Radub

In Revell's "new for 2021" announcement issued in early-January they mentioned a "new tool" 1/72 F-15E. This is the first "new tool" model commissioned by Revell under new management. Although some LSP fans may have missed the announcement because of the scale, it is extremely significant because it signals Revell's return to commissioning new models. More will surely follow.
Radu

That would be a "rhetorical question". :-) 
Radu 

A few years ago I wanted to build a 1/72 Stuka I started researching the kits, such as Fujimi, Academy, Italeri, Revell, etc. All kits fuselages were different, some had longer tails, some had longer engine cowls. I started looking for drawings. All drawings differ. It was so frustrating that I eventually lost all interest.
Anyway, in my experience, it is very frustrating to compare kits while trying to decide "which kit is right". It is better to start from zero with "independent" info. 
In as far as I understand, the length of the fuselage from the firewall to the end of the plane was the same on the B and the D. There were some layout differences in the cockpit area, but the distance between the rear of the cockpit to the firewall stayed the same. The engine cowl changed, in shape, but in as far as I understand there was no change in length. There is a difference in the length of the spinner, the D/G spinner being around 100 mm longer. So, long story short, the length of the Ju 87 did not change betwen the B and the D. 
The length you quoted is not entirely right. According to the manual, the length of the B was 11000 mm (36 ft). 
HTH 
Radu 
 

The wings of the Tamiya Ki-61 are not suitable for a Ki-100. A new mould is needed. To explain, the wing-to-fuselage fairing of the Ki-100 was wider and as a result the rectangular "waffle iron" treadplates near the edge of the fairing were moved further outboard. On each wing near the edge of the wing-to-fuselage fairing there is a circular access panel for the fel tank that is surrounded by a treadplate. If you look at the shape of the treadplate around this circular panel it become evident where the difference is. 
Radu 
 

 

The wings of the Tamiya Ki-61 are not suitable for a Ki-100. A new mould is needed. To explain, the wing-to-fuselage fairing of the Ki-100 was wider and as a result the rectangular "waffle iron" treadplates near the edge of the fairing were moved further outboard. On each wing near the edge of the wing-to-fuselage fairing there is a circular access panel for the fel tank that is surrounded by a treadplate. If you look at the shape of the treadplate around this circular panel it become evident where the difference is. 
Radu 
 

 

In real life the Ki-61 and Ki-100 have identical wings, but the wing-to-fuselage fairings and “bellies” are different, so on a model they need to be engineered differently. There are a lot of parts that are common to both aircraft.
Radu

Is there a link to this? 
Radu 

Ah, OK. I pictured a new Tamiya Ki-100 that flew under the radar. 
Radu 

OK, maybe I am missing a significant detail, but what exactly is “different” in this case? They are just adding a new runner to an existing kit in order to “upgrade” or embellish it. They did that with the 1/32 Tomcat. They did that when they issued the 1/32 Zero with the motor, lights and sound. When their 1/48 Meteor was criticised for the “wrong wing” they replaced the wing runner with a new corrected one. They added the Kettenkraftrad runner to their He 219 or Me 262 kits. They added the clear fuselage parts to the Me 262 or MiG 15. In the nineties they reissued a few of their aircraft kits with an electric motor for the propeller. Honestly, they have such a rich history of issuing kits with extra/different runners or other extra parts that it is almost a feature of Tamiya rather than a “new paradigm”. 
Radu
 
Later edit
Speaking of "add on" bits to models, occasionally Tamiya issue limited edition kits in a "white box" with a printed label at shows. At the Shizuoka show in 2018 they issued a "silver plated" 1/72 Ki-61 in a white box - the usual kit is grey plastic in a box with box art. This is a photo of me with Tamiya San after he signed (and stamped with his personal seal) the kit for me. 

 

OK, maybe I am missing a significant detail, but what exactly is “different” in this case? They are just adding a new runner to an existing kit in order to “upgrade” or embellish it. They did that with the 1/32 Tomcat. They did that when they issued the 1/32 Zero with the motor, lights and sound. When their 1/48 Meteor was criticised for the “wrong wing” they replaced the wing runner with a new corrected one. They added the Kettenkraftrad runner to their He 219 or Me 262 kits. They added the clear fuselage parts to the Me 262 or MiG 15. In the nineties they reissued a few of their aircraft kits with an electric motor for the propeller. Honestly, they have such a rich history of issuing kits with extra/different runners or other extra parts that it is almost a feature of Tamiya rather than a “new paradigm”. 
Radu
 
Later edit
Speaking of "add on" bits to models, occasionally Tamiya issue limited edition kits in a "white box" with a printed label at shows. At the Shizuoka show in 2018 they issued a "silver plated" 1/72 Ki-61 in a white box - the usual kit is grey plastic in a box with box art. This is a photo of me with Tamiya San after he signed (and stamped with his personal seal) the kit for me. 

