1/72 - Dornier/Dassault-Breguet Alpha Jet family by Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) - released - Air Graphics sets

[Planebuilder62]

Looks like a very nice kit to me, well done KP.

Regards Toby

[Homebee]

Expected in November 2021

Source: https://www.facebook.com/artscale.eu/posts/4610927079002120

 

- ref. KPM0268 - DDB Alpha Jet 1B+/A- International (Belgium, Portugal & Thailand)

 

 

- ref. KPM0269 - DDB Alpha Jet A/E/MS.1&2 - Over Africa (Nigeria, Morocco & Egypt)

 

 

V.P.

Edited November 12, 2021 by Homebee

[alt-92]

FAP Alpha 
Saw them buzzing around at Beja AB, in the previous millenium (does that make us sound old? ) when doing a base tour all around the Iberian peninsula.

all I need now is a G-91. 

[Homebee]

9 hours ago, alt-92 said:

(...) all I need now is a G-91. 

 

http://www.meng-model.com/en/contents/74/97.html

 

V.P.

[Julien]

This is such a good looking kit I had to buy 3 of the boxings!

[Homebee]

Released

- ref. KPM0268 - DDB Alpha Jet 1B+/A- International (Belgium, Portugal & Thailand) - https://eshop.kovozavody.cz/10593,en_alpha-jet-a-e-international-.html

- ref. KPM0269 - DDB Alpha Jet A/E/MS.1&2 - Over Africa (Nigeria, Morocco & Egypt) - https://eshop.kovozavody.cz/10594,en_alpha-jet-a-e-over-africa-.html

 

V.P.

[Homebee]

New limited edition - IPMS Antwerp 12-13 March 2022 

Source: https://www.facebook.com/artscale.eu/posts/4776205445807615

 

Quote

IPMS Antwerp 12-13 March 2022 - Very limited edition of two different boxes prepared - 1/72 Alpha Jet.

Both kits will contain one Belgian and one French aircraft with attractive livery. In cooperation of Art Scale Kit Distribution and KP Models. Sales start and premiére on the IPMS show. Pre-orders (shipping after the event in Antwerp) possible soon. Including evaluation pack - combination of kit and Duke Hawkins Alpha Jet publication and Art Scale excellent and the best express masks.

https://www.artscale.eu/172-alpha-jet-one-sided-painting-mask-for-kpm-prostejov-1

 

 

V.P.

Edited December 27, 2021 by Homebee

[Homebee]

Quote

IPMS Antwerpen 2022 (covid) canceled. We have prepared limited kits just for this event. Very limited edition of 500 pc. So with the immediate validity of the pre-order here, do not hesitate! The Alpha Jets are otherwise discontinued by the manufacturer and no re-release is being considered anytime soon. Availlable cca. end of February 2022

 

- ref. 125-KPM0288 - 1/72 Alpha Jet 1B/E in French/Belgian Services

 Sources: 

https://www.artscale.eu/172-alpha-jet-in-frenchbelgian-services-ask-distribution-limited-edition-incl-artscale-mask-1

https://www.facebook.com/artscale.eu/posts/4851903838237775

 

- ref. 125-KPM0289 - Alpha Jet 1B/E in Belgian/French Services

Sources: 

https://www.artscale.eu/172-alpha-jet-e-in-belgianfrench-services-ask-distribution-limited-edition-incl-artscale-mask-1

https://www.facebook.com/artscale.eu/posts/4851915078236651

 

 

And masks

- ref. 200-M72025 - Alpha Jet one-sided painting mask 

Source: https://www.artscale.eu/172-alpha-jet-one-sided-painting-mask-for-kpm-prostejov-1

 

 

V.P.

Edited January 23, 2022 by Homebee

[Dennis_C]

40 minutes ago, Homebee said:

- ref. 125-KPM0288 - 1/72 Alpha Jet 1B/E in French/Belgian Services

I think wrong pictures for this article. 

[Homebee]

15 hours ago, Dennis_C said:

I think wrong pictures for this article. 

