Bill Cross

Thanks, Thierry, as always you are on top of the information quotient. Merci mille fois.

Which one is that? Presumably an A, B or C, since it has a "huffer."

Almost would be better if they just released a new version of the entire kit for what this is gonna cost.

Thanks, everyone, especially @thierry laurent for the photos and comments. Reskit said in a FB post they are ALL VN-era, but that seemed like a stretch. They ARE expensive, but I purchased the Z-M and it had no decals. I believe I have a V-A one or someone else's, and again, not the same level of detail. Reskit is hard to top, and they're making these things while their country in under attack by a much-larger neighbor (who once upon a time guaranteed Ukraine's security in return for them giving up their nukes).

As many of you know, Reskit has released 1/32nd scale versions of four US aircraft tugs. Can you Vietnam War guys tell me which one or ones might have been on the ground in Thailand or Da Nang, or at sea on one of the flat tops? They are the MD-3A, 3B, 3T and 3C. It's very difficult to get information about these ancillary vehicles.

Not sure what you're driving at here: I test fitted things as best I could, but didn't expect the hatches would basically not fit without major sanding when built closed. I would not generally buy Trumpeter's jets, except for Vietnam subject matter, there is almost no alternative. Maybe these Red Pill Phantoms will prove worthwhile, though the price tag makes me gag.

@Zola25 I wish I had known that. I followed the instructions, and as you say, it goes together poorly at the nose. But I also found a lot of fit problems amidships. I may get back to it someday, however life is too short to spend time fixing manufacturers' issues if I don't have to.

See @red Dog's post above. I wanted gear down to show a plane on the ground in Vietnam for the fantastic AoA decal sets "Intruders from the Beach." I boxed it up as it's too much "mafan" (麻煩) as the Chinese would say.

I am about 2/3 through a build and the landing gear are the LEAST of your problems. Fit issues abound unless you plan on having all the doors open. I was very disappointed in the kit. BTW, the landing gear are a very hard plastic and are not a problem.

These kits are unique and special. I ordered the new D kit so I can have a JA as well as my AJ. There are no perfect kits; well, maybe the Tamiya Corsair.

Reskit all the way.

The newly-announced tariffs are making me nervous that these kits could be even more-expensive than they already are. Anyone know if Turkey is on Trump's **** list?

OK, not a Viggen expert, but it looks like there are no OUTWARD differences between the already-released JA37 and these two. Am I missing something?

I'll pass-- for now. There are too many unknowables at this point to sink that much into a kit. I hope this isn't a short run where like Jetmads, if you don't buy in advance, you're SOL. I'm not adverse to paying that much for a kit that's 90% ready OOB. But if there is still a bunch of AM needed, then it loses its appeal for me.

Is this Trumpeter's way of working up to a new D?

Don't get too excited. eBay sellers in China are putting hundreds of dollars in delivery fees on shipments because of Captain Bone Spurs' tariffs. These may not be here for awhile, or at ridiculous prices.

You and me both, Brother.

Thanks, I will look into that.

As the title says. I tried using "clam shells" from grocery items, but they thin out when heated. Someone said poly-carbonate sheets, but where do you get them? Need something that is clear and strong.

Get the resin replacement if it's still available, but honestly I built it without it, and it came out smashingly.

Isn't there a Turkish company called Red Pills working on a B?

Did you ask Reskit?

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Thierry, I thought I was clear I was talking about the Chinese manufacturers alone, and not the other Asian brands, but if I was not, my apologies. Tamiya has a long record of working with the non-Japanese market, and has a US subsidiary. I went over to MissingLynx and couldn't find any specific discussions about Border, so please if you have a link, send it to me. I agree that the Chinese keep an eye on what's in the market, just that they aren't hanging around places like here or taking our temperature on this or that new kit. That frustrates the hell out of folks like Marc_C and I fully understand why: we think we're pretty hot poop as modelers, and we find it hard to believe no one is looking at us. But it is a cultural difference in that the Chinese no longer feel they need to get Western help on how they do things. I was in Beijing for a week last Fall, and I had not been back since Tiananmen Square in 1989. One of the things I really noticed was now Western non-friendly the services were: many western financial services don't work there, you need a VPN to get access to the Internet, and everyone just assumes you have Didi Chuxing and not Uber. I signed up for a Didi account, then found out it didn't work because I needed to use one of the Chinese Venmo-type apps like Ali-Pay or We-Chat Pay. All of that is a very long-winded way of saying that China looks to its domestic market for most things, and while they export their kits (and the government currently is subsidizing shipping, so prices on eBay are ridiculous), export decisions don't appear to make much difference. If every single modeler on Large Scale Planes refuses to buy the new Border 1/35th aircraft, it won't even produce a ripple there.

Marc, I don't give a hoot what you think about me, but I watch these discussions come up endlessly, and I offer this information for those who seem perplexed at how the Chinese market works. If you aren't interested, then why do you read what I write or even bother to respond? Methinks some of y'all protest way too much. I know, it's hard to accept that we don't count all that much, I know. But let's move on from this: those who aren't interested in learning the facts, please go on asking the same questions again and again. The posts actually help the site by generating traffic. But perhaps a few of you will better understand what seems to make no sense to you now. Your mileage may vary.