csavaglio

To answer your question about the lack of magnets in the panels, you add photoetch pieces in the corresponding locations. If you look at the instructions on scalemates, page 62 or so has the step for it. They are extremely strong for their size... I haven't used them on the kits, but they're useful for either stuff.

As a general rule, gluing halved parts together to make complete sides makes life a lot easier... Hasegawa 109 and p-40, for example. With every trumpeter kit I've ever built, especially jets, the hatches take work to close and clean up. I usually do them first thing so I can work them from both sides. If the bay is molded in, I'll drill holes or cut it away so I can use a toothpick or back of a brush or whatever to push edges flush with the outside.

There was an SR-71 that was intended for mainstream, injection molding, and even had an assembled model a few years back displayed at a show. It was Vintage Fighters, the ones who did the 1/24 p-40 and p-47 before it was taken over by kinetic. I haven't heard a single thing anywhere after that... https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/topic/95042-132-sr-71-blackbird/ With 3d stuff, I'd love to see file packs available. With printing, it's not just the material cost, but the time. With an SR-71, you may have a dozen or more very large parts that each take up a whole print bed for 15+ hrs and that's once you've got the test prints for each nailed down. Even with half a dozen printers going, you might tie up your whole printer farm for a week for each kit, plus all the post processing time. I think a lot of people think you hit ctrl-p and a few hrs later you have printed kit done. I have a reasonably large and very current printer, and a studio scale X wing took a couple weeks of almost non stop printing to do one kit worth, as in, print overnight, wake up, process parts, kick off the next print, process that parts after dinner, kick off the next, repeat. And it took 4 or 5 kg of resin, multiple rounds of very messy and time consuming cleaning tank cleans, release film swaps, etc. Filament printing is less messy, but more finicky and just as slow, but the layer height and detail is unacceptable for scale modeling in general.

At the same price, absolutely, but the 30% price difference makes the decision a little less cut and dry. I have both and even sold a -1 a few months ago for much than what it's on sale for so I wasn't gonna get one anyhow unless it was to stash away to eventually throw in a swap meet table. We're spoiled now. .. It wasn't all that long that both versions were out of production and getting way more than double that.

Why all the hate on the h-1, then? Holding both kits parts side by side and there's nothing earth shatteringly different. Not siding one way or the other, just genuinely curious. The Horton had areas like that with the inner structure and wings when I built it. It took me a long time of off and on building to finally finish. And the mustang looks like it'd be a bear to get it to go together clean and do a nmf plane with the parts breakdown.

There's some refinement in a few of the parts, the louvres are especially noticeable, but was the fit improved? I have both kits and compared them side by side, but it seems like nothing they did would make it less fiddly.

I hesitate to post this since it's gonna ruin Crazy Ivan5's day when they sell out before he gets an order in, but the ZM Ta-152H-1 and Bf109G-14 are on the lightning deal page at sprue Bros. https://spruebrothers.com/lightning-deals/ C

Kagero did some in their profile books if you can find them. Part 1 Lightnings at War has an E and G. Part 2 has a G, all three are interesting. The recent Zotz Jerry Johnson sheet has a F and H on it too. Each of the print scale sheets has an early p-38 on them too. Not spoiled for choice, but some out there.

Thank you for the extensive update. While I'm looking forward to the kit, I totally understand the workload and boy, do I understand printer issues. I hadn't thought of using my ultrasonic to clean parts. I have a decent one that looks similar to yours I typically use for 1:1 scale car parts like hardware, valvetrain, transmission internals etc. I would prob not use the heating feature with alcohol tho. Enjoy your trip! C

Of course, put me down for a set whenever it's ready, Tim. Can't wait!

Awesome, I figured you'd do it right.

Tim, do you have a kit on hand to test the fit? I can't remember which conversion I had a few years ago, but the shrinkage made it not worth using cause of the extra work. Using older resin parts as masters for new resin may have shrinkage add up. Are you gonna do the early canopy? Looking forward to it C

Sometimes I see good deals on there that goes on sale over and over, but who knows how many he had in stock. He's always got something going, but it's usually the same wood ships. I've seen good deals on Revell/icm and Italeri kits pretty regularly, tho

Just a heads up, Model Expo has the Airfix Spitfire Mk.VIII on sale for $80us. C

Yesterday was a good day for the lsp folks. Someone was liquidating all the big scale kits for 40-60 each... Like academy hornets, tamiya jets, hubby boss and trumpeter large jets and props, etc.