAY bad in plastic quality,.... definelty not easily over paintable,...

to comapre: MD82 plastic was grey with silver dots in it, 757 was yellowish-white...

thanks a lot

[Jennings Heilig]

Other than the engines (some releases have PW2000 and some have RR's), the plastic is all identical.

[ATPER]

so, why they use different plastics per model? e.g. MD82/757 .... or do they changed recently the plastic into that grey one?

[Jessica]

Minicraft uses different contractors to produce their models. This is how they foisted such abominations as their 757 upon us while at the same time giving us works of art like the MD-80 and DC-8.

[Steve2070]

This is how they foisted such abominations as their 757

That's exactly what it is.!

What about the 777? I've got that one in the line and will be a bit more careful with it going on my experience with the 75

[madaboutmodels]

i dont think minicraft based there 757 on a IL-96!

It looks nothing like a 757....

[Jennings Heilig]

First, you need to know that the Minicraft Models of today has nothing (except the name) to do with the Minicraft of the 1990s. Back then it was owned by Al Trendle. Al retired almost 15 years ago and sold the company to one of his salesmen. He (the new owner) has since died, and it's his wife (who had also worked for the company) who is running things now. Back then Al Trendle called *all* the shots, and made all the decisions. Al used me as an advisor, but I came on the scene too late to get anything done about the god-awful stuff like the 707 and 757. Those were designed by someone with *no* knowledge of the real airplanes, and with no access to any even remotely accurate scale drawings. Those designs were done strictly off of photos (no measurements, no nothing).

When I came on the scene he was already working on the 777, but had decided to use the cheapest way possible to get there on it. I provided detailed drawings, including suggested parts breakdowns, for all three 777 engine types to him, which went to the factory in China. As usual, the factory in China "improved" them (I'm not sure what the Chinese definition of "improve" is, but it's clearly different from mine), and they didn't use the cross sections nor the suggested parts breakdowns I provided at all. When the design work was done and a 150% scale (ie: 1/96) resin master was ready, Al flew me out to LA in 1999 to look at it and offer my thoughts. My first thought was, toss it in the trash and start over. Not really possible, unfortunately. The company in China had slavishly copied the Doyusha kit right down to the little assembly pegs and the weird landing gear, and substituted their versions of my engines on it. I told Al that if he issued a kit like that, Doyusha would have very good reason to sue him. He demanded changes here and there before the thing was tooled, but nowhere near all the changes I recommended. The result was the abomination of a 777 we have today.

Today, Minicraft is a very different company. Norma Huff, the owner, is really trying to do things right. They're a very small company with limited resources, so they do the best they can with what they have to work with.

Edited April 20, 2013 by Jennings Heilig

[Atom.uk]

First, you need to know that the Minicraft Models of today has nothing (except the name) to do with the Minicraft of the 1990s. Back then it was owned by Al Trendle. Al retired almost 15 years ago and sold the company to one of his salesmen. He (the new owner) has since died, and it's his wife (who had also worked for the company) who is running things now. Back then Al Trendle called *all* the shots, and made all the decisions. Al used me as an advisor, but I came on the scene too late to get anything done about the god-awful stuff like the 707 and 757. Those were designed by someone with *no* knowledge of the real airplanes, and with no access to any even remotely accurate scale drawings. Those designs were done strictly off of photos (no measurements, no nothing).

When I came on the scene he was already working on the 777, but had decided to use the cheapest way possible to get there on it. I provided detailed drawings, including suggested parts breakdowns, for all three 777 engine types to him, which went to the factory in China. As usual, the factory in China "improved" them (I'm not sure what the Chinese definition of "improve" is, but it's clearly different from mine), and they didn't use the cross sections nor the suggested parts breakdowns I provided at all. When the design work was done and a 150% scale (ie: 1/96) resin master was ready, Al flew me out to LA in 1999 to look at it and offer my thoughts. My first thought was, toss it in the trash and start over. Not really possible, unfortunately. The company in China had slavishly copied the Doyusha kit right down to the little assembly pegs and the weird landing gear, and substituted their versions of my engines on it. I told Al that if he issued a kit like that, Doyusha would have very good reason to sue him. He demanded changes here and there before the thing was tooled, but nowhere near all the changes I recommended. The result was the abomination of a 777 we have today.

Today, Minicraft is a very different company. Norma Huff, the owner, is really trying to do things right. They're a very small company with limited resources, so they do the best they can with what they have to work with.

