Dave Williams

The GR.1 kit contains all the parts (ordnance, etc.) in the IDS kit. They just added an additional sprue with RAF stores and a few other bits, while retaining everything from the previous IDS kit, except the decals. The ECR kit is the same in being the IDS plastic with an extra sprue with HARMs, new IP, and undernose fairings. However, only the GR.1 kit contains the GR.1 sprue so you can make the IDS out of any of the new tool Revell Tornados, but you can only make the GR.1 from the GR.1 kit.

The Eduard interior set for the Trump MiG-19 has color paper instrument dials as a option to the normal black/clear acetate film instruments.

There is no conversion set for a twin seater F-16, although at least one person has done it on his own. It is believed that Tamiya will eventaully come out with a F-16D, based on how they broke down their F-16C kit with the separate forward upper fuselage and including enough PE for two seats in the CJ kit.

Isracast's Pythons are all resin, so the fins have the proper faceted shape. One down side of using resin for the proper shape is that the thin tip may easily end up bent in the box, but I guess that's a trade off. Also, their set comes with full missile stencil decals, and an optional clear seeker, like Paragon, but Isra's has a mirrored film attached to the back. Having both sets, I think the Isracast ones are better (I also noticed the facet issue on the Paragon ones), but the Paragon ones are easier to build it looks like. I picked up a couple of sets at the Nats, but strangely I haven't seen them listed for sale on Isra's site yet. Spice is a glide bomb kit for 2000lb class bombs made by Rafale. It uses GPS and EO for homing, and is starting to be carried by 1st Fighter Squadron F-16Cs. Isracast also released it in 1/32 at the Nats. Spice

You going to get the Isracast or Paragon Python 4s, and the Isracast Spice bombs also?

Also, all of the 1/32 Tamiya F-4 kits come with pilots.

Your best bet is to get the decals from someone who has the US R-M boxing of the kit. It has markings for MFG 1 in the grey/white scheme.

The new tool Revell-Monogram IDS with the painting of two MFG1 Tornados flying over a warship do not contain Kormorans. As you surmised, the ordnance in the kit consists of Mk. 82s w/ ballute tails, a centerline refueling pod, or a centerline recon pod. Those mystery rails not used in the kit are still a mystery as they have not been used in any of the US Revell-Monogram or RoG boxings of the new tool Tornados. My first impression what I saw the rails was that they were for HARMs, but RoG included new HARM rails in the ECR kit. The old tool Tornado IDS kit (the one I had was 4761 Tornado Marinefleiger), did come with Kormorans, four to be exact, although they are somewhat crude. The old kit also had an MW-1 weapons dispenser. To be honest, I don't see any indication in the kit that a F.3 is planned or easily possible. You would need at least a new lower fuselage mold with the missile recesses, as well as a new nose and forward fuselage sections, not to mention the Skyflashs and at least two more AIM-9s, if not ASRAAMs. I think there is a chance that they have decided that the mold changes or additional molds aren't worth the projected return on their investment. I'd love to be proven wrong, though, and have them come out with one.

Well, having both, I'm more partial to the Tamiya kit. It is better, more accurate, and better detailed. I agree that Academy wins on price, weapons, options, and the decal sheet, I still plan to use Tamiya for all my F-16s and will probably just rob my Academy kit for the weapons and ROKAF decals. If you go with the Academy kit, I'd recommend the Black Box cockpit set specifically for the kit that they just released. One of the more visible problems in the kit is the glare shield shape is all wrong and it is difficult to fix. The BB set fixes this.

Got the kit yesterday, and here are some in-the-box thoughts, for those who are interested. Pretty much as the previews hinted at. Block 32, Thunderbirds markings only, no full engine, and all weapons sprues deleted from the kit. You DO get all of the pylons, the LAU-129 missile rails, the underwing and centerline tanks, the HTS, and the ALQ-184 pod in the kit, all marked not for use. If you want to do a regular Block 32 from the kit, you'll just need to find the actual A-A and A-G ordnance elsewhere. You also get the complete Vulcan cannon in the box, just marked "not for use". In the "not in the box" category, besides all of the weapons, you also don't get the PE fret with the radar antenna and the chaff/flare dispensers, nor do you get the Block 50 MLG and nose gear doors. The release includes a full set of scab plates. These are printed in thick white ink on clear adhesive film. They did the rivets by just not printing the ink in circular patterns on the sheet. You get a full set, including those used for Block 40/42, however only four of the plates are called out for use (two large rectangular plates over the top wing roots, and two small zig-zag plates in front of the tail). The other plates are "not for use". All of these plates will have to be cut out individually from the sheet as they are NOT precut. The new sprues are P, Q, and R. You get two sprues "R" in the kit, which has the burner sections, exhaust nozzles, and wingtip Sidewinder rails. Sprue "Q" is a small sprue attached to Sprue "P", and contains specific T-birds parts like the smoke pipe, wheel chocks, and boarding ladder. Sprue "P" contains the small-mouth intake, new side consoles (the IP itself is reused from the CJ kit), a couple of new bulkheads for the MLG bay, flat main gear doors, MLG strut lights, and a new nose gear door. Also, the nose and main tires are shown as new part numbers, as well as the metal nose and MLG struts. The new S sprue is for the stand Parts numbers for the new sprues are: R sprue (you need 2) - 0006452 P/Q sprue (one part number)- 9116024 S sprue (stand) - 0446176 [you'll also need a bag of screws and nuts for the stand - 9486006] The engine/stand options are interesting. You get two burner cans, one with a proper afterburner flame ring, and one with a hole for the stand rod. You also get two complete exhaust nozzles, one with the petals closed, and one with them open. Both the cans and the nozzles are attached through the rear engine "donut" panel by bayonet mounts, so you can swap around the cans and burners after the kit is assembled. Finally, they seem to have corrected the one "nit" in the previous CJ release by providing decals for most of the missing analog instrument faces. Have to give a big shout out to Rainbow Ten for getting the kit to me so quickly! I think the kit was only released in Japan last Thursday or Friday.

