John B (Sc) Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Hmm. So Trumpeter are doing two 1/32nd scale Lightnings. Whee - but hang on. What chance they get these right? I've been alternately delighted and depressed by Trumpeter. They do seem to have carefully missed the target on several of their big kits. OK, mostly can be rescued, but... Seeing a picture of what purports to be the planned kit box of the Mk 3 with what is plainly an F1a doesn't bode terribly well. What do you guys think? Chances they get it right? How long before it actually arrives?? I'm still sticking with my just started Echelon Lightning of course - a wonderful piece of work I'm only now very slowly getting on with. (Really at my skill limit - Bill Clark I'm not !) It's taken me years to summon up the courage to start, in case I ruined it. Perhaps I should sell the spare, kept in case of disaster, to another enthusiast, now the ridiculous (collector mania ?) prices should have decayed. Incidentally what happened to the 1/48th Gannet I thought they were doing? It seems to have vanished - or was it always rumour? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousA667 Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 What do you guys think? Chances they get it right? How long before it actually arrives?? Who knows? What would you prefer, a large kit that might need some tweaking to attain your personal ideal of perfection, or no kit at all? peebeep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thx6667 Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Who knows? No one really, the only time to start making acuracy calls on the kit is when it arrives in the shop and modellers start making it. Any speculation before then is rather redundant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B (Sc) Posted January 22, 2008 Author Share Posted January 22, 2008 (edited) Very true. Nice that they are having a try. Fingers crossed ! Edited January 22, 2008 by John B (Sc) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg B Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 (edited) Trumpeters standards have been improving, they listen and have revised tools, look at their F-100, they are closing on tamiya and hasegawa. I'm looking forward to them as they will be light years away from the good echelon kit. However much the naysayers get on their high hosses, we havent even seen test shots yet! Edited January 22, 2008 by Greg B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thx6667 Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 (edited) Who knows? What would you prefer, a large kit that might need some tweaking to attain your personal ideal of perfection, or no kit at all?peebeep Exactly. Some of the doom and gloom over previous 1/32 kits beggars belief when the choice is either a slightly less than perfect kit or no kit at all. If Trumpeter released a 1/32 Westland Whirlwind fighter and they got the tail bullet undersized, or the cockpit interior was slightly wrong or if it was covered in their trademark rivets, frankly I would not care and start bemoaning that "oh if only Tamigawa had made it" etc... I would be happy to just have a base kit to work with and do some modelling. Edited January 22, 2008 by Jonathan Mock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
entlim Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 That'll do for me............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdave Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Oh my gowd its turned into hyperwhinge! Diss the kit thats not even in a mold yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
model_madness Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Agree with ^ Trumps Mig-21, F-105D+G and F-100 all go to show they can produce sterling kits! What makes you think the Lightning will be any different? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 With the popularity that the kit(s) of a 1/32nd Lightning will enjoy there will be no shortage of aftermarket stuff available to correct the inevitable errors.The A-7 Corsair II is a case in point; as soon as the profile errors with the intake were highlighted, along came Zacto! I'm certainly glad that Trumpeter are getting the kits out that we all wanted, even with minor, but correctable, errors. In fact, has there ever been a kit produced yet that hasn't had a single error? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 (edited) I thought I was the award-winning cynic but let's be fair - you can't make any judgement on the basis of box top artwork. Likewise, despite all the crimes which Trumpeter have committed, the kits have all been pretty good in most respects and we've tended to carp about fairly minor points which anyone can put right if they want to. It's like the big A-7 kit which got so much criticism. I finally bought one a couple of weeks back and when I actually looked into the whole thing, there's nothing that can't be rectified with a bit of work and patience. Besides, there's no contest between putting right minor faults on a Trumpeter kit or having to assemble an Echelon vacform - no thanks! Edited January 23, 2008 by Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandwagon 106 Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 With every release, Trumpeter have shown improvements. Some have more errors than others, and these errors are more obvious to some modellers.Personally, I have to congratulate Trumpeter for venturing into a market that was previously the domaiin of Revell, Hasegawa and, of course, Tamiya. They have definately re-vitalised 1/32 aircraft kits and continue to do so. 10 years ago, I would have never imagined having the chance to build an A-7, an F-100, a Lightning in