I find this very interesting. I have several 737s from Minicraft but some of them seem like pirate copies, with poorly photocopied instructions and poor quality plastic.I also have some 757s and I am making a 777. Again, I had no idea they were considered so poor BUT they are the only show in town.

[theplasticsurgeon]

Thanks for the very interesting history of Minicraft, explains why the 707 and 757s - have poor reputations.

This one started as a C-32 kit with P&W engines.
(Actually the wrong engines for what ThomasCook fly).


This is the RR engine version, sitting on it's box.

Parts are the same on both - except for the engines.

Not the easiest build, as it has interlocking tongues thru the fuselage to set the wing dihedral properly.

However one wing shoulder is slightly higher than the other, which cants the tail overwhen stood on its undercarriage.

Don't remember any worries with plastic quality - maybe that occurred after these particular kits.

[madaboutmodels]

Thanks for the very interesting history of Minicraft, explains why the 707 and 757s - have poor reputations.

This one started as a C-32 kit with P&W engines.

(Actually the wrong engines for what ThomasCook fly).

I might have some spare RB211's in a few months, would you like them for your thomas cook?

[theplasticsurgeon]

PM sent - thanks, a very thoughtful offer Bradley.

[ATPER]

I have tried several times to paint it, meanwhile the 9th layer of paint has been removed,.... I need a new one as this one is heavily "corroded" or

how you'd like to call it...... maybe if I buy another kit the painting problem is solved,...?

but for the whole building process, I didn't find anything that was not good,.... its built even easier than revell's A320s kits......

but still not as easy as Revell's 737-800 which I built like in Renton they do in 1/1 .... or almost,....

[Jessica]

Yes, even when they're terribly misshapen, Minicraft airliners are always easy to build. It's just too bad that Al didn't manage to keep a lid on the toolmakers' efforts to "improve" things.

[Lionking]

Interesting thread

Can anyone tell if the Eastern Express 757-300 come from the same molds of Minicraft?

http://air.scale-model-kits.com/products/B-753-Medium-range-airliner-EE14426.html

Thx!

[Jennings Heilig]

EE has nothing to do with MC (except copying). MC has never done a 757-300

[Lionking]

EE has nothing to do with MC (except copying). MC has never done a 757-300

Thanks for the info...

[niki]

Can anyone tell if the Eastern Express 757-300 come from the same molds of Minicraft?

Eastern Express, apparently, besides turning some Soviet subjects of their own, have been "heavily" inspired by:

1. Minicraft's Boeing 737 - to produce their own line of 737-300/ 400/ 500;

2. Revell's A320/ 319 (?) - to produce their A318

3. Minicraft's Boeing 757 - to produce their 757-300 and now 757-200.

Parts are usually a bit more crude but the "heritage" is clearly there with visible seams in the plastic where they chopped/ added fuselage lenghts to get variation on the subject

Cheers,

Niki

[ATPER]

EE do 757-200s??? anyone who built that one? -reports...?

[niki]

http://hobbyterra.com/product/Eastern-Express-Kit-B-752-medium-range-airliner.html

http://hobbyterra.com/product/1-144-scale-model-civil-airliner-b752-delta-eastern-express-14481.html

I was actually asking myself if those latest boxings would fit better!?

Anyway, shame on me for really liking those boxarts!

[ATPER]

hm, when looking at those pics, I think its the same MC in EE boxes, but afaik some details like engines and cockpit are (at least a bit) changed.... ?

[Jessica]

Can we hope that EE managed to fix the infamous Minicraft wing error?

[David G]

I suppose we can hope but I have no intention of parting with real money only to find out that they haven't. I'm not prepared to let EE scam me ever again. (I use the word deliberately). There is a decent 753 available from Welsh Models which builds into an accurate model and doesn't raise any ethical dilemma about supporting what is borderline piracy of other manufacturers' products.

[ATPER]

I suppose we can hope but I have no intention of parting with real money only to find out that they haven't. I'm not prepared to let EE scam me ever again. (I use the word deliberately). There is a decent 753 available from Welsh Models which builds into an accurate model and doesn't raise any ethical dilemma about supporting what is borderline piracy of other manufacturers' products.

so, also the welsh 757-200 is a nice, accurate kit?

[Lionking]

as i understand... i shouldn't 'put my hands' on the EE 752 and 753. the EE parts layout looks like MC...i'll skip that kit.

anyhow i have the bra.Z plug and tail to convert the MC kit into 753.

Thanks for the info.