thierry laurent

Indeed Ray. VAT is a PITA and not even the only problem. Each time a parcel is arriving from UK or the US with aftermarket goodies, here we have to pay 20€ for the postmen doing the customs work (it goes to 40 if the value is over 100 and this goes on...!), a possible import fee (I never succeeded in finding how this is calculated but hopefully it is low) plus 21% of VAT over the parcel value, the post and packing and the customs work...Go figure... Useless to say the final cut may finally double the global cost... What really pissed me off is the fact this system was extended to ALL parcels included low value ones to protect our economy against unfair trade (think China) but I'm never paying taxes for anything I'm ordering occasionally from China!?! Practically this applies to me to other western countries, Japan or Taiwan! Last, customs are quite often doing a crappy work... 'forgetting' that the book VAT is 6%, not 21% or that the EU signed a special agreement with Ukraine covering also model kits and meaning that we should not pay anything when getting directly goodies from that country ! So this asks for caution, some red tape and patience to avoid being regularly ripped off... Crazy system...

Personally I have no problem to have one captured plane amongst the options. However, they could have given the US markings as overlays to keep the original scheme as one option! Too bad.

Quite difficult to realize we are actually at war there... My wife was somewhat shocked when we were in Portsmouth last year and I showed her the Houti drones and missiles kill markings on a British warship... Up to now this did not result in many casualties in the western navies but this may alas change...

Funny! I was thinking the same thing this morning. Kit smugglers...🤣

Finally this goes down to the actual number of LSP modellers in the US. Looking at the number of existing online resellers and aftermarket producers in the US, I have the feeling that number went down far more quickly than in Europe or Asia. Nonetheless this WILL have a bad impact on LSP producers for a basic reason: in a niche hobby, the customer base is always a worldwide one and cutting such a large part of it from the actual possibility to get products cannot be positive for the producers profitability.

I hoped we would also have the last scheme without the US markings.

I have the Revell kit! Actually I got one for the Rex!

I already saw it on Shapeways years ago. However, it is difficult to assess the quality of the printing. I've never seen anyone using it and the quality of 3d prints may be variable...

Exactly my thinking ..

Skua...?

Not yet. They just announced it a week ago.

Alas, that company disappeared more than 15 years ago...

Too bad the Rex conversion is so difficult to get. I even got a George to do the conversion but never found it in spite of long years of research...

I have a Scratchbuilders Defiant and can confirm it needs a lot of elbow grease: approximate rivet lines, fuselage weird design, very basic interior and landing gear bays, inaccurate LG wheels... I even got a resin cockpit and a 3d printed turret to improve it. However, before the release of the Airscale marvel, the only other choice was a basic vacform...

Indeed. For the same reasons. This also applies to the Learjet.

Hi, you see 3d printed lines on the resin parts for a simple reason: the master parts were printed. Generally Jetmads reworked such parts rather correctly before casting them. However it looks they cut corners with the Stiletto...

Happy birthday John! 🥳

I guess the Academy will have them.

AI is just compiling tons of Internet data and has yet a lot of difficulties to give a trust weight to the used sources. If 99% of people are saying the sky is green in the area in which they live, the AI will just replicate the information if you ask for the color of the sky in that area! Obviously the probability is low to have 99% of stupid or wrong information about such a trivial thing as the sky color. However for very tricky or ultra-specific niche questions, you will probably have far less than 99 occurrences and most of the existing ones may just repeat a taken for granted urban legend... So, use it as just one source among others but not yet as a fully reliable resource. I'm using it professionally to save time as typically it gives me information I already know and it is quicker to correct or complete it rather than rewrite everything! So, as Microsoft named it I'm just using it as a 'copilot' or a non-mature assistant. Nothing more! However, I have no doubt this will progressively change but I'm sure I will be retired before seeing fully valid replies repeatedly given by AIs...

Yep, John is a great guy and a modeller. I have zero doubt he will do his best to help you if you contact him.

Well, when someone overreacts in such a stupid way, there is a reason behind it and I'm ready to bet you pushed right on the painful spot... This unacceptable message from them can just be summarized to me as a red light! Just stay away from them!!! By the way, I had a look at their sets months ago and the lack of any picture of the parts did not smell good to me. Thanks for the confirmation message. Alas, with the arrival of 3d printing some people are selling bad quality products and this is typically the case on eBay...

You don't have to go to Asia to have that problem. I know many excellent French-speaking modellers in Belgium and France who never publish on LSP because of the language barrier... Too bad but a reality and I suspect this is probably similar in Italy, Germany, Spain and so on ...

One aspect that COULD be better in the Trumpeter kit is the cabin details. The last UH-1B was quite good in that aspect whereas the cockpit of the Academy Cobra is quite basic.

Very probably this is the one that was intended to be released by KittyHawk. So it will be ok. Dave is right: Academy should also release one this year and as it will be based on the existing Cobra Zulu I'm sure it will be very nice AND have positive rivets...

I'm sure he will have a good Easter birthday... 😉