71chally Posted October 28, 2020 Share Posted October 28, 2020 It looks an absolute gem! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas V. Posted October 28, 2020 Share Posted October 28, 2020 My first impressions are simply full of praise, and to an extent shows that excessive overpricing of kits in the last decade is not the way foreward. Of 50 kits my shop received all were sold out in half a day, maybe due to first new Herc kit in 30 years, but in my opinion fair pricing being the biggest factor. Congrats to Zvezda, and hope for many new variants. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain goat Posted October 28, 2020 Share Posted October 28, 2020 Got my first two in just now - I'm really impressed, starting with the packaging: a very sturdy box of adequate size for what's in it. Sprues are snugly wrapped in cellophane and parts are nicely protected. All this gives an impression to me of dependability - I like it a lot. The darkish grey plastic looks smooth and is flash-free; panel lines seem nicely crisp. What did surprise me negatively is that In both of my examples the left-hand fin (which is part of the fuselage) was quite noticeably warped. Nothing disastrous but still something that needs adjusting when I get to building it... Jay 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobsyouruncle Posted October 28, 2020 Share Posted October 28, 2020 Looks like a great kit which will make up into an amazingly impressive model. I thought I might have run into '215' at some point and did find this poor quality shot I took of the 'other side of the nose to the Viz characters one' at Al Jubayl either Dec 90 or Jan 91. Included here just in case any purists wanted to do that rarest thing and stick with a kit decal option, to show at that stage the prop blades weren't the all black ones. Think this one would look great in my cabinet. Nice one Zvezda. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marky sparky Posted October 28, 2020 Share Posted October 28, 2020 Those crew figures look amazing, especially in 1/72! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Posted October 28, 2020 Share Posted October 28, 2020 6 hours ago, Ka-Efka said: Extensive in box review incl. test fitting (German, but many pictures): https://www.kitreviewsonline.de/c-130h-hercules-zvezda-1-72/ It looks brilliant. mine is on the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger331 Posted October 28, 2020 Share Posted October 28, 2020 Picked my first kit up earlier on this evening from my LMS. I was pleasantly surprised with the price......had estimated it would probably be around 40-42 Euros based on the prices of their other Zvedza kits. Came in at 34 Euro so I am well pleased. I suspect they will get some repeat business from me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LN-KEH Posted October 28, 2020 Share Posted October 28, 2020 3 hours ago, marky sparky said: Those crew figures look amazing, especially in 1/72! Linking in the crew picture from the German site - it is impressive: 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyJammedKenny! Posted October 28, 2020 Share Posted October 28, 2020 I like how the pilots have turned up their collars to afford a little extra protection in the event of a fire. Gloves are worn at all times also--a given. That's certainly how our folks flew! The figure on the far right appears to be the FE, who sits between the pilots and slightly to their rear. I think he also has his legs apart and is posed leaning forward slightly (without seat harness) so that he can comfortably monitor the overhead panel during cross-checks. Bravo to Zvezda for its attention to such detail! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Callahan Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 I can only say. ........must have. The big brother of the C-160 Transall have to come on my work bench. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger331 Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 Having picked up my first copy last evening I have now finally had a chance to examine the contents.........one word......OUTSTANDING ! This is, by a long shot, the best kit of a C-130 I have seen and we must now all, very reluctantly, accept that our carefully nurtured Airfix, Esci and Italeri kits (along with all of the myriad of improvement/conversion sets) probably need to be consigned to the 'collectors corner'. Zvedza are No.1 in this particular modellers chart for 2020 having released kits of two of my favourite subjects (the other is the Mil Mi-24 Hind). If, in the highly unlikely, event that they were to issue a 1:48 Blackburn Buccaneer, SEPECAT Jaguar or Dassault Mirage F.1C between now and 31 December, they would probably stay No.1 for the next 10 years !!. Anyway, I