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1/72 - McDD (R)F-4C/D/J/E/EJ Phantom II by Finemolds - (R)F-4C/D/E/EJ & J released - new boxings F4D & E in March 2024


Homebee

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16 hours ago, Tbolt said:

Some one in the UK that stocks Fine Molds, cool thanks for that.

 

EDIT - Doesn't seem to be any Fine Molds Phantoms on their website though, well none that I can find. It doesn't help that their search function is pretty bad and when you select post war aircraft kits all you get is 4 ship kits!

 

In their search function under post war aircraft it comes up as modern ships!?? No Fine Molds kits, is it April 1st?

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4 hours ago, CasualModel98 said:

Maybe pick up the phone can call them like the old days?...  🙂

 

 

 

Phone them, that is old?! 😉 Most people would just message them on FB.

 

Anyway I was just having a look on their site, I'm waiting for the RF.

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1 hour ago, Tbolt said:

 

Phone them, that is old?! 😉 Most people would just message them on FB.

 

Anyway I was just having a look on their site, I'm waiting for the RF.

 

You can also order from HLJ and have it mailed to you like what I did.  Final cost is not too different, cheaper than the local distributor in my area with their markups.  

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55 minutes ago, CasualModel98 said:

 

You can also order from HLJ and have it mailed to you like what I did.  Final cost is not too different, cheaper than the local distributor in my area with their markups.  

I'm still ensure of the new tax implications and if someone in the UK is selling it's just easier to go that way for now. Back in the day I use to order a lot from HLJ when the exchange rate and shipping made it silly cheap.

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  • Homebee changed the title to 1/72 - McDD (R)F-4E/EJ Phantom II by Finemolds - F-4EJ & E released - RF-4EJ in April 2021
4 minutes ago, Killingholme said:

Mine has arrived today. Jewel like kit.

VERY fine panel details. Even the instructions say "no spray" (I think).

 

So, how do you paint a kit without primer? Anyone link me to somewhere off this thread?

 

Will

 

Use enamel or lacquer paint but if you are using an airbrush you should still be able to put a light primer coat on.

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4 hours ago, Homebee said:

Finemolds proposes a set of armement - ref. FP.39 - JASDF missiles set

 

That JASDF weapons set is good for the F-4EJkai, but few if any of the contents are applicable to a Vietnam era USAF F-4E.

I was hoping Fine Molds would take the opportunity to do a second weapons set, including AIM-9B, AIM-7E, AIM-4 and maybe some rockets and bombs. Good for the USAF F-4E release, and also at least partly applicable to early JASDF F-4EJs. But nothing so far.

 

    Jonathan.

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The Japanese prices are attractive and the UK price for the variants that are here are less than Hasegawa and it’s apparently a better kit so worth getting. But reflecting what FineMolds market is and the fact they are selling out fast even in Japanese stores are they doing any variants / reboxings after the RF-4EJ? Is it a case of buying whatever is available in UK or Japanese stores or preordering the RF or paying premium price for some previous variants? Or do we not know?

 

Where I am at is a stash 12+ Phantoms, mainly Hasegawa and Fuijimi Phantoms and some other brands, already and an interest in many schemes but mainly RAF and USAF, eg Gulf War F-4E ongoing. I do like the JSDF and would build them sometime, but don’t want to overdo the stash because I don’t build that quickly. 
 

Thoughts?

 

Chris

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Put yourself in the shoes of FM.

 

They only have a small number of moulding machines and can only produce so many F-4 kits at a time. They must also supply their other models to shops too.

 

Therefore Phantoms will sell out, but would you just stop making them in the future? Of course not. It is a huge cash cow.

 

So stop worrying about getting one now, and be patient. They will be back in stock at some.point in time

 

Andy

 

 

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1 hour ago, Red Dot said:

They will be back in stock at some.point in time

 

HLJ currently list the first few Fine Molds F-4 boxings (FNMFP-37 (F-4EJ), FNMFP-38 (F-4EJkai) and FNMFP-40 (F-4EJkai 8 Sqn)) as discontinued, and not available for back order. 

While I agree with Andy that the plastic is likely to be still be available, I'm not sure whether they will do another run of the same kit, or do the next run with different configurations / markings. The latter would require more investment in decals, instructions and box art (I note that they didn't go down the route of having separate decal sheets for stencils and unit markings / serials; and separate instructions for assembly and painting / decaling to reduce the costs of offering new squadron options), but would maintain the value of their product, in a "If you want that particular option, buy it now, because we won't be doing that one again" sort of way.

I expect that they will go down the Aoshima-style route of marking a kit up as discontinued once the latest production run has been emptied from the warehouse, then putting it back in the catalogue once they decide to do another one.

But I don't expect all boxings to get repeat runs - I expect the base line EJ and EJkai boxings to be back before too long; less confident for the retirement scheme and the 8 Sqn specials.

 

    Jonathan.

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They probably had unique decal sheets, as being typically Japanese, they didn't think the models would sell so well as to need separate stencil and other marking sheets.

 

They will be available for years to come, but why saturate the market now? By leaving it for a bit, the clamour and demand later on will maintain a good price and profit margin. Well done to FM, they deserve it,

 

Andy (who doesn't own a kit yet)

 

 

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2 hours ago, Red Dot said:

They will be available for years to come........

Finemolds originally released their F-14 series as a D but then has never followed with another D. They may, but it could be a long wait.

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26 minutes ago, baldwin8 said:

Finemolds originally released their F-14 series as a D but then has never followed with another D. They may, but it could be a long wait.