Anyone else think the rear fuselage looks far too short?

I hope they leave the tanks and all weapons pylons in the kit for those who want to make a standard Block 32. The kit has been announced to already lack the complete engine, but it would be disappointing if they also drop the gun, all of the pylons (except the new tip rails), weapons, and the tanks, and then still charge the same price. All of this stuff could be dropped for a Tbirds a/c. There was a rumor that the kit would include markings for a ANG Block 32, but neither the description on LuckyModel or HLJ have any reference to indicate that the kit will have any options for anything but a Tbirds kit. Also, the photos from the show that I've seen don't indicate anything to contradict this impression.

I compared the KMC and BB sets and they look very close. They aren't 100% identical, but the detail level is very similar, parts breakdown is almost identical, and I'd say that any retooling was minor. I wasn't aware that CAM did F-104G wheels. I know they did do 104C wheels which correct the Hasegawa C kit, that incorrectly comes with the G/J wheels. Also, if you can't find the KMC gun bay, Verlinden also has a detail set which includes the gun bay.

Scotsman, what does the Eduard/BB set combo give you? The only Eduard sets I see for the 1/32 Tomcat are a seat belt set, a formation light set, and an exterior detail set, none of which appear to help in making a B or D pit from the BB pit.

The very first new tooling F-4 was actually the RoG RF-4E, then the RoG F-4Fs and Us Revell RF-4C came soon after( don't remember which came first). The US Revell F-4E release was the last of the new tools. The RF-4B and F-4J were old tool only.

It will be difficult to make a CJ from the E kit. The E had a longer forward fuselage with the intakes behind the cockpit. All of the Revell 1/32 Mirages are the same kit, basically a IIIE with radar and recon noses.

http://www.largescaleplanes.com/reviews/Af...AH-1G/AH-1G.htm I got my set by emailing Joe directly.

As I stated previously, the only seat in Russian Built MiG-19s was KK-2. It never used any of the seats used in the MiG-21. There are no aftermarket 1/32 SK-1 seats available that I know if.

The MF cockpit is a bit different than the F, F-13, or PF cockpit. The early ones with the one-part canopy hinged at the front had a different ejector seat (SK-1) and instrument panel shroud with a thick piece of armor glass. There are probably panel differences also, but the seat and IP shrourd are the big changes. AFAIK, the ejection seat on the Russian-built MiG-19 was the same KK-2 on all varients. The MiG-21 MF used the MF-1 seat, which was vastly different than the KK-2 seat.

Well, it's an old kit with rather poor detail and some fit issues. Also, it only represents a very early Cobra with the tail rotor on the left side and the landing light in the nose. You'll probably want to pick up at least the Cobra Company cockpit set, which includes a replacement turret. Also, Fireball Modelworks makes a late AH-1G conversion with a the "toilet-bowl" exhaust and the tail rotor relocated to the right side. Which 20mm gun system are you refering to on the -G? The XM-35 system was carried externally on the port underwing pylon with the ammo panniers attached to the sides of the nose. The gun was all uncovered, with the barrels and gun body out in the open like the miniguns on gunship Hueys. Cobra Company also makes a XM-35 set for the kit.

Or, you could get one of the extended F-16 tails from PWMP

Afraid I have to disagree that the UB is much more accurate than the single-seater. All they did on the UB was reduce the depth of the rear engine tunnels to fit up to the same very undersized exhausts and avoid the use of the strange stepped transition piece in the single-seater. RoG did that same exhaust "fix" in their latest reissue of the MiG-29A, but it still is very far off from being right.

The only good thing about the old Revell Tornado was that it included Kormorans and a MW-1 dispenser. I picked one up cheap, took out those stores, and junked the rest.

FYI, Victory Models just got a few of the CIRO S-199 conversions in.

The Italeri 1/35 UH-60 kit is just the Academy Blackhawk plastic with different decals.