Zactoman

Thanks for the nice comments! Taking a suggestion from the pallet thread in the "LSP Discussion" forum, I'm now shipping these in padded envelopes (bubble lined) and have slashed the S&H cost. International S&H reduced from $14.75 to $7.50 (Canadians can e-mail me for an additional $0.75 discount). U.S. rate reduced from $4.10 to $1.75. Combined shipping (of pallets only) is possible using these padded envelopes. I can fit up to 6 sets and S&H only goes up slightly.

Thank you so much for doing this surprise review. I couldn't have asked for a nicer build to see these mounted on and this being the first build I've seen them on makes it even nicer. Bravo! Did you actually break any of the fins or just suggesting an insurance policy? If you did break one you did a wonderful job of fixing it. The resin I use does have a bit of flexibility so the fins will tend to bend before breaking. I'd love to include decals but can't afford financing a batch of sheets, plus that would raise the price of the set. And I have no experience in creating decal artwork.

Done! I've got padded envelopes (bubble lined) in stock that should work for these. International S&H reduced from $14.75 to $7.50 (Canadians can e-mail me for an additional $0.75 discount). U.S. rate reduced from $4.10 to $1.75. Combined shipping (of pallets only) is possible using these padded envelopes. I can fit up to 6 sets and S&H only goes up slightly. I've considered shipping other items this way, but without adding a smaller protective box inside the padded envelope, the risk of breakage is too great. Add a box inside the padded envelope and the envelope thickness is greater than 3/4" which categorizes it as a package and the S&H goes back up to $14.75... Thank you for the suggestion.

Why does a few days always turn into a week or more? Too many interruptions Link is up on the website: https://zactomodels.com/ Thread started in the vendor's forum: https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/topic/81403-132-phoenix-pallet-correction-for-trumpeter-f-14s/ Thanks for all of the comments and "reactions"

Now available from https://zactomodels.com/ Designed to fit the Trumpeter 1/32 F-14 kits. Though these parts look very similar to the kits parts, if you look carefully, there is a difference: Rather than replace the whole pallet, which would be expensive, I decided to just replace the most offensive part. While the detail Trumpeter provides on the rear portion isn't the most accurate , it does look good with paint and a wash and not that difficult for the modeler to improve if so desired.  Again, you have to really look close...

It's pretty low on the list since Eduard already released a set. I'll consider both of these, though I glanced through my Tomcat references and don't really have good enough references for either. They are made to fit the Trumpeter kit. I did set a pair on the Tamiya kit and it looks like they might fit with a little work. To keep the price down I decided to just fix the horrible forward section. I will be starting a thread in the vendors forum in a few days.

Thank you to those that offered their pallets! I'm actually almost finished but because I modified the kit parts (and only own one kit) I didn't have anything to take comparison pics of the before-after. Here's a teaser pic of some early progress: I'll post an updated comparison pic when I receive the stock parts and then start a thread in the vendors forum when these are ready for market.

Is there a U.S. owner of the Trumpeter kit willing to "loan" me a set of forward pallets? Please send me a PM. TIA Update below... !

I compiled a big list of online references and walkarounds here: http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/229830-walkarounds-and-references/ Keep in mind that this was 8 years ago and hasn't been updated. Some of the links are dead and there are likely many other new resources not listed here. That being said there should be lots of helpful info.

A quick thank you to Brian for taking the time to review these. Sorry for my delay, but this last week was hectic. Brian did a much more thorough and in-depth review than I was expecting and I'm pleased that his bottom line was "HIGHLY recommended!". Coming from a modeler with Brians skill and experience this means a lot to me. Thank you Brian... And a big congrats on getting married!!! In the article Brian describes a flaw between the mounting lugs on one of the missiles as a "casting bump". That is actually a seam where the mold is cut that didn’t quite align properly when I casted that copy. That seam runs all the way from the tail end to a point about an inch past the front fin mounts. Aligning the seam when casting is difficult (sometimes seemingly random) and the misalignment visible on the cast parts can vary. I do ship parts with that misalignment if it isn’t “too” bad but reject parts if the seam is unacceptable on an area of the part with detail that would be too difficult for the modeler to fix. For the most part if there is a visible seam it can be easily sanded, as described in the article, but in some cases a little primer/filler may be required. This is the case with all of my missile sets. One seam on the pylon mounting surface. Fortunately the AMRAAM seam is almost completely hidden by the pylon it will be mounted on, so in most cases doesn’t need to be dealt with.