Thanks. Corrected.

Have a good Sunday Dennis.

 

V.P.

Edited January 24, 2022 by Homebee

[ivand]

Interestingly, most comparisons have been with the Heller kit. I got out an Airfix Alpha Jet (in a Heller box) and what do you know...

KP on top.

[ivand]

There really is a strong resemblance.

The belly insert is also quite comparable.

And the wings (Heller in green). The position of the dogtooth is close to the Airfix one, as opposed to the Heller (which has the superfluous cutouts for the lights).

[Dennis_C]

38 minutes ago, ivand said:

And the wings (Heller in green). The position of the dogtooth is close to the Airfix one, as opposed to the Heller (which has the superfluous cutouts for the lights).

Is Heller or Airfix so off? And second question - how is the KP molding quality? Any softness of smaller details?

I've not been looking really to this kit having seen unsuccessful L-159. But looks like this one is not so bad at all. 

Edited January 23, 2022 by Dennis_C

[ivand]

Well, according to this venerable topic, the Airfix one is the 'most correct' and Heller got the dog tooth extensions in the wrong place... 

 

KP's plastic is pretty soft and fine detail, like the landing gear, suffers a bit IMO. The engraving is quite acceptable to me. Construction doesn't seem to be all that straightforward: sanding, filling and sanding again, judging by the few builds I have seen until now.

[komoras]

https://www.scalemates.com/profiles/mate.php?id=20363&p=albums&album=78855&view=list

 

Here is a nice comparison build, between KP and a Heller kit.

[STROP]

2 hours ago, komoras said:

https://www.scalemates.com/profiles/mate.php?id=20363&p=albums&album=78855&view=list

 

Here is a nice comparison build, between KP and a Heller kit.

Thanks for looking at my album. I have not finished yet my build, and I am considering 3D printed replacements for the landing gear as well as some extra detail in the cockpit behind the ejection seats.

KP could have made a much more attractive kit if they had corrected the landing year, which looks like a copy of the heller/Revell kit and if they provided alternative  ( e.g. Martin Baker) ejection seats for the French & Belgian edition of the kit.

I wonder if Artscalekit would provide these in there announced versions of the KP kit.

[JayBee]

17 hours ago, ivand said:

Well, according to this venerable topic, the Airfix one is the 'most correct' and Heller got the dog tooth extensions in the wrong place... 

 

 

 

The dog tooth position is different on early prototypes, so Heller is right here. They moved the dog tooth position more inwards to prevent stall on all later variants.

[Fulcrum@]

We can wait a true good kit, now...not the Kp...

https://www.master194.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=119527

 

[STROP]

16 hours ago, Fulcrum@ said:

We can wait a true good kit, now...not the Kp...

https://www.master194.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=119527

 

 

On this French forum two modelers share their experience of building the KP kit, and most of the comments are rather negative about the kit. I dislike most of the comments as the language is often rude and bitter, but what do these  modellers expect ?

Waiting for a new and better kit is no option if you want to build an AJ on 1/72. The existing kits by the trio Airfix, Heller, Revell are more than 40 years old, and they did not care to improve them or to replace them in the last decade.

It is  highly unlikely that any of the other main manufacturers will issue a new  state-of-the-art kit of the Alpha Jet as the only way to make money with a entirely new kit is  to select a popular subject  such as the C-130 of Zvezda.

If there was a large market for a 1/72nd Alpha Jet, why is it not there, e.g.  made by Heller ?  Even Mach2, the French shortrun manufacturer did not care to produce it.

The easest way to generate cash-flow is to re-issue old kits with new decals in a new box. This is what most companies do, as well as KP , who reboxed last year the Heller Alouette III with new decals.

But if you want a lesser known subject, then you have to wait for a smaller manufacturer,  and the only one who suprises us more than once a year is Special Hobby.

This is also a small Czech firm but larger than KP and  apparently better equipped.  They produce original kits with a quality  comparable to that of the larger companies.