 

They put the wings on a separate runner. It is as if they planned it. 
Radu 

OK, maybe I am missing a significant detail, but what exactly is “different” in this case? They are just adding a new runner to an existing kit in order to “upgrade” or embellish it. They did that with the 1/32 Tomcat. They did that when they issued the 1/32 Zero with the motor, lights and sound. When their 1/48 Meteor was criticised for the “wrong wing” they replaced the wing runner with a new corrected one. They added the Kettenkraftrad runner to their He 219 or Me 262 kits. They added the clear fuselage parts to the Me 262 or MiG 15. In the nineties they reissued a few of their aircraft kits with an electric motor for the propeller. Honestly, they have such a rich history of issuing kits with extra/different runners or other extra parts that it is almost a feature of Tamiya rather than a “new paradigm”. 
Radu
 
Later edit
Speaking of "add on" bits to models, occasionally Tamiya issue limited edition kits in a "white box" with a printed label at shows. At the Shizuoka show in 2018 they issued a "silver plated" 1/72 Ki-61 in a white box - the usual kit is grey plastic in a box with box art. This is a photo of me with Tamiya San after he signed (and stamped with his personal seal) the kit for me. 

 

OK, maybe I am missing a significant detail, but what exactly is “different” in this case? They are just adding a new runner to an existing kit in order to “upgrade” or embellish it. They did that with the 1/32 Tomcat. They did that when they issued the 1/32 Zero with the motor, lights and sound. When their 1/48 Meteor was criticised for the “wrong wing” they replaced the wing runner with a new corrected one. They added the Kettenkraftrad runner to their He 219 or Me 262 kits. They added the clear fuselage parts to the Me 262 or MiG 15. In the nineties they reissued a few of their aircraft kits with an electric motor for the propeller. Honestly, they have such a rich history of issuing kits with extra/different runners or other extra parts that it is almost a feature of Tamiya rather than a “new paradigm”. 
Radu
 
Later edit
Speaking of "add on" bits to models, occasionally Tamiya issue limited edition kits in a "white box" with a printed label at shows. At the Shizuoka show in 2018 they issued a "silver plated" 1/72 Ki-61 in a white box - the usual kit is grey plastic in a box with box art. This is a photo of me with Tamiya San after he signed (and stamped with his personal seal) the kit for me. 

 

Tamiya is just joining the party.
There is a tradition of "Tomcat launch diorama" kits. 
Dragon had one in 1/144: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/dml-4020-launch-f-14a-w-fire-engine--1279011  
Fujimi had one in 1/72: https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10034996 
 
I remember that when the 1/48 Tamiya Tomcat was announced, there was some "uproar" from certain quarters that the kit did not include extended wings with deployed flaps and slats (and the predictable arguments about how movable components can only be in one position). By issuing the wings with the extended lift devices Tamiya is just trying to please the dissatisfied. 
Radu 

OK, maybe I am missing a significant detail, but what exactly is “different” in this case? They are just adding a new runner to an existing kit in order to “upgrade” or embellish it. They did that with the 1/32 Tomcat. They did that when they issued the 1/32 Zero with the motor, lights and sound. When their 1/48 Meteor was criticised for the “wrong wing” they replaced the wing runner with a new corrected one. They added the Kettenkraftrad runner to their He 219 or Me 262 kits. They added the clear fuselage parts to the Me 262 or MiG 15. In the nineties they reissued a few of their aircraft kits with an electric motor for the propeller. Honestly, they have such a rich history of issuing kits with extra/different runners or other extra parts that it is almost a feature of Tamiya rather than a “new paradigm”. 
Radu
 
Later edit
Speaking of "add on" bits to models, occasionally Tamiya issue limited edition kits in a "white box" with a printed label at shows. At the Shizuoka show in 2018 they issued a "silver plated" 1/72 Ki-61 in a white box - the usual kit is grey plastic in a box with box art. This is a photo of me with Tamiya San after he signed (and stamped with his personal seal) the kit for me. 