Thanks for all the nice feedback guys I'm curious about how the F-15X missile truck will perform when carrying 22 of them? I'm not even sure where/how it can carry 22. In the pics there are 4 dual adapters below the FAST packs, that gives you 8, quad mounts on the inner wing, that gives you 16, dual mounts outboard that give you 20. Where will they mount the other 2? FAST packs? Silent Eagle concepts had 2 retractable launchers per side but they look like they'd interfere with the other mounts. Centerline? I figure they could mount 4 there using dual mounts, giving us 24! How many Eagles can a tanker feed at one time? Can they launch a volley while attached to the tanker or is that frowned upon?

Since nobody has used the word "spectacular" yet: Spectacular build! I'm blown away by that paint. I'm with the others in asking if you would share how you did it.

I think I'll skip that group build Yes, she's dusty...

Outstanding stuff Pete! Thanks for sharing the steps.

Thanks guys Some inspiration...

I uploaded the following paint charts in 1/48 (@150 dpi): Links to the drawings are here: https://zactomodels.com/html/Su-33/Su-33_deal.htm (also note that I've reduced the price to $47 on the Kinetic Su-33 kits I'm selling! Best price you'll find anywhere!) I spent a lot of time researching the camo schemes and documented them to the best of my ability. It frustrates me when I see kits that include multiple decal options but only show one camo scheme, especially on a plane where there is so much variation. There are also a bunch of small details that differ from one plane to another. Little details like the thin gray edge stripe under the cockpit is different on each of these schemes. Details like the gray forward section on the Bort 80 IRST. The bare metal tips on Bort 68s wingtip pylons. Etc. Also note the bare metal panel on the lower left fuselage just below the wing flap. I think I've only seen one build that included this. Note that I don't call out color recommendations on the charts or my web page. I've seen a lot of discussion and debate about which paint brands are most accurate and haven't seen a definitive answer. If I were building one I'd grab something close and make my own color adjustments. The main marking locations should be close. The markings were based on the decals that were being developed for the 1/48 kit before Kinetic took over and finished the project. The markings on the drawings are not necessarily accurate (especially the colors). Cross Delta ended up doing the decals for the Kinetic kit and I don't know how accurate they are either. I recommend Begemot Decals. They offer a sheet with early schemes (48-007 which includes Bort 80 above) as well as one for current schemes (48-051 Su-33 in Syria) which could be used to do the other schemes above. The stencils and stencil location on these drawings is questionable (wasn't carefully researched), so check your references. Again, I'd recommend Begemot. They have an Su-27 stencil package (48-009) that includes decals and instructions for the Su-33. It includes 3 pages of stencils for airframes, pylons and weapons. Hope that you like the drawings and find them helpful on your builds. If you don't have the kit yet, grab one at this price while they last (prices will likely be going up a lot in the near future...).

The fins are very thin and knife edged (just like the real deal). Don't make the mistake of leaving your assembled missiles sitting on thier fins or the tips will evetually bend and warp (especially true on the pontiy tipped fins of the A/B version)! Instead support your finished missiles with the fins elevated until you are ready to mount them to your model. Parts are designed to make removing the fins from the casting blocks an easy task. The rear fins require that you first clip the mounting post sprue. Then a light score with an X-acto and rock them back and forth. A quick clean-up of the mating surface with a fine file or sandpaper and you're ready to go. Mounting brackets will need to be adjusted to fit the pylons you are mounting them on. I'm surprised at how far off some of the kit provided pylons are. AFAIK there aren't any accurate ones out there yet. Packaging is designed to reduce the chance of fin warpage. If you do encouter warps, a quick dip in hot water or blast with a hairdryer will allow you to straighten them. Decals are not included but Two-Bobs decals offer a set in case the kit you are using these on does not provide decals. http://www.twobobs.net/contents/en-us/p319.html For those that missed it, during development I was posting some pics on ARC with comparison pics to other offerings: http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/306361-132-aim-120/ I'd invite you to add pics of the other brands of AMRAAMs there as well. I'm most curious to see the new releases from Eduard and the missiles included in the new Revell F-18E kit.

