paul fisher Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 Oddly enough I got to meet George Gay at an IPMS meeting in 1971 in Redondo Beach, CA. My older brother drove me there, as fast as he could , over a very rough road to ensure that my models would be broken by the time we arrived. Some things never change. At any rate, I was in the early stages of planning to try my hand at the Devastator in 1/32 back in 2006 when our esteemed friends announced their kit. I put the idea to bed and now, when I think of the challenge of mastering the corrugated skin of those wings I just look away. It could be done quite well in CAD, and then hi-res printed but I don't work that-a-way so you newfangled 3D guys will have to do it. It breaks my heart to hear that Graham's lovely Spiteful has not sold very well. I hope that doesn't stop the Attacker......I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as the more I like an airplane, the less of them will sell. I had heard that HpH were doing the Wyvern, another on my short list but that seems to have gone quiet. As for "sitting on the molds", the only logical reason they would do that would be if they screwed it up as badly as their first go with the Wildcat and know better than to try and sell it. That would be very sad, but hardly a big surprise. mozart, David66 and Troy Molitor 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozart Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 Maybe it's time for a collaborative production, with the age of CAD it should be possible for two or three of us smaller manufacturers to make up a kit. Hopefully with the combined marketing reach we might get more sales than the '100' and also perhaps more interest in our own products. Graham How about a Battle then Graham? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony T Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 I buy the Chinese patience and half-done theory, with some of the Trumpeter tooling done years ago. Maybe just the steel parts they squish into beryllium copper to create the moulds. Now just need the investors to cough up cash for the rest of the tooling. Ditto the F-100F, which already shares sprues with the two D releases. As long as they don't pantograph the goofy smaller scale version with the three seater canopy hood. And I hope the MiG-29s are a continuing success. I'd so love that team to give us a Vigorous Dragon or Su-59 PAK-FA. Tony Gigant 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamF Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 (edited) How about a Battle then Graham? It was on my list but I reckon I'd sell about 15! Interestingly my in-laws family with the name Hughes were involved with the design of the Battle and they were related to Howard Hughes. Edited May 7, 2018 by GrahamF mozart and alanash1963 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozart Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 It was on my list but I reckon I'd sell about 15! Interestingly my in-laws family with the name Hughes were involved with the design of