digress. The medium grey and clear plastic, presented on eight and one runner respectively, is superbly detailed and moulded. The panel lines are very finely rendered so care will need to be taken at the painting stage. As always, construction starts with the cockpit and this part of the kit is extremely well detailed, although rather like the Mil Mi-24 kit, Zvedza have opted for decals to replicate instrument panels, dials, circuit breakers etc. I have little doubt this will look very effective in the smaller scale cockpit where there is not very much in the way of visual access (unlike the Mil Mi-24 Hind, which came in for a bit of criticism for this approach to replicating cockpit instrumentation). I also have little doubt that Quinta will quickly follow with a set of their 3D instrument panel decals too. The bench seat 'rest area' behind the crew stations is very faithfully reproduced and, as has been covered elsewhere, the crew figures are sublime given that they are all different too (and no flying helmets either, which is accurate for most 'trash hauling' operators !). The rest of the interior is also nicely rendered although I have no doubt the superdetailers will be looking for the release of some improvement sets in due course. I have an old Flightpath set somewhere and hope to be able to utilise the photo-etched floor panels to better replicate that on the original RAF version. There is certainly plenty of 'furniture' provided with which to dress up the cargo hold and ramp area although the RAF style latrine is noticeably absent. All in all it looks as if a nice cockpit/cargo area can be built straight from the box. There are several options for the fuselage sponsons to cater for the slight differences between operators. My only concern at this stage with the fuselage are the seperate inserts to cater for differing access door arrangements, although my previous experience with Zvedza kits would suggest they will be OK and need the minimum of cleanup. One of the major weaknesses with other 1:72 scale C-130 kits is that related to keeping the wings on !. Zvedza appear to have addressed this with a fairly robust centre section although I personally will look to introducing some additional plasticard wing spars for additional strength. The engine nacelles are pretty comprehensive pieces in their own right, with no less than 19 parts making up each one. This is one area where you can see a real difference in quality between this kit and the others, although to be fair to the aforementioned manufacturers, their kits are more than 30 years old so I would expect this to be the case. Other nice touches are the different radomes and tail fairings which, once again, demonstrate Zvedza's attention to detail with this kit. The undercarriage, bays, doors and wheels are all nicely moulded - if I have one criticism with this kit it would be with the mainwheels - I personally think the weighted look has been slightly overdone but it is a personal preference. The ramp area is also very nice too, all providing a great deal of interest, especially if you pose the model with the ramp and para-doors open. The refuelling probe for the RAF options also appears to be accurate although I personally think the trunking that goes along the upper fuselage may be a little slim but I cannot be 100% certain. We are obviously going to see other versions kitted by Zvedza since there are some parts included in the kit that are not applicable to the decal/marking options included in the box. The most obvious are the large DAS fairings now seen on the rear fuselage of some US (and other) C-130s although these parts will come in handy for those wanting to model options from aftermaket decal sheets, most notably the recent release from Xtradecal. The kit instructions are well laid out and very clear too. I like the full-colour decal placement instructions too. Another area where Zvedza have excelled themselves with this release is related to the decal sheet. Not only do they provide for five very interesting and attractive options but the decals themselves are a significant improvement on those in previous kits (which were already good). Gone is the rather matt finish, to be replaced by high-gloss 'Cartograf' style decals with strong colours and a very comprehensive set of stencilling. I will obviously make the RAF version first but I am also very tempted by the US ANG option portrayed on the box top and the JASDF option with the so-called 'cloud scheme' too. If you are a fan of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules or military transport aircraft in general or just want to build a big 1:72 scale model then this is the kit for you. I think it is tremendous value for money - granted I have managed to get mine from the LMS for the grand sum of 34 Euros (which probably makes it my 'buy of the year' in terms of cost vs. value) but even at full UK RRP it is well worth the investment. 