Now available! https://zactomodels.com/ First, a big thanks to Jim Rotramel for helping with references! Two versions are available, the early AIM-120A/B versions and the newer clipped wing AIM-120C. Both versions include separate nosecones and exhaust section to convert your missiles to CATM versions (Captive Air Training Missile). The main body as supplied has the live version of the nosecone molded-in and just the exhaust cone as a separate part. The CATM versions do require cutting and replacing the front and rear sections. The CATM type nosecone is occasionally seen on live missiles so check your references. Note the left wing AIM-120C in this pic has the CATM type nose while the right AIM-120A/B is the standard live nose: https://www.airfighters.com/photo/99576/M/USA-Air-Force/General-Dynamics-F-16C-Fighting-Falcon/89-2029/ I still don't know the explanation for that so if any of you know please chime in.

What an unfortunate piece of... "Engineering" shall we call it. Sad that the Revell I grew up on, that was showing continuous signs of improvement, dropped the ball so badly. Keep up the good work. It almost looks like a fun challenge (if you have masochistic tendencies ). Is that the kit AMRAAM? It looked more detailed in the instruction sheet. I ask because I am about ready to release an aftermarket version ( http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/306361-132-aim-120/ ) and want comparisons to existing parts.

It's not dead, just shelved after reality set in. Zactomodels (14 years) has been my full-time job for the last 12 years and aftermarket doesn't pay much. In order to keep food on the table it became necessary to make smaller products with shorter production times. A new release equals a sudden income flow. Those times between releases can be devastating. Next new product (coming soon): http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/306361-132-aim-120/ In order to finish my YF-23 I'd probably need close to a year at the workbench (while maintaining the business, casting parts and filling orders of existing product). There is definitely still interest in the project (I still get e-mails asking about it) and I have everything I need to finish it. I just need to keep a steady flow of new products and orders going and not get interrupted again (working with crooked model companies that break their promises). When the time comes I'll remove the ever thickening layer of dust on this beauty and finish her off. In-progress here: http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/89934-132-yf-23-black-widow-ii/

I was at the show and had hoped to crash the meet'n'greet but got distracted by official business. Bummer! I was looking forward to finally meeting so many of you. Looking at the faces in the pictures I realize that I wandered right by several of you! Next time...

Thanks for the nice feedback guys! Regarding my MiG-29 goodies: I just adjusted the pricing (lowered!!! ) on the BIG Combo with all Archer or all Aphid load-outs. I apparently screwed up and forgot to include the discount when I created the web page so was asking full price.

Beautiful stuff Oliver. Mad paint skillz! Z-a-c-t-o-m-a-n (real name Chris, not Zach). I don't know if the packages are marked, I'd doubt it. I have MV custom make the lenses for my AIM-9X missiles, otherwise I wouldn't have known this. Depending on where you buy them, you might ask when they received the stock. If it's less than a year then they are likely the new ones.

MV is now using UV resistant epoxy for their lenses that is not supposed to yellow over time. They started this at least a year ago.

If you're trying to tempt me into doing intakes it won't work! I have too much on my plate already...Thanks for posting the awesome pic though! I wish I could charge less but I've got bills to pay... Trust me when I tell you that, sadly, I'm working my butt off and not making much of a profit. Fortunately you don't have to buy the full set. You are free to pick the parts that you feel make the biggest improvements.