masterKamera Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 starting a bulldog, and am trying to find a larger scale 1:48 or 1:72 have seen mentions of a zmeda kit and a no brand kit but no one actually has other then original airfix kits for sale. Is there any luck of finding something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acky190 Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 There are definitely 1/48th kits in the Smer/Merit/Randall kits out there, they are IMHO inferior to the Pyro/Impact/Lindberg/Lifelike kits of old having raised markings etc as was popular at the time. There was definitely a two seater Bulldog kit produced in the past, I'm thinking it was vacform or resin and can't be certain of manufacturer though. There is also the stunning but scarce and usually very expensive 1/32nd Silver Wings kit to consider if you can find it. Hope this helps. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelldoc Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 The SMER kit is a former ARTIPLAST kit. He is nearly 1:50, https://www.scalemates.com/kits/artiplast-123-bristol-bulldog--589131 The Airfix is not new but nice. https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/12676979815/in/photolist-qcvrsD-kjdQrv modelldoc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJP Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 Merit released a 1/48 Bulldog in 1957. It was later reboxed under the Artiplast and Smer labels. It was distinctly crude compared to the entirely unrelated and completely new one from Inpact (never 'Impact', a common error) released in 1968. This later kit was also reboxed under several names - Pyro, Life-Like and finally Lindberg. Inpact had a series of interwar British biplanes - Hawker Fury, Fairey Flycatcher and Gloster Gladiator. Inpact also released some pre-WW I types, most (all?) of which were reboxed by the same names as the 30s fighters. All worth searching out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seawinder Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 Having built one of the Inpact descendants, I can say that it's a surprisingly nice kit for its day and can yield a very satisfactory model. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masterKamera Posted June 17, 2022 Author Share Posted June 17, 2022 all im coming up with a smer kit for 24$ plus 16 or 50 for shipping,,,, id like it but not at that price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Thompson Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 2 hours ago, masterKamera said: all im coming up with a smer kit for 24$ plus 16 or 50 for shipping,,,, id like it but not at that price. Trust me, the Smer/Merit kit is the one you absolutely do NOT want. There's no excuse for it costing more than a few dollars, and the only useful bit you'll get is the box, in which to keep other things. The Inpact kit, whatever reboxing, appears over here in the UK on Ebay occasionally and can be pricey but patience will reward you. The last one I got (last year) was £8.00 - the postage to America would have put it out of your reach but it does also sometimes go for a similar price when I've seen one from an American seller. Worth expanding your search terms, because it gets mis-labelled now and then by unwise sellers as a Bristol Fighter. Paul. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selwyn Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 21 minutes ago, Paul Thompson said: Trust me, the Smer/Merit kit is the one you absolutely do NOT want. There's no excuse for it costing more than a few dollars, and the only useful bit you'll get is the box, in which to keep other things. The Inpact kit, whatever reboxing, appears over here in the UK on Ebay occasionally and can be pricey but patience will reward you. The last one I got (last year) was £8.00 - the postage to America would have put it out of your reach but it does also sometimes go for a similar price when I've seen one from an American seller. Worth expanding your search terms, because it gets mis-labelled now and then by unwise sellers as a Bristol Fighter. Paul. The SMER kit was worth buying because the decal sheet was quite good. and better than the inpact sheet. You could get the kit for a few pounds which equated to the price of aftermarket decal sheet! Plastic was absolute rubbish, think the fuselage was very short as well. Most people got it for that reason. Selwyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Thompson Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 2 minutes ago, Selwyn said: The SMER kit was worth buying because the decal sheet was quite good. and better than the inpact sheet. You could get the kit for a few pounds which equated to the price of aftermarket decal sheet! Plastic was absolute rubbish, think the fuselage was very short as well. Most people got it for that reason. Selwyn Agreed, but I don't think it's worth it for a decal sheet if he has to pay a total of around $40.00. Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KITCAT Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 44 minutes ago, Paul Thompson said: because it gets mis-labelled now and then by unwise sellers as a Bristol Fighter. Bristol Fighter!!!!, Only in America-what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Thompson Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 5 minutes ago, KITCAT said: Bristol Fighter!!!!, Only in America-what? Second try at a reply - it went blank when I hit the submit reply button. I didn't mean just US Ebay, I've seen it more generally. Which may be understandable in a world where you see Gladiators and Swordfish labelled as WW1, presumably just because they're biplanes. Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentwaters81tfw Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 I have a Lindberg boxing of the 1/48 Inpact kit, In fact I'm selling it, but postage to the USA would make it impractical I imagine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Smith Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 19 hours ago, masterKamera said: starting a bulldog, and am trying to find a larger scale 1:48 4 hours ago, masterKamera said: all im coming up with a smer kit for 24$ plus 16 or 50 for shipping,,,, id like it but not at that price. Lindberg one here in CA for $14.99 + shipping, I put in a Texas zip code and that is $8.61 https://www.ebay.com/itm/384951987402 There are several more, and if you wait, can be got cheaper. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=lindberg+bristol+bulldog&_sacat=220 as the other say, stay away from the SMER/Srtiplast kit, and look for Inpact/Lifelike/Pyro/Lindberg. The kit is very old, mid 60's, but they were some of the best models made in that era, and with a little care and a few tweaks, make into very decent model even now. Or ask on Hyperscale plane trading, they have a large US based membership. HTH 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnHaa Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 Well, I still have the old Inpact Model ! Now I gues its some 45 years old...:-) Don't look at the rigging, after all those years its a mess. But I still remember, that it was a joy to build, much better than I was used to. With regards, JohnHaa 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masterKamera Posted June 18, 2022 Author Share Posted June 18, 2022 it really is a nice plane. I know ill have fun building the airfix reissue, even though i have no plans to do the rigging on this one. ebay will be the place i guess, even special hobby is hitting 3 digit numbers on amazon... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackem01 Posted June 18, 2022 Share Posted June 18, 2022 I do like these old Impact/Merit/Pyro kits. With a bit of patience you can turn out a good model. They also stand up to some rough handling too, better them a more modern femma kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masterKamera Posted June 19, 2022 Author Share Posted June 19, 2022 19 hours ago, mackem01 said: I do like these old Impact/Merit/Pyro kits. With a bit of patience you can turn out a good model. They also stand up to some rough handling too, better them a more modern femma kit. the airfix kit i have in hand has delicate holes for inserting parts into. Robust is always better, but overall kit quality is what counts in a larger scale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selwyn Posted June 19, 2022 Share Posted June 19, 2022 4 hours ago, masterKamera said: the airfix kit i have in hand has delicate holes for inserting parts into. Robust is always better, but overall kit quality is what counts in a larger scale. If you are doing the airfix 1/72 kit be aware that the propeller is totally wrong and needs replacement, there is one available aftermarket. Selwyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
europapete Posted June 19, 2022 Share Posted June 19, 2022 The Inpact series of kits are great models. They build up very nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masterKamera Posted June 19, 2022 Author Share Posted June 19, 2022 8 hours ago, Selwyn said: If you are doing the airfix 1/72 kit be aware that the propeller is totally wrong and needs replacement, there is one available aftermarket. Selwyn the propeller didnt look right to me.. however im not that concerned with it to be honest. This version is to break the ground, get used to building something in segments that need painting before final assembly. Personally im not that worried on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masterKamera Posted June 19, 2022 Author Share Posted June 19, 2022 im getting a lindberg 1/48 bulldog and a 1/48 curtis goshawk.. the 1/72 monogram re issue goshawk is what got me started down the road, and as it was unfindable at the time i went with other things. Things that i wish i hadnt purchased, but have learned alot from. I am hoping that going with old school kits will make me happier, and get back into modelling better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Smith Posted June 19, 2022 Share Posted June 19, 2022 10 minutes ago, masterKamera said: I am hoping that going with old school kits Do some research on what old school kits though.... the Inpact/Pyro etc kits are excellent examples of a really good old school kit, but there are plenty of poor ones, eg the Merit/SMER Bulldog. Always worth searching and/or asking here about how kits are, and how they hold up. Re the Airfix Bulldog is generally noted as being a good old school kit, apart from the prop. The Airfix Bulldog prop problem... they reversed the pitch on the blades... https://www.freightdogmodels.co.uk/product/freightdog-1-72-bristol-bulldog-ii-corrected-propeller-for-airfix-vintage-classics-series/ Might be worth seeing if you can find some kind of replacement, or try scratchbuilding one. If it works, old school modelling success, not happy , use the kit prop. Bear in mind, even if you don't succeed, I'll bet you will learn from trying, and it's not as if you be out of pocket. You might find adding some plastic card to the front of the blade faces and then reshaping it maybe possible to salvage the kit prop? Sure, plenty of things online, but worth reading one of the originators of serious plastic modelling, Harry Woodman, while old,(1975 or so) it is full of useful ideas and techniques, and he specialises in the kind of models you are asking about. he was one of the pioneers who really changed peoples ideas of what could be done with a kit, or that you'd even need a kit.... https://rclibrary.co.uk/title_details.asp?ID=1216 pdf here https://rclibrary.co.uk/download_title.asp?ID=1216 The first article I ever read about photo etch is in a 1976 Scale models magazine, by him, where he was making his own etch parts... HTH 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Slowbuild Posted June 20, 2022 Share Posted June 20, 2022 12 hours ago, Troy Smith said: 12 hours ago, Troy Smith said: Harry Woodman Excellent reference Troy, just had a browse through over coffee, inspirational stuff. Shall read it thoroughly! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tempestfan Posted June 23, 2022 Share Posted June 23, 2022 On 6/20/2022 at 1:05 AM, masterKamera said: im getting a lindberg ... 1/48 curtis goshawk.. That one is a Lindberg original. You will find a more or less completely different "world" with Lindberg originals a s compared to the Inpact. Inpact is a scale model, I think it's fair to say that Lindberg kits were always intended as technical toys for boys. Which does not mean I do not like them. I have one of their 'tween the wars kits, it should be the Goshawk. No idea about accuracy, but it's one of their better kits I think - Here is one built from the box. I also have a soft spot for their 1/48 XF8U-1 and 1/64 B-58. If you want old school, then I guess original Lindberg's will be your thing 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masterKamera Posted June 30, 2022 Author Share Posted June 30, 2022 That lindberg goshawk kit i have next to me, i was surprised when i opened it. i can barely see any flash on it. its bootiful. sure most of the parts removed from the sprue when i opened it, but that was original owner being stupid. This kit is better than the airfix eindecker and roden junkers d1 i have. The Testors ryan pt-20 is equal to the eduard nuieport 17 dual combo set i have. I had the goshawk fuselage dry fitted to eachother all day long, and they had to be pried apart just now , and could be held up by the sprue stuck to one and not come apart on their own. that is quality. modern airfix not there yet. Starting to get my airfix bulldog together. not perfectly aligned, some sections done as a circle, while the opposide side down as an oval Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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