this big scale. Now it's here. Good on you Trumpeter Joel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 (edited) I entirely agree - who would have thought, just a few years ago, that there would be such a big range of big kits. Okay, some of them ain't perfect but I don't think any of them have faults which can't be rectified if you really want to have a perfect model. I'm guessing that the only real risk of a modelling horror will be if the Trumpeter rivet-puncher gets his hands on the Lightning mould. Don't relish having to fill thousands of holes but I guess I can put-up with that if necessary! Besides, Trumpeter aren't the only people who do silly things like that - look at Hasegawa's 48th Starfighters - beautiful, but covered in holes! Edited January 23, 2008 by Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 I totally agree that we have to wait and see before judging how the kits will be. And be glad that there will be new Lightnings coming in 32 (and in 72 too). On the trumpeter accuracy issues I guess it's all down to the information they start with: with some kits they've done very good jobs, with others they messed up badly. The Thunderchief is an interesting example: it seems to be not totally accurate and showing the same problems of the Monogram 1/48 offering. Did they start from the same drawings ? Did they use the monogram kit as their main source of info ? Hard to tell... Not that they are the only one, just think at the Hasegawa Spit IX... and they wouldn't be the only ones to have "found inspiration" in someone else's kit.. plenty of examples there ! Guess in the end it's all down to how much a company is willing to do research before starting. Some people go to the museum and take measurements, other just take the first set of drawings they find and put them through a computer.. let's just hope that the Lightnings have been designed by someone who knows the subject well !!!!! Giorgio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian @ KitsforCash Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Exactly. Some of the doom and gloom over previous 1/32 kits beggars belief when the choice is either a slightly less than perfect kit or no kit at all. If Trumpeter released a 1/32 Westland Whirlwind fighter and they got the tail bullet undersized, or the cockpit interior was slightly wrong or if it was covered in their trademark rivets, frankly I would not care and start bemoaning that "oh if only Tamigawa had made it" etc...I would be happy to just have a base kit to work with and do some modelling. that was the idea with the heritage lanc, mossie n lightning....glad there's still modellers out there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armadillos Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Well i for one wouldn`t care if its not 100% gives you something to do as has been said. I`d just like to see a Lightning F.6 released as well as an early version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 (edited) The worrying thing, as far as I'm concerned, is the apparent feeling, in some quarters, that 1) Trumpeter might have no idea of the existence of the Echelon kit, and 2) that they couldn't (or wouldn't) pay out the necessary £130+, on E-bay, to look one over. I read claim, after claim, that Trumpeter, or some other Chinese kit manufacturer, have copied, cloned, or generally plagiarised, some other person's work; well, if they copy Echelon's kit, I, for one, will breathe a huge sigh of relief, because it will be accurate. Edgar Edited January 23, 2008 by Edgar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentwaters81tfw Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 (edited) A certain acquaintance of mine in the modelling world informed me a year ago that negotiations were taking place between Trumpeter, and a certain English gentleman, who had produced a master for the EE Lightning in 1/32. Apparently the quality has to be seen to be believed. I can't yet confirm if the deal was done, but if Trumpy used this master, we are in for a humdinger of a kit. I will confirm this when I next speak to the Horse's Mouth. Edited January 24, 2008 by bentwaters81tfw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Bradshaw Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 (edited) Interesting...That would have to be one huge master pattern! AFAIK, most IM manufacturers work to (larger than) scale drawings in order to produce a master, or prototype, that is anything between 1.5 and 3 times larger than the finished scale. This prototype is then copied by either pantograph or spark erosion (at the correct scale) into a steel (or other complex alloy mix) machined male/female mould. Occasionally, some IM manufacturers will obtain an already produced kit of the subject they intend to make in order to study the break down, and work out how and where to incorporate the detail - sometimes, the break down has been worked how so well that it cannot be bettered, in which case, it may well be copied. I look forward to seeing the final Trumpeter offering, as I am sure that it shall sell well, whatever short comings it may, or may not, have. Derek A certain acquaintance of mine in the modelling world informed me a year ago that negotiations were taking place between Trumpeter, and a certain English gentleman, who had produced a master for the EE Lightning in 1/32. Apparently the quality has to be seen to be believed. I can't yet confirm if the deak was done, but if Trumpy used this master, we are in for a humdinger of a kit. I will confirm this when I next speak to the Horse's Mouth. Edited January 24, 2008 by Derek Bradshaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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