Jump to content

1/72 - Martin PBM-5/-5A Mariner by Minicraft - released - Academy rebox


Homebee

Recommended Posts

On 4/4/2018 at 5:37 AM, Ed Russell said:

This means we will have to consider making our conversion available again............ sigh.

Let us know if you do. :please:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...
44 minutes ago, TEXANTOMCAT said:

Shrewd tooling purchases by Academy by the looks of it - and both this and the Mentor now retail at half the original RRP!

 

TT

Don’t you think the tools always were Academy’s. Still looking for the 1/1444 Constellation, DC-6B, and Electra that Minicraft showed at Donnington all those years ago. Maybe they are now free since Minicraft has gone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Homebee changed the title to 1/72 - Martin PBM-5/-5A Mariner by Minicraft - released - Academy rebox in 2023

Academy re-release on approach - ref. 12586 - Martin PBM-5A Mariner - US NAVY

Sources: 

https://www.aviationmegastore.com/en/modelling/pbm-5a-mariner-flying-boat-also-used-with-the-dutch-mld-academy-12586-198333.html

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/AC12586

 

acy12586-1024x1024.jpg


5-H9-Ngl-ECI2s.jpg


ru-n-W2bj31-A.jpg


On display at the All Japan Hobby Show 2023

Source: https://www.facebook.com/gustav.jung.7/posts/pfbid0dSfPwSwcYo2tD5M1FyDb1MjExdXb1tshTrujzNSynZywLhoSKDUKHWf2CdtSuvTxl

 

384768429-6610906829003809-8037581735545

 

V.P.

Edited by Homebee
  • Like 10
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Trenton guy said:

Don’t you think the tools always were Academy’s. Still looking for the 1/1444 Constellation, DC-6B, and Electra that Minicraft showed at Donnington all those years ago. Maybe they are now free since Minicraft has gone.

 

 

Academy may have and probably did tool them but Minicraft were the owners so when they went belly up I imagine they bought them from the administrators rather than just getting them for free! That said if they bought the whole tooling bank it augers well for your 1/144 shelf and at more realistic prices too- I think both of the above were well over £50 RRP under the Minicraft label 

 

TT

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, TEXANTOMCAT said:

 

 

Academy may have and probably did tool them but Minicraft were the owners so when they went belly up I imagine they bought them from the administrators rather than just getting them for free! That said if they bought the whole tooling bank it augers well for your 1/144 shelf and at more realistic prices too- I think both of the above were well over £50 RRP under the Minicraft label 

 

TT

Minicraft did release a Constellation, a DC-6B, and an Electra but not from the molds I saw at Donington. The test shots shown at Donington were gorgeous kits. The ones released a couple of years later we’re dogs and most certainly not Academy tooled as the test shots appeared to be. What became of them is one of a modelling life’s great mysteries.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, TEXANTOMCAT said:

 

 

Academy may have and probably did tool them but Minicraft were the owners so when they went belly up I imagine they bought them from the administrators rather than just getting them for free! That said if they bought the whole tooling bank it augers well for your 1/144 shelf and at more realistic prices too- I think both of the above were well over £50 RRP under the Minicraft label 

 

TT

Minicraft was owned and operated by a company from South Korea. Much of the Minicraft tooling, except for the legacy kits which came from various sources including Entex, was made in China and molding was done there as well. There was really no connection between Academy and Minicraft after Minicraft stopped being the US importer a couple of decades ago. 
Anyway, the South Korean holding company decided to shut Minicraft down and divest the tooling, which Academy has purchased at least some of. There was no bankruptcy or administrator just an abrupt cessation of US operations.

 

Academy has now acquired parts of the tooling catalogue of both Hobbycraft Canada and Minicraft. They have only re-released a small fraction of the Hobbycraft product line. Notably, they’ve never reissued the 1/144 B-36 though the 1/144 B-58 and B-47 have appeared in their range.

 

It will be interesting to see what other Minicraft kits show up in the Academy range. I’m most curious about what the status of the Minicraft (ex-Entex) 1/350 Titanic is. Despite all the Titanic kits that have been produced, the Minicraft kit was the only one in that scale. It wouldn’t surprise me if TrumpyBoss ultimately does it in 1/350 though.

 

I will say the lower prices are most welcome. Maybe I can get some cheap 1/144 KC-135 and DC-8 kits. 

 

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Equally exciting is thec1/144 C-130J at half the price re appearing. Very tempted by this. And  if it happens, the 144 DC-4 and others would be very welcome at affordable  prices.

Would it be too much to hope for a big fall in Hasegawa  prices?????

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, Trenton guy said:

Minicraft did release a Constellation, a DC-6B, and an Electra but not from the molds I saw at Donington. The test shots shown at Donington were gorgeous kits. The ones released a couple of years later we’re dogs and most certainly not Academy tooled as the test shots appeared to be. What became of them is one of a modelling life’s great mysteries.

The Minicraft Connie, DC-6, and Electra, along with the 737-300/400, 727-200, Boeing 377/C-97/KC-97, 777-200/300, MD-80, and 707 were all tooled in China and clearly to a fixed price because they were not well-regarded even when first released. The later DC-8 and DC-4/C-54 kits must have used a different tooling shop as they were much improved over previous releases. 
 

I wonder if the Constellation tooling you saw was taken over by Revell as they issued a really nice 1/144 L-1049G kit, followed by the C-121C, after the Minicraft kit came out, although it was several years later. Minicraft’s first release was also an L-1049G.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/27/2023 at 3:00 AM, VMA131Marine said:

Academy has now acquired parts of the tooling catalogue of both Hobbycraft Canada and Minicraft. They have only re-released a small fraction of the Hobbycraft product line. 

 

I hope that if they ever get around to redoing the Hobbycraft Dash 8, they will revise the moulds first ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Had a wee chuckle to myself at the paint chart shown just above, at least two of the Humbrol colours have been defunct for years namely 151 for interior green & 181 for Navy Blue. I long lusted after one of these when Minicraft brought them out. Even though they're cheaper now, I'm retired & would struggle to accomodate it size wise. I'll probably just perv on other's builds. :)

Steve.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/28/2023 at 3:41 AM, Ed Russell said:


 

It would be amazing if you rereleased the Mariner stuff you did.  I have some of it and it looks really nice!  I appreciate that it’s a lot of hard work though.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

cYXAfqU.jpg
 

I see they're up to snuff on their schemes. The USN/USMC stopped using this camouflage early in 1945 two years before the artwork scheme says ? I wouldn't mind having one but they are way overpriced locally. The last one I saw was $79 in a craft store. Best I can do in Chicago-land as there are no more brick n mortar stores anymore. The last one up on the north side of Chicago went belly up about 5-6 months ago.

Edited by Corsairfoxfouruncle
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

I see they're up to snuff on their schemes.

Not really - just about every scheme on every boxing has had something wrong with it.

 

........in the Merriam-Webster (American) dictionary "up to snuff" is defined as "of sufficient quality : meeting an applicable standard."

 

Wait for this Academy release, it should be cheaper.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

The last one I saw was $79 in a craft store. 

 

12 hours ago, Ed Russell said:

........in the Merriam-Webster (American) dictionary "up to snuff" is defined as "of sufficient quality : meeting an applicable standard."

 

Wait for this Academy release, it should be cheaper.

I've been hanging around Brits too long. My sarcasm meter immediately went 'boinggggg' when I read that ;)

 

And yes, this rerelease appears to go a lot cheaper, less than half the tag CFFU mentions.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...