 

OK, maybe I am missing a significant detail, but what exactly is “different” in this case? They are just adding a new runner to an existing kit in order to “upgrade” or embellish it. They did that with the 1/32 Tomcat. They did that when they issued the 1/32 Zero with the motor, lights and sound. When their 1/48 Meteor was criticised for the “wrong wing” they replaced the wing runner with a new corrected one. They added the Kettenkraftrad runner to their He 219 or Me 262 kits. They added the clear fuselage parts to the Me 262 or MiG 15. In the nineties they reissued a few of their aircraft kits with an electric motor for the propeller. Honestly, they have such a rich history of issuing kits with extra/different runners or other extra parts that it is almost a feature of Tamiya rather than a “new paradigm”. 
Radu
 
Later edit
Speaking of "add on" bits to models, occasionally Tamiya issue limited edition kits in a "white box" with a printed label at shows. At the Shizuoka show in 2018 they issued a "silver plated" 1/72 Ki-61 in a white box - the usual kit is grey plastic in a box with box art. This is a photo of me with Tamiya San after he signed (and stamped with his personal seal) the kit for me. 

 

Tamiya has a history of “redoing” and “revisiting” subjects. This year they replaced the 1/35 Kettenkraftrad. Last year they replaced the 1/35 Panzer IV. In the past they replaced the Yamato and the Bismarck in 1/350. These just a few examples where they simply redesigned the entire model from the ground up but there is an even longer long list of other kits that they just “upgraded” by simply adding a new runner or replacing an old runner, especially among their armour kits. They reissued a lot of older Formula 1 cars with extra photo-etched parts. They are constantly trying to refresh  and renew whereas other manufacturers still reissue old and obsolete models. I honestly see nothing unusual here. 
Radu

Tamiya has a history of “redoing” and “revisiting” subjects. This year they replaced the 1/35 Kettenkraftrad. Last year they replaced the 1/35 Panzer IV. In the past they replaced the Yamato and the Bismarck in 1/350. These just a few examples where they simply redesigned the entire model from the ground up but there is an even longer long list of other kits that they just “upgraded” by simply adding a new runner or replacing an old runner, especially among their armour kits. They reissued a lot of older Formula 1 cars with extra photo-etched parts. They are constantly trying to refresh  and renew whereas other manufacturers still reissue old and obsolete models. I honestly see nothing unusual here. 
Radu

Tamiya is just joining the party.
There is a tradition of "Tomcat launch diorama" kits. 
Dragon had one in 1/144: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/dml-4020-launch-f-14a-w-fire-engine--1279011  
Fujimi had one in 1/72: https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10034996 
 
I remember that when the 1/48 Tamiya Tomcat was announced, there was some "uproar" from certain quarters that the kit did not include extended wings with deployed flaps and slats (and the predictable arguments about how movable components can only be in one position). By issuing the wings with the extended lift devices Tamiya is just trying to please the dissatisfied. 
Radu 

The "strobe" anti-collision lights on aircraft are a very modern thing. In WW2 the navigation lights, red on left wingtip, green on right wingtip and white in the middle (on tail, or on rudder, and/or on fuselage spine/belly), were lit continuously. 
Radu 

The "strobe" anti-collision lights on aircraft are a very modern thing. In WW2 the navigation lights, red on left wingtip, green on right wingtip and white in the middle (on tail, or on rudder, and/or on fuselage spine/belly), were lit continuously. 
Radu 

It is weathering. That is frost. The photo was taken on a late autumn morning. ;-) 
Radu 

True beauty! Gongratulatins for your great work.
Radu

Wow! That was 10 years ago?
The cowl guns were serviced by a number of conduits. There were cables with braided mesh, which were usually "silver" (or sometimes covered with a black rubber layer) and then there were pneumatic conduits for charging the guns, and these were usually  rubber hoses, which were black. Because the exposed "braided mesh" cables appear light-coloured in black-and-white photos, many interpret that light colour to mean "yellow! but it was usually silver. Braided mesh cables were used a lot in order to "screen" them against "signal interference" affecting radio equipment.
See some photos here: 

 

 
There is a long-standing "tradition" to paint yellow every filiform object inside a German aircraft, but try as much as you can to avoid that. As usual, the "internet consensus" is the result of years and years of lazy copy-and-paste. The truth is a bit more nuanced. 
Radu 
 

Miles Davis said: "It's not the notes you play, it's the notes you don't play". Sometimes there is beauty in the stuff you do not see but you know is there. 
Radu