Their kits are often praised in in-box reviews, but not so easy to build in reality. I experienced problems with their SF260 and Fouga Magister kits but nothing unsurmountable.

Last year, there was some friction between Special Hobby and KP  as they both produced almost simultaneously similar kits, like the SIAI SF260 , Spitfire and Me109 variants. This was just plain stupid as they were eating each others market share. Hopefully there is now some understanding between them to avoid that kind of competition, but that would mean that we should not wait for a SH version of the Alpha Jet.

So what can you expect of the KP Alpha Jet ?

It is surely inspired by the older Airfix/Heller offerings but not a copy. There could be an issue of  accuracy, but the available information (scale drawings , e.a. ) is contradictory, so we cannot blame KP for that. It certainly looks like an Alpha Jet.

The kit can be build without major problems, with the usual care required for short run kits, i.e careful trimming, dry fitting and adjusting pieces when necessary before glueing.  Putty is necessary for some joints. The decals offer attractive schemes, but they are very delicate.

The most obvious imperfections are :  poor landing gear, the E-nose is not entirely correct, very little detail for the cockpit,  the ejection seats are for the A version only. Easiest improvement is to use resin ejection seats of Pavla or PJ production.

Is the KP kit expensive at a price of 15 to 20 Euro ? Yes , if you compare it with the Zvezda C-130H priced around 40 to 45 Euro / £ .  No, if you compare it with what is asked on Ebay for the old Airfix /  Heller / Revell  and for resin kits of similar jet planes.

If you want to build NOW an Alpha Jet in 1:72nd scale, buy the kit and use your skills to improve it.

If you just think of it as a possible subject, then you can wait for a better kit or an improvement set, maybe sometimes in the future you may be lucky.

[David Koktavý]

As far as I know, there is a "friction" between Special Hobby and KP for many years. The reason is always the same. KP and SH sometimes produce the same subject (at the same time) but in simmilar way. KP take some existing kit, make a copy and some improvement with minimum effort. Special Hobby make new kits with more effort to reach quality as much as possible for them. The result is that KP fills the market with a lot of "new mould kits" which are more or less comparable with shortrun kits from 90s. Speciall Hobby has then of course lower profit. SH also in the past incited customers not to buy and support KP due its disputable production. IMHO that incite was not correct too. 

Well, now the result for modellers is, that we have an opportunity to build a "low cost" Alphajet in 1/72, but we lost opportunity to have much better kit from another manufacturer. I believe the Alphajet was for many years ignored by manufacturers, therefore I agree with your last sentence - build or wait 🙂

[ivand]

You never know if Heller will some day  come 'round to it! 😏

[Fulcrum@]

Why i have to choose ?

I can build the KP but i can also wait a new kit !😉

As you say, the quality for this kit is more and less as the 90', now, most of french modellers have the Heller kit and the resin improvement...not sure that they want to buy this new kit yes, engraved but difficult to build.

Yes, for new modellers who don't have a kit of this plane, it's a good deal to build a Alphajet...

For Heller, we have wait the project, designed,  but never made after, with the sale of the company...sadly

 

Edited January 25, 2022 by Fulcrum@

[David Koktavý]

Well, for those who wants to have one ultimate AJ in the display cabinet, they have to consider a lot of building time to compensate all negative aspects of the kit or wait for another. But you are right. I intend to use the same strategy to build one KP and then wait... or build next KP, I will see 🙂

BTW. do I understand right? In the KP boxing is only MB.4 ejection seat which was used on Alphajet A. For Alphajet E it should be MB.10 seat. And there is another seat used in the Luftwaffe AJ. If I am right at least MB.4 and MB.10 is in the SH Mirage F1 boxing, so maybe it will be usable. 

Edited January 26, 2022 by David Koktavý

[alt-92]

I don't give a toss about the whole SH <> KP tiff. 

 

Fact: SH didn't bother to do an AJ. Neither did anyone else. KP did. 

 

[Fukuryu]

7 hours ago, alt-92 said:

I don't give a toss about the whole SH <> KP tiff. 

Hear! Hear!