Artful69

Eduard has a decent set up with Brassin ... I mean, the 109E replacement gear is superb (including the wafer thin replacement cowls) I believe the other stuff was just as popular. I've often wondered the same thing with IM ... Maybe a short run set up? ... Some straight out corrected pieces ... Some simple conversion stuff ... Just a couple of kits that spring to mind are the HKM Mosquito and B-17 as well as the HB P-61 and B-24 Things that would be really expensive in highly detailed resin ... but maybe demand might equate to short run IM?? The purchase of a $300-$400 kit has to be niche rather than mainstream ... and if it is - it's more likely that recipients would want to create an accurate rendition. Rog

If this was the only error you spotted - work has been done to the kit ... A LOT of work ... I wrestled with dark green plastic for a few days before inserting everything in the round filing cabinet. If you have CRAPLOADS of time ... and patience ... I'm sure you can produce a stunning model ... dimensions will be off without MAJOR surgery though. But we have the Matchbox kit so why bother (<- see how firmly the tongue is planted in the cheek there??) If I REALLY hated someone enough to spend the money ... I would send them one of these Rog

Not super detailed ... but accurate enough in outline and restrained external detail. There's enough there for the average modeller ... ... Plenty of AM going around to fill in any extra detail if you would like to go further. As long as it's NOT the Bf.109E kit of nightmares you should be good to go. Rog

Can't be sure Vaughn, but I think Thierry has done a tweak/comparison list somewhere?!? ... Obviously it's not the most accurately outlined replication of the original .... The honours there would probably go to Hasegawa in this scale? ... Although every kit has its quirks. The nose is a bit pointy and narrow if you want to be really nit-picky ... but the engineering/fit is good - it will be a more enjoyable experience to build I think It is also the most accurate of Trumpeters 'F/G' series ... TBH ... I really like them ... enjoy! Rog

... Except sheep ... they're almost always leery of humans in New Zealand ... most carry around a can of mace these days ... Rog

Well ... rest assured it can be, Tony! ... Just advise John that you're using the C7 kit as a base when ordering your conversion. Originally the conversion set arrived with 2 clear vac canopy parts (in case of a cutting blunder!). They're not awful by any means ... but just lack the crispness of detail that the rest of the IM kit provides. John went on to form up some clear resin parts a while later ... I bought a couple (I have 2 conversion sets) ... they are first rate I can't be sure, so you will have to confirm with John, but I think they are standard issue on the conversion sets sold now? ... Rog

Sounds like a really interesting title ... I wonder how that differs from a Sniper or a regular grunt in internet terms?? I'd take it as a compliment and run with it ... whack up a new avatar ... maybe a winged dagger overlaid on an old school monitor/keyboard combo? the motto ... "By Mouse, By Keyboard" seems apt. Rog

I can't be sure ... but I THINK Tony was meaning that he might be closer to committing to buying an AIMS conversion now that the donor kit is much cheaper than the original Dragon kits??? At any rate John designed his F & G conversions so that ANY of the Dragon kits can be used as a base - the logical solution. All the purchaser needs to do is advise John of the particular donor kit being used and he will tailor the parts included to reflect the kits' needs. Rog

Heya Albert When I first got back into the hobby ... My buying decisions were near awful ... the most dodgy kit of a particular subject on the market - and paying top dollar for it too!! So my thoughts: ... * Pick a subject first ... My stuff is mostly focused toward European/Mediterranean Theatre WWII ... but I did collect some Pacific Theatre stuff later - and these choices came out of my desire to have a go at building a kit made by particular manufacturer. Some people really like WWI subjects (and some have grown to like them because of WNW) ... others like Vietnam Jets ... others Cold War - or more modern ... Soviet, British, American ... the list of possibilities is endless. * Google research ... "1/32 XYZ" ... How many different kits are there out there?? The LSP data base can help ... so too, Scalemates. Look for detailed reviews on the various manufacturers kits - preferably those reviews containing a build (rather than just 'in-box') ... This will give you a good idea of what sort of pitfalls you may be setting yourself up for in the build, the amount of effort or skill required, scale accuracy - against the real deal, fit and finish, quality of kit engineering etc. * From there it's pretty much a Bang-for-buck decision ... how much are you willing to spend (or the budget will allow) - and what are those $$ going to buy you. * if you've gone through all of this and are still unsure ... pop a query up on the forums here ... there's a bucketload of knowledgable people that can clarify on various points. * My personal suggestion ... try at least 1 Zoukei-Mura kit at some point ... a relative newcomer (in the last decade) ... fast learners and the last 3 or 4 kits have been top notch! The kits go together in a very unusual (and I think - entertaining) way. The Ki-45 just released a few months back and the Hs.129 due out later this year both look amazing. Rog

Andy is good value .. I'm subscribed and notified when anything new is up Rog

That's not fair! ... the hairstyles always vary! *** Edit ... found it ... It's Macross Delta!! Rog

Oooooo which anime is that one? Rog

Well ... when it was first announced ... that was my thought too ... I mean it's not like their WWI kits are anywhere near cheap ... These guys operate at the Tamiya-esque / Zoukei -Mura end of the spectrum. But I distinctly remember that someone representing WNW (who? I can't remember) commenting that the RRP they were aiming at would be comparable to the HKM kit. I just thought: Well if that's the case, I might finally get a WNW kit and see what all the fuss is about ... since I won't ever get a WWI subject. Hey ... If the WNW kit is significantly more expensive ... it just means I get the HKM offerings instead. TBH I'm still not 100% sold on the oil canning of the WNW version anyway ... Rog

A bit simplified ... but essentially - yes! ... The Nashorn (1942) concept was an evolution of the earlier Marder vehicles ... a creation designed to mount a larger anti-tank weapon than could be fitted to the currently produced panzers - onto tracks - instead of a towed wheeled carriage. The early Marder's were cobbled together from obsolete panzer Chassis' (Pz.I, II and 38(t)'s) and captured Russian 76mm's. As it became clear that the Russian 76mm was both highly inaccurate and mechanically unreliable ... German high velocity 75mm (later used in the StuG.III and Pz.IV) were adapted to fit. Of course the obvious anti tank piece that all Germans wanted on a tracked vehicle was the 88mm ... and the only chassis in production at the time that could carry it was the Pz.IV. And so the Hornisse was born ... and later renamed Nashorn ... By 1943 the ever reliable chassis was being used again for artillery ... first for the 10.5cm Howitzer and then for the 15cm Rog