Dave Williams

I covered some of the differences with the Hasegawa kit in my review. http://www.largescaleplanes.com/reviews/review.php?rid=1174 HTH. For aftermarket, the Aires exhaust for the Revell kit seems to fit the Italeri kit a little better than the one for the Hasegawa kit. For the cockpits, you can use some of the detail parts from the True Detail/KMC pit, but the tub dimensions are a bit different.

Looks like Squadron is still selling for $171.

If you want an early Korean War Skyraider, Trumpeter is the only way to go.

I've been recently struggling with this question too, and decided on the Roland C.II as a first kit. It has a pretty simple paint scheme and a small amount of rigging to get a little experience with, but not too much to be overwhelming for a first timer. Got some EZ Line that I bought a long time ago (package says Bobe's Hobby Shop), and I'm going to try some of Radu's PE turnbuckles. http://www.radubstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_68&products_id=403

Ordered one from Squadron. $171 and free shipping is a little better than Lucky Model with air shipping and their 12% off coupon.

Danish decals. http://store.spruebrothers.com/product_p/ksw132068.htm

The IAF single seat Meteors were F.8s and FR.9s, not Mk.4s.

http://www.luckymodel.com/scale.aspx?item_no=KH32003 They also have a 12% off for over $50 coupon code, so the total with shipping is just under $70 USD. FYI.

I swapped my order to the early version. The USNAS marking option appealed to me.

While I'd love to get a second W.29, $349 is just more than I want to spend right now. Also, I'm more interested in the late Felixstowe than the early one, so I just picked up the single kit.

Here's a site with a 360 panoramic view of a C cockpit. http://www.360cities.net/image/lockheed-f-104c-starfighter-cockpit-new-usa#1.00,37.70,50.0

IP was different, especially the stores panel to the left of the radar screen. Also the side consoles were a little different with less stuff toward the back. The Eduard color cockpit got the C seems to be fairly accurate. Also, Lockheed C-2 seat only. I plan on using a G pit with the eduard C IP and side consoles.

The C model always only had the "early" exhaust. What they call the "late" exhaust was used on the F-104S/ASA/ASA-M and German F-104Gs late in life. Also, the C model always had the thin wheels with the dished hub, and the Lockheed C-2 ejection seat.

Having both kits, here are the plastic differences the -1A kit from the first -1 release. -1A kit adds sprues: P&Q - Clear parts (canopy, windscreen, etc.) R - Cockpit parts, tail wheel doors, IP, long tail wheel leg, and spine behind canopy (suspect this sprue would also be used for a -1D release) T - Second IP, short tail wheel leg, tail wheel doors, bomb and centerline rack, centerline drop tanks, teardrop magnetos, and new ignition harness. (This is probably a -1A specific sprue) Sprues deleted from the -1 kit: E - IP, tailwheel doors, spine behind canopy with window cutouts, and some cockpit parts. L - Birdcage clear parts. Notes on the -1A kit: - the landing light is still under the left wing. - the prop is the same in both kits (K sprue). - only the IP on the T sprue is used in this kit. - same choice of top cowl flaps or fixed top panel. VF-17 option only uses full around cowl flaps. - VF-17 and VMF-214 options use new T sprue ignition harness. VMF-111 uses harness from -1kit. - VF-17 and VMF-214 options use new teardrop magnetos. VMF-111 uses round magnetos from -1kit. - only VMF-111 option uses long tail strut. Others use short strut. The above seems to imply that the VF-17 and VMF-214 birds are early -1As with the original ignition system (since the parts in the -1kit are actually for the later ignition system) and short tail wheel strut. HTH.

Same here. Had it held at FedEx and picked it up after work. Now just waiting for the EE decals.

Same here. Scheduled to arrive next Tuesday.

A lot of times, the first release of a Tamiya kit like the Mustang, Spitfire, Corsair, etc. gets all of the oohs and ahhs because it's all new. The subsequent releases usually don't get as much attention since they are usually just a minor variation with a new or different sprue added, and all of the big features are the same as the original release.

Got my payment request too. $139 shipped for FedEx from Japan. Glad the yen has gone down since the total was 16000 yen (11,040 for the kit + 4960 shipping). Not bad at all. Bet that beats a lot of internet shops in the US, since the MSRP is $213 according to Tamiya America. Lucky Model has it for about $130 shipped, if you use their 15% off coupon. See that it's already backordered at HLJ.

Picked up mine from the PO today. Arrived Monday from LM, but I wasn't home to sign for it. Anyone else notice the other versions on the box side, including the B-6 Night Fighter? Mine has the mold issue too. It looks like the entire edge of the left nose wheel well opening is a little wavy compared to the right side, but I think a quick swipe with a sanding stick will fix it. Where are the mirrors? I don't have any on my clear sprue. Mine just has canopy, windscreen, bulged panels, wingtip lights, and landing light and cover.

Just click on What's new at the top of the LM home page.

Finally! They have a coupon for 15% off for orders of $120, so the shipped price was about $156. FYI

If you mean the minigun pods carried on the USAF A-1J, they are in the Z-M weapons set for the A-1J. Also, I think AMS resin may have done some. I don't think the USN used them. Navy birds tended to carry bombs and rocket pods.

Finally available for the rest of us. http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10285188

How much do they cost? To be honest, the kit was only $60, so I can't see dropping much just on a prop. I can live with the spinner and can reshape the blades myself.

I think it depends what you consider a "family". If you disregard most of the weapons sprues, which aren't applicable to the A model, over half the parts are specific for this kit. But if the "family" is the Trumpeter early Stuka family, it fits. My feeling is that there are enough changes to consider it a new kit that happens to share a couple of sprues with another kit, kind of like the Dragon armor kits where some items like the wheels and suspension are the same, but the hull and turret are quite different.