Zactoman

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.

Wow, that's a big order! I'll warn you that I'm currently about a week behind and trying hard to catch up. I'm fighting a nasty cold so that isn't helping... About a month ago I ordered and received a different plastic that I am going to experiment with for the A-7 (and Su-27) canopy. I've just been too busy to play with it yet and currently have too much on my plate. In time I'll give it a try. Fingers crossed. As mentioned above, I am currently about a week behind on orders. Thank you to those that have ordered and sorry about the delay .

Don't forget the stuff outside the cockpit that is much more visible! http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=74139

Wow, Columbus was so long ago and my brain has been stuffed with so much other junk since then. Were you the short French-Canadian taking pictures of my wife every time I turned my back?

Thanks for all the nice comments (and orders!). I'm hoping to see some builds in the near future. The MiG-29 is such a cool air-frame with so many paint and weathering possibilities. We deserve to see more built! And the paint is looking good! You should consider your current build a practice run and go for a second one with the upgrades!

Great scheme you chose. Great paint. Great weathering. Great job!

In addition, I still offer really nicely detailed pylons (also mastered by Alexander Rogal) that will fit the kit. Awesome missiles mastered by Alexander. And wheels to replace the nasty rubber things Trump provides (Alexander did the hubs and I did the tires). I am offering all the parts separately and also a MiG-29A combo which includes all of the above at a 10% discount. You can choose between the mixed loadout shown, an Alamo/Archer loadout or Alamo/Aphid loadout. Available at http://www.zactomodels.com/

Nosecone: This new set corrects the profile, corrects the cross section which is supposed to be round and lengthens the nosecone. It includes a mounting bulkhead that spreads the kit fuselage to better accommodate the round nosecone. Advanced warning!!! There will be some sanding and putty work necessary to make it fit. But then the stock nosecone on my copy of the kit doesn't exactly fit well. It also includes a new pitot tube toe rplace the tree trunk Trumpeter provides.

Chaff/flare dispensers (MiG-29A): I adapted the parts I made for the Revll kit to fit the Trump kit. This was more involved than it sounds... Trumps parts are a very weak attempt considering how visible these are (and their parts don't fit well!).

Finally some new releases from Zactomodels! For the new Trumpeter MiG-29A and UB kits: Exhausts - These were made by modifying and adapting the exhausts Alexander Rogal made for the MiG-29M/K kit (also used for the Zactomodels Revell correction set). They are now full depth. I slightly revised the shape of the outer exhaust petals to have a more accurate shape. This is closer to the original part that Alexander made which I had to modify to fit, but didn't quite nail the shape. Top is the new shape. Lower is the previous version that had too much curve on the petals. Subtle, but more accurate.

Because Photobucket sucks. Read this thread to fix the problem: http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=70447

The UB kit does include the "improved", re-tooled intakes. Details and pictures here. Cheers, Chris

Very nice build but it's unfortunate you had trouble finding my website. http://www.zactomodels.com/

Ouch... BTW, I forgot to add the /s on the red/green line comment.

Red/green lines are not welcome and considered bashing unless you have "the plastic in hand". See comments in MiG-29 thread.

I don't consider it pointless. I consider it planning ahead.

Thanks Michael, Lee and Karl Wow, I missed that part and had to re-read to see what you were referring to. A few times in the past when I released new products I posted the ordering link on the Zactoforum at ARC but not on my website. This was a "thank you" to my ARC followers allowing them to get a first shot at getting my new stuff. I kept the link exclusive to ARC for a week after-which I posted it on my website for everybody to order. I fill all orders in the order that they are received. Nobody gets preferential treatment. I do my best to fill orders quickly, usually next day, sometimes same day if I have the parts in-stock, sometimes a few days if it's a big order. As for being "out of production for a long time now, years even", I assume you are just refering to my A-7 stuff. I've been running Zactomodels for over 10 years now and have stayed open through thick and thin... Again, sorry if you've been waiting 'years' for my A-7 parts. They were my best selling products and I certainly didn't want to discontinue them.

Late 2013 my 23 y/o daughter started having unexplained seizures. We took her in and did our best to care for her for over a year. She is now living on her own in California and doing much better. Late 2015 my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had surgery and underwent chemotherapy (through mid-2016). Shortly after she finished chemo my mother took ill and has been since. She lives here in town and we have spent lots of time helping where we can. My wife had reconstructive surgery in December and is almost healed. We've had a rough several years and it has really hurt the business. My apologies to those who've been waiting for new products or re-release of older products. I'm hoping 2017 turns out to be a great year. Edit: Lousy English...

Yes the intakes are still available. Regarding the price, consider that there are two huge intake parts with several smaller detail parts included. I spent hundreds of hours researching and making the patterns. The molds are huge, expensive, time consuming to make and need to be replaced frequently. The casting is difficult, time consuming and some of the parts are prone to a high reject rate. How much do you think Aires would charge for this set? If it were a single intake do you think $35 would be fair? It's a very low profit product that most other aftermarket companies wouldn't even consider selling for prices this low. Shipping to the UK costs $22.50. The box costs roughly $1.25 (only because I order them in bulk). For my time for making labels, customs forms and delivering packages to the Post Office every day I charge zero. $23.75 total.

