Homebee Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 (edited) Kora Models has just released four 1/72nd Armstrong-Whitworth Siskin Mk.III kits. - ref. KPK72112 - Armstrong-Withworth Siskin Mk.III Source: https://www.lfmodels.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=3141 - ref. KPK72113 - Armstrong-Withworth Siskin Mk.IIIDC "British service" Source: https://www.lfmodels.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=3142 - ref. KPK72114 - Armstrong-Withworth Siskin Mk.IIIDC "Estonian service" Source: https://www.lfmodels.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=3143 - ref. KPK72116 - Armstrong-Withworth Siskin Mk.III & III.DC Double kit Source: https://www.lfmodels.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=3144 V.P. Edited November 25, 2019 by Homebee 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrik Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 Dear Christkind, I have been very good the whole year and therefore I hope I can find the Siskins under the Christmas tree. I also hope you led the hands of the Kora guys, so that their kits are way better than the Maintrack conversions that I remove from my stash just about once in a year, usually in the nostalgic period around Christmas, state once again how crude and inaccurate they are, contemplate the amount of work needed to make decent Siskin III and IIIDC representations out of them, and put them back with sad sight. Thank you, your humblest Patrik. You made my day Homebee. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britman Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 Excellent, 24 euro's? Seems very cheap for Kora. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightersweep Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 Wow! Didn't see that one coming. I'm up for a couple of these. I've still got a stash of the Matchbox kits, but I'll still build them as well as I love them. One of their nicest kits. Looking forward to trying the Kora kit though. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lasermonkey Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 Even though I have eight Matchbox Siskin IIIas plus a Maintrack DC conversion, I've always wanted a III. Looks like I'll have to get one of these. Atlas next, please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
71chally Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 Unexpected, and superb, news! Nice varieties aswel. What are Kora kits like traditionally? Will get one of these and hope for a 48th upscale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWM Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 Maybe interesting to add, that this is injected plastic (styrene) short run, not resin one as one could expect from Kora https://www.lfmodels.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_5_73&products_id=3143 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tripod Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 Did Maintrack do a Siskin III(DC)? I have a conversion for something called a Siskin IIIA(DC), which is the basic shape of the Matchbox kit with two cockpits. I don't think I've ever seen any evidence that such a thing existed in reality, but it could just be that I didn't look carefully enough! Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightersweep Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 Like this.... MEV-11356333 Steve 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrik Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 (edited) Unable to resist the temptation, I ordered III + IIIDC half an hour ago. I will post some photos as soon as the kits arrive (in case that someone is not faster). I plan comparing the Kora kits to the original Matchbox and both Maintrack conversions. The Maintrack resin conversions are indeed Siskin III and IIIDC, though the latter has been confusingly labelled as (in fact non-existent) IIIA (DC). Whereas the Siskin III conversion fuselage is not that bad and could eventually (read after quite a lot of work) produce plausible rendering of the original, the IIIDC fuselage is unusable without major surgery. It is at least 1 cm longer - 50/50 nose and tail, the relative position and the size of the cockpits is wrong, and these are just the most obvious faults. Edited November 25, 2019 by Patrik 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Holden Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 I have some of the preceding Kora injection moulded kits and have to say they are like a throwback to the limited-run kits of the 1990s; pretty crude and in the same league as early Pavla or AML. Heavy handed and crude details from hand-made patterns, with none of the CAD sophistication we are becoming used to nowadays. Decals are laser-printed, but probably the best parts of the kits. The parts fit is atrocious and everything needs refining/replacing. Only a slight improvement over a vacform. In the league table of Czech producers, they are right at the bottom. But if you enjoy a (considerable) challenge, they are producing some nice subjects...... I will keep holding my nose and buying them. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
71chally Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 I will wait out for pics and review of this, I could be better off with £5 Matchbox kits! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britman Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 2 hours ago, 71chally said: I will wait out for pics and review of this, I could be better off with £5 Matchbox kits! It's a damn good place to start . Keith 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWM Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 Does anybody know when Siskins were whithdrawn from Estonia army? What I have only found about them is that there were only two of them. But were they there still in 1940? Regards J-W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tripod Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 21 hours ago, Patrik said: The Maintrack resin conversions are indeed Siskin III and IIIDC, though the latter has been confusingly labelled as (in fact non-existent) IIIA (DC). Whereas the Siskin III conversion fuselage is not that bad and could eventually (read after quite a lot of work) produce plausible rendering of the original, the IIIDC fuselage is unusable without major surgery. It is at least 1 cm longer - 50/50 nose and tail, the relative position and the size of the cockpits is wrong, and these are just the most obvious faults. It's worse than just confusingly labelled. It's a Siskin IIIA fuselage with a second hole drilled in the top. That's why the fuselage and tail are wrong. You might as well do the major surgery on the original Matchbox fuselage. Unless, of course, someone knows of an odd field modification in Canada, or something of the sort. There was certainly nothing of the sort in the Alf Granger drawings. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackG Posted November 29, 2019 Share Posted November 29, 2019 There is a nice large photo of an Estonian Siskin on page 42 of the digital Issue 7 from WingLeader Magazine: https://issuu.com/wingleader/docs/wingleader_magazine_-_issue_7_-_dig regards, Jack 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWM Posted November 29, 2019 Share Posted November 29, 2019 5 hours ago, JackG said: There is a nice large photo of an Estonian Siskin on page 42 of the digital Issue 7 from WingLeader Magazine: https://issuu.com/wingleader/docs/wingleader_magazine_-_issue_7_-_dig Thank you for sharing, very interesting magazine, also other issues Regards J-W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackG Posted November 29, 2019 Share Posted November 29, 2019 (edited) Hello J-W, yes if you sign up to the WingLeader newsletter, they will notify you by email when their latest digital magazine is ready to download for free. https://www.wingleader.co.uk/ regards, Jack Edited November 29, 2019 by JackG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrik Posted December 13, 2019 Share Posted December 13, 2019 Dear Christkind, It seems I had not been as that good the whole year as I thought. OK, I have found the Siskins in my post whole 11 days before Christmas, so far so good. Unfortunately, the hands of the Kora guys were evidently led by the other guy (the one we sometimes have Sympathy For ...), who let them ignore completely the easy-to-find-fact that the early Siskins had much shorter fuselage than the IIIA. I am sad. I just had a brief glimpse into the boxes today in the morning before I left for the office. I will make more detailed inspection during the weekend when I will post my report together with photos here too. Patrik 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackG Posted December 13, 2019 Share Posted December 13, 2019 Actually, the main production variant Siskin IIIA had a number of changes compared to the earlier Mark III: - as mentioned, lengthened fuselage as well as raised aft decking - greater gap and less upper wing dihedral - redesigned vertical tail surfaces lacking the ventral fin - super charged engine - rounded sides replacing the earlier slab-sided fuselage http://www.aviastar.org/air/england/arm_siskin3a.php http://britishaviation-ptp.com/aw_siskin.html Nice shot of Canadian Siskins, with the early Siskin III (aircraft no.10) in the immediate foreground. Good comparison of both the fuselage shapes and different dihidral: regards, Jack 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsbody Posted December 13, 2019 Share Posted December 13, 2019 Siskin drawings: Chris 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrik Posted December 14, 2019 Share Posted December 14, 2019 (edited) I purchased the Siskin III and IIIDC "British service" boxings, So let's have a look what we get for the money. I have not seen previous Kora plastic kits live, but I read they had been rather crude. I do not think it is the case here. We get quite decent short runs, both look for sure buildable. It is of course not Special Hobby or Sword, it reminds more of e.g, RS Models kits. In both cases we get one common sprue (with the single seater fuselage in case of the Siskin III boxing) , upper an lower wings, and nice and detailed resin Jaguar engine. The IIIDC includes additional sprue with the fuselage and extra cockpit parts for the double seater. The only criticism from my side belongs to the stitching on the fuselage sides. It would look more properly on the head of a Frankenstein monster than on an airplane. The kits are clearly based on grandpa Matchbox, which is both their blessing and their undoing. It is nice that Kora writes in their instructions that "Siskin IIIA had completely new fuselage - longer, with different cross-section" and then bases their master fully on the Matchbox IIIA fuselage. The result is that the fuselages are all wrong. Far too long, too wide, too high, with wrong cross-sections. I am going to analyze the kit faults more in detail tomorrow and I will post my findings here again. I am also planning to contact the Kora guys and ask them what the hell they were doing. Because all the references they mention in their instruction show very clearly how bad research job they did. By the way, the Matchbox fuselage is the one on the port side😀. Edited December 14, 2019 by Patrik 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEXANTOMCAT Posted December 14, 2019 Share Posted December 14, 2019 Crikey thanks for posting- looks like the mighty Matchbox got it right 40 years ago and er Kora have rather didn't do a very good job here ☹️ TT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackG Posted December 14, 2019 Share Posted December 14, 2019 The only improvement I see is a more detailed cockpit, all Matchbox had was a seat and pilot. Notice too, added access holes on the wheel hubs. Engine looks similar to Matchbox, but from what I can see here, the original was more crisp (probably owing to the fact that the cylinders were cast as two separate rows). Yes, that stitching is bad. Unfortunately nothing in the aftermarket to improve this area. I've looked at PE from both Eduard and PART (from Poland), and neither has the right pattern let alone scaled to proper size. I've had to revert to drawing up something to be applied as decals: regards, Jack 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Holden Posted December 14, 2019 Share Posted December 14, 2019 On the sprues, it looks an improvement on their earlier kits, which have crude fabric surfaces. But that's probably because these are 'lifted' off the Matchbox kit. The dimensional errors of the fuselage are very disappointing. Sounds like it would be better to scratchbuild a new fuselage and use the MB wings. Decals look ok and have the correct 1:2:3 proportions found on the Siskin rather than the normal RAF 1:3:5 ones. Would be nice to see the fuselage compared with the Grainger drawings. Another point about these kits are that they are very expensive (more than 50% dearer than similar kits), which compounds the disappointment....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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