'Review' sample courtesy of my wallet 10 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stilwell Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 For anyone considering the JASDF option in the kit, the Hasegawa 1:200 C-130H “JASDF Gray Scheme” kits lists the colours as: A (Underside): 115 (50%) + 308 (50%) B (Topside Lightest): 337 (70%) + 308 (20%) + 5 (10%) C (Topside Darkest): 305 (60%) + 308 (30%) + 5 (10%) D (Topside Medium): 306 While the Aoshima 1:144 Kawasaki C-2 kit, which carries the same scheme, list them colours as: Underside: C338 (90%) + C307 (10%) + C80 (a little) Topside Lightest: C338 (70%) + C307 (30%) + C80 (a little) Topside Darkest: C337 (70%) + C305 (30%) + C80 (a little) Topside Medium: C337 + C80 (a little) Those colours being: 338 LIGHT GRAY FS36495 337 GRAYISH BLUE FS35237 308 GRAY FS36375 307 GRAY FS26320 306 GRAY FS36270 305 GRAY FS36118 115 RLM65LIGHT BLUE 80 COBALT BLUE 5 BLUE The ”C” prefix denoting the Mr Color Lacquer based paint range; the equivalent Mr Hobby Aqueous acrylic paint having the prefix “H”. Jonathan. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
71chally Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 Great review @Tiger331, at £50 the kit would still be a superb buy, but given that I have seen it listed at £36 makes it outstanding value. I can't wait to actually have one in front of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klr Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 Apologies if this has been posted already, but you can download the full instruction manual and also paint/decal guide as PDF documents from here ("Assembly and Coloring Scheme" tab): https://en.zvezda.org.ru/catalog/sbornye-modeli/aviatsiya/sovremennaya-aviatsiya/C-130H_29317/ I have the ESCI/ERTL C-130H and AC-130H kits in the stash, which I bought many moons ago for a very good price. I just never had the time or space for them. I could probably sell off both of them, and the proceeds would be enough for one Zvezda kit. Tempting ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger331 Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 25 minutes ago, Stilwell said: For anyone considering the JASDF option in the kit, the Hasegawa 1:200 C-130H “JASDF Gray Scheme” kits lists the colours as: A (Underside): 115 (50%) + 308 (50%) B (Topside Lightest): 337 (70%) + 308 (20%) + 5 (10%) C (Topside Darkest): 305 (60%) + 308 (30%) + 5 (10%) D (Topside Medium): 306 While the Aoshima 1:144 Kawasaki C-2 kit, which carries the same scheme, list them colours as: Underside: C338 (90%) + C307 (10%) + C80 (a little) Topside Lightest: C338 (70%) + C307 (30%) + C80 (a little) Topside Darkest: C337 (70%) + C305 (30%) + C80 (a little) Topside Medium: C337 + C80 (a little) Those colours being: 338 LIGHT GRAY FS36495 337 GRAYISH BLUE FS35237 308 GRAY FS36375 307 GRAY FS26320 306 GRAY FS36270 305 GRAY FS36118 115 RLM65LIGHT BLUE 80 COBALT BLUE 5 BLUE The ”C” prefix denoting the Mr Color Lacquer based paint range; the equivalent Mr Hobby Aqueous acrylic paint having the prefix “H”. Jonathan. Jonathan, Many thanks for this.........most useful since JASDF colours can be difficult to work out normally......and I am attracted to that colour scheme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26Decals Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 On 9/2/2020 at 3:29 AM, Scooby said: How about STS7218? Would you reprint that for us Canucks? You can market that sheet as an H model. Serials 130328 to 130333 were all H Models. These airframes are the only H models that carried the silver scheme. Sadly we lost three of them in accidents, 329 during a LAPES drop, I lost seven squadron mates in this accident. 330 & 331 collided over our base during an anniversary Flypast, I lost 20 Squadron mates in that accident (a lot were onboard for the event). A lot of the debris hit our hangar, it was a terrible experience, 333 almost collided with the other two aircraft too. It took the crew several hours to get the nerve to land. 333 is still flying, it is one of the most beloved Herc’s in our inventory, it’s been affectionately named “Triple Pig.” It is now in its third paint scheme. 332 is also still flying. 328 is a ground training aid, no longer flying. 334 & up were newer model H models, which never carried the Silver scheme. These serials are all still flying. I know, too much history. CAF CC-130 now at the printers http://www.26decals.com/epages/62035508.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/62035508/Products/STS7215 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 21 minutes ago, 26Decals said: CAF CC-130 now at the printers http://www.26decals.com/epages/62035508.