From my website ( http://www.zactomodels.com/html/A-7_new/A-7%20Intake_Lip.htm ): "A-7 Canopy: I will be making an announcement on the ZactoForum at ARC and e-mailing those on my mailing list if and when it becomes available." Posted in the Zactoforum at ARC ( http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/296964-132-a-7-intake-correction/ ): No, the canopy/nosecone is not available yet. Please don't e-mail asking about it. The nosecone can not be sold separately, it only works together with my canopy. I will be doing some tests in the near future that will hopefully solve the vacuumforming problems I was having. If I am successful I will be re-releasing both the A-7 and Su-27 canopy sets. I will post updates here after doing the tests. The canopy and intake parts will be sold separately. I will not be offering the combo as before. The A-7 intake correction parts are now available again. This is not the full seamless intake, just the corrected lip and the adapter piece which forces the intake and fuselage into the correct shape. If I am successful with the canopy I will consider re-releasing the seamless intake. ______________________________________________________________ As for why I'm now releasing just the intake correction, it's because customers have been asking for it.

I wish I could dive in and share my experience in helping to develop new kits. I wish I could share some pics of the rapid prototype model of a kit I'm holding and working on at the moment.(Awesome! But the wrong scale...) Unfortuantely I can't. I will say that it isn't necessary for a CAD designer to be an airplane geek or intimately familiar with a particular subject to get the shapes right. Yes, having consultants knowledgeable with the subject will help insure that technical mistakes aren't made, but experts won't necessarily help with getting shapes correct. I personally don't have any previous knowledge of the kit I'm holding, just tons of photos and drawings. Nor did I have any previous knowledge of the 1/48 Su-33 kit I helped develop (http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=268873), or with A-7s, MiG-29s, F-14s, Su-27s, F-16s, etc... I did have an A-7 pilot thank me for my A-7 correction set saying that he wasn't aware of how bad the Trump kit was until he had seen my correction. I do have lots of experience in developing shapes. I worked 18 years at a design firm where I helped create exercise equipment, medical equipment, eye glasses, golf equipment, perfume bottles, all variety of cosmetic products, aerospace prototypes, toys, etc. etc. etc.. The CAD designers I have been working with are great at interpreting shapes and details and I have been helping in catching any mistakes they may have made and suggesting corrections. I don't know their personal backgrounds, but I very highly doubt that they are experts on any of the subjects they are currently working on. I'm sure that our team could just as easily develop an awesome kit of a formula 1 car as we could develop a WWI dirigible. Yes, compromises have to be made for molding limitations, scale thicknesses, build and paint considerations, etc.. Yes, consultants are necessary to insure that particular technical details are correct. But having a good eye for shapes and detail (given good references) trumps being an expert on any particular subject when it comes to getting shapes correct. As for scanning full scale aircraft, does anybody have any rough estimates as to what this might cost (assuming you could get access to the real plane and permission to scan it)? Cheers, Chris

Have you seen the new 1/48 Su-33 kit that's coming soon? More details here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aviation-Art-Model-Kits/631889120233691 and here: http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=268873 We just got the test shots and ... Wow! As far as Su-33 drawings, there are none that are really accurate, but this set is the best starting point: http://www.airwar.ru/other/draw/su33aiv.html For drawings of other aircraft: Fighters : http://www.airwar.ru/other/draw_fn.html Bombers and attack : http://www.airwar.ru/other/draw_an.html (including some for the Su-34) Other : http://www.airwar.ru/other/draw_on.html Cheers, Chris

Thanks for posting Mike! I saw the thread and have just been too busy to post a reply. I have added some additional pics on the ARC thread: http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=276708&view=findpost&p=2631336 (post #40) I added a tutorial about how to putty, sand and paint the inside of the intake using the Pig pour method: http://www.zactomodels.com/html/F-16/Intake_Tutorial.htm I'll be adding a short tutorial about how to add the Sufa bump on the ARC page in the coming days. Thank you all for the nice comments about my products and a big thanks to those who have placed orders! Cheers, Chris

I have a limited supply of the Su-27 canopies but am only selling them with my BIG Combos. I hate to limit the sales but have some big bills to pay. Su-27 Flanker B BIG Combo- http://zactomodels.com/html/Su-27%20details/Su-27_BIG_Combo.htm Su-27 Flanker B Early mode BIG Combo- http://zactomodels.com/html/Su-27%20details/Early_Su-27_BIG_Combo.htm Because of the problems I've had with the clear parts, I am planning to discontinue the canopy set once this batch of parts is gone. E-mail me if you want to order one. There is no 'buy now' button for it on my website. Zactoman@Zactomodels.com Cheers, Chris http://zactomodels.com/

If you haven't seen Alexander Rogals outstanding OH-58D build you should definitely check it out: http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=227564 Many of those parts are now available (as well as a few that I made) with a bunch of photo-etch details: More details and some better pics can be seen in the ZactoForum: http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=233605 Already ordered the MMS and want the rest? E-mail for details. Zactoman@Zactomodels.com The set is available at http://zactomodels.com/ Cheers! Chris