 

Or, it may have been a requirement of the agreement with Model Graphix magazine that serialised the F-14D kit. The magazine pays for the tooling, but Fine Molds' use of it is limited, either for a length of time or to different versions.

Likewise I don't think the Fine Molds A6M5 kit has appeared on its own. Their Ka 14 has come out, but in a different configuration to the Model Graphix version. And their A6M3 kit that was included with a Model Graphix issue in February 2013 looks like it is due to be released May 2021. But as it is paired with a 1:35 figure, my 1:72 filter didn't pick it up. So Fine Molds does have a track record of sitting on molds if they deem it appropriate. Hopefully the same will not apply to the F-4.

 

    Jonathan.  

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Since the F-14, they have been designing and making Phantoms.

 

Yet again, they are a tiny company and can only do so much at once.

 

Give them a break. 

 

At least they have a policy of total quality or nothing, so they won't sell their souls for money.

 

Sorry Jonathan, but no magazine could afford to pay for mould tools. However FM may have had an agreement regarding promotions. 

Suzuki-san, the MD, is a very shrewd businessman, as well as being an excellent engineer and modeller. To him, Finemolds is a passion.

 

Andy

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14 hours ago, Red Dot said:

Give them a break.

 

I prefer to give them my money. And as HLJ hasn’t sold out of the ADTW retirement scheme boxing at the time of writing, I was able to do that again yesterday.

 

> but no magazine could afford to pay for mould tools.

 

If the magazine are the only ones selling the kit, they will be the ones paying for the tooling – one way (at least some up-front investment) or the other (amortised over one or more of the production runs). Or a bit of both.

 

> Suzuki-san, the MD, is a very shrewd businessman

 

Indeed – hence my belief that the publisher made it worth his while to tool up what is probably the most popular subject in Japanese aircraft modelling (five years before Tamiya did), but not sell it himself for over a decade (I assume the 2019 A6M1 / A6M2a FM release is at least part based on the 2007 tooling - the Model Graphix releases can be hard to get around these parts, and I don’t own one myself).

I am curious as to whether the greater coverage of Model Graphix (available in the majority of periodical sellers throughout Japan, rather than just the hobby shops), plus the publisher taking on what I assume would be all the risk of distribution, was enough of an enticement by itself to sign up for the arrangement.   

 

Anyway, the A6M Zero kit reference was intended as an observation that Fine Molds has precedent for sitting on tooling for years at a time. When magazine deals are involved.

 

When they aren’t, the Ki-61 / Ki-100, the Me 410 and the Bf 109 kits are probably better examples; if the Scalemates site is to be trusted, in the same year that Model Graphix released the first Fine Molds Zero boxing, Fine Molds released five different boxings of their Bf 109 kit. So yes, on that precedent, the chances are that their Phantom will be available for some time to come. But not necessarily in the boxings it has been so far.

      Jonathan.

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hi Jonathan,

 

When i said give Finemolds a break, i was referring to the continuous clamour for yet more decals and versions, as they simply can't do that. You're quite right that the best support is to purchase kits.

 

I still firmly believe that no publisher would fund moulds, as they don't make huge amounts of money themselves. However, you are right, in that a joint plan of action between inemolds and Model Graphix could have taken place.

 

The Phantoms will be around for a long time yet

Andy

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10 hours ago, Stilwell said:

 

I prefer to give them my money. And as HLJ hasn’t sold out of the ADTW retirement scheme boxing at the time of writing, I was able to do that again yesterday.

 

> but no magazine could afford to pay for mould tools.

 

If the magazine are the only ones selling the kit, they will be the ones paying for the tooling – one way (at least some up-front investment) or the other (amortised over one or more of the production runs). Or a bit of both.

 

> Suzuki-san, the MD, is a very shrewd businessman

 

Indeed – hence my belief that the publisher made it worth his while to tool up what is probably the most popular subject in Japanese aircraft modelling (five years before Tamiya did), but not sell it himself for over a decade (I assume the 2019 A6M1 / A6M2a FM release is at least part based on the 2007 tooling - the Model Graphix releases can be hard to get around these parts, and I don’t own one myself).

I am curious as to whether the greater coverage of Model Graphix (available in the majority of periodical sellers throughout Japan, rather than just the hobby shops), plus the publisher taking on what I assume would be all the risk of distribution, was enough of an enticement by itself to sign up for the arrangement.   

 

Anyway, the A6M Zero kit reference was intended as an observation that Fine Molds has precedent for sitting on tooling for years at a time. When magazine deals are involved.

 

When they aren’t, the Ki-61 / Ki-100, the Me 410 and the Bf 109 kits are probably better examples; if the Scalemates site is to be trusted, in the same year that Model Graphix released the first Fine Molds Zero boxing, Fine Molds released five different boxings of their Bf 109 kit. So yes, on that precedent, the chances are that their Phantom will be available for some time to come. But not necessarily in the boxings it has been so far.

      Jonathan.

 

Their A6M2a (aka A6M2 Model 11 aka Reisen 11) is actually their A6M2b (aka Model 21, aka Reisen 21) with changed canopy. The prototype has some new parts (fuselage, engine and cowling) and some old.

 

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Gave in Sunday, bought a vanilla Kai, from UK shop, arrived this morning. :wow:so much better than Hasegawa. The intakes, the exhausts, the cockpit, even the large instruction sheet that understands I am going to add the breakable bits at the end.

 

Chris 

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