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/62035508/Products/STS7215 Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!! I have two of these kits on the way and I am impatient to build, this will be my first of many builds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 On 10/28/2020 at 7:30 AM, Thomas V. said: My first impressions are simply full of praise, and to an extent shows that excessive overpricing of kits in the last decade is not the way foreward. Of 50 kits my shop received all were sold out in half a day, maybe due to first new Herc kit in 30 years, but in my opinion fair pricing being the biggest factor. Congrats to Zvezda, and hope for many new variants. We modellers have been screaming for a new tool Hercules for many years and I have felt of all the new toolings missed the Hercules should have been the “number 1” no brainer for all manufacturers to produce based on the longevity of the airframe, loyalty to the airframe, and sheer numbers of nations who flew it. This kit is a license to print money. And the fact that your hobbyshop sold out of 50 kits in half a day is a clear indicator of the success of this release will be and is. You missed the boat Tamiya and Hasegawa. - Captain Obvious 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lasermonkey Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 3 hours ago, 71chally said: Great review @Tiger331, at £50 the kit would still be a superb buy, but given that I have seen it listed at £36 makes it outstanding value. I can't wait to actually have one in front of me. Please do share! Cheers, Mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LN-KEH Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 21 minutes ago, Scooby said: We modellers have been screaming for a new tool Hercules for many years and I have felt of all the new toolings missed the Hercules should have been the “number 1” no brainer for all manufacturers to produce based on the longevity of the airframe, loyalty to the airframe, and sheer numbers of nations who flew it. This kit is a license to print money. And the fact that your hobbyshop sold out of 50 kits in half a day is a clear indicator of the success of this release will be and is. You missed the boat Tamiya and Hasegawa. - Captain Obvious With Zvezda kits previously been released by Revell and possibly other brands as well, I expect to see several boxings of C-130s next year. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEXANTOMCAT Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 15 minutes ago, lasermonkey said: Please do share! Cheers, Mark. Models for Sale have just posted they’re doing them for £33.99 which is IMHO bargain of the year! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
71chally Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 14 minutes ago, lasermonkey said: Please do share! Cheers, Mark. https://www.snmstuff.co.uk/product/zvezda-1-72-scale-raf-c-130h-hercules/ Out of stock at the moment though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
71chally Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 2 minutes ago, TEXANTOMCAT said: Models for Sale have just posted they’re doing them for £33.99 which is IMHO bargain of the year! My turn to ask, can't see it listed with them? Are you able to link? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger331 Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 25 minutes ago, LN-KEH said: With Zvezda kits previously been released by Revell and possibly other brands as well, I expect to see several boxings of C-130s next year. I totally agree......Given that Zvedza have really done their homework with the accuracy, production and pricing of their 'baseline' kit, I can see this kit (and its inevitable derivatives) probably being their all-time best seller in time. It has been a real puzzle to me that Revell did not produce a modern tooling of the Hercules, given their previous C-160 Transall, C-54 Skymaster and A400M kits but now that Zvedza have done all of the expensive work with R&D, tooling etc I suspect Revell will look to marketing their own edition of the kit in due course, or maybe they will wait until one of the more esoteric variants is developed (AC-130 or HH-130, for example). Who knows ?....All that is certain is that Zvedza have a real winner on their hands and well deserved 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEXANTOMCAT Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 28 minutes ago, 71chally said: My turn to ask, can't see it listed with them? Are you able to link? Sure https://m.facebook.com/modelsforsaleltd/photos/a.10150121653401250/10158642532646250/?type=3&source=48 ATB TT 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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