mark williams

The Zero at the Auckland war memorial museum is a Zero sen a6m3 model 22, check out the museums web site as it got the history of the plane and how a RNZAF pilot flew it to a RNZAF base etc .As a kid I can remember the plane in its original colours...green and red-brown similar to Petes etc....at that stage I think I was how they found it maybe the white applied with the green crosses was washed off..god knows as I was about 7

im glad there doing the 109k but id keep away from the G as ZM,s kits are great and would be about the same price but with an engine etc. Think they should do the p40,s or maybe Tempests and Typhoons as kiwis flew them too. Also maybe a line of hellcats, being radial they'd have to include engine detail...I think they'd sell well. As for something different maybe a Zero...theres a real one at the main museum in Auckland, not many of those around...and the Japanese home market would be large. if they wanted to follow up the 109k they could do a TA 152C...pretty sure zm wouldn't. Then if they went twin engine..a Hudson Ventura and a Wellington. If they did a jet it would be a Skyhawk, could be early Vietnam era plus later, and the Vampire .......I d even like to see them branch in 70,s cars like Lola t70,s and Mclaren m8,s in 12 scale

maybe they could do the full on version and include a closed up fuselage like the nick which has clear and solid alternate parts....

Nice photoshop comp Paul...art work sells! all on its own. Was hoping for a p40n GLORIA LYONS or WAIRARAPA WILDCAT both RNZAF pacific aces. The p36 to late p40 series would I think be strong sellers. Still I still have Gloria Lyons and a k version by Hasegawa in the stash.

Well i hope its a p40, theres heaps of types and all allied nations used them, plus theres a few in NZ to look at too, thank god its not another boring spitfire.The money makers are the p40,s and so too the Hellcats and p47,s ,theyd have to watch out for ZM with the mustangs and fw 190,s as ZM will be doing closed up versions as well as the super wing ones.

id laugh if a Defiant poped out, certainly would go with the spit,s.....

well I think its a p40,they were used here(nz) and theres one in the rnzaf museum ,plus a flying one at ardmore which is about 40 mins from Kotare.

yeah ha mines left nz customs...bring on the k-100!

Wow that came up great, has a real presence .

as one of the many who got stuck with a broken canopy etc and still not been replaced..a year later, i won't touch anythings borders done. I got so hacked off I sold it and as for WNW pushing too far ...I don't think so!

Your right on that, even with the the clear parts ,although still ok, it was the bad designed packaging that caused the damage...the kit itself is amazing i have never seen detail as sharp and life-like, its just a shame on Peter Jackson that WNW,s didn't bite the bullet and produce it.In the years to come I think its time to bring the production of these kits home..where you have the moulds. Good on Airfix for doing that, and hopefully the likes of Tamiya, ZM and Hasegawa etc will do this too. Where will these companies be if things turn to s..t in the china sea.

Glad I just seen this thread, was hoping the clear parts were now sorted.Also was hoping they sorted out the bent interior canopy frames.I just checked my kit, and found a crack thru the main canopy(this is the full plane version) so I sent an e-mail to Lucky Model in HK to see if they can re-supply. Theres no way the WNW guys would of let this go, and theres 2 problems, one is crushed stuff in a badly designed box and the other is the scuffing, and lines...and perhaps as the clear parts are brittle a risk of shattering due to temperature(if you live in a warm country). I'm hoping some one can do a 3d print of the interior frames and the canopy frames with a vac-form clear insert,ZN did something similar in there Raiden kit(though not vac-form).

I find it amazing that you can't find these in the NZ shops !

haha,they,l probably pop out a Hellcat when no ones watching!

Be funny if they pulled out the p-51b they announced along with the Arado.

god I wished they do the b24...(privateer) I don't think hobby bosses kit would affect demand for there kit.

Well this Hurricane is a must have...hmmm will look nice with the Kotare Spit,and the Whirlwind. As for the Revell pro-mo yes its common for digital camera distortions...even apart from what ever lens there used, then theres whatever been done in photoshop, camera raw....best idea is don't judge till the kits out.The only one I can think of is a certain b-24 where the pics don't lie.

hope the clear parts aren't cracked!

hmmmm, imagine if they did the p-40...that would be a big seller, id like a p-40n in RNZAF/USAAF markings please..

looks great, the 50 cal is very nice too

Most kiwis would rather have p-40s!

hmmm a mouse from dominion road said something about an engine.....but got eaten by there cat.

each to his owns still think that the ZM kits better, certainly though Mikes stand looks cool.Ithink things will change soon regarding straight plane kits as opposed to the open up stuff,Kotares surface detail will set the new standard.

Getting back to the original question ,id go the ZM direction......the Revell kit is nice for the price but if you have built any ZM or Tamiya kits you may feel that the Revell kits missing heaps.As for the Tamiya vs the ZM there both great...tamiyas got all the wing panels ZM hasn't, as they were flush. Both companies try very hard to get it right certainly not like Trumpeter who couldn't care less(eg-B24).Revell stuffed up there HE 219, and ZM got it right, they even went back and re-did the canopy till they were happy...costing god knows how much re-doing there tooling.

Well my kit turned up with the border lancs too...the 109 is fantastic!! thanks to the great efforts of the ZM design/production team! and side note my lancs didn't get broken canopys .Really looking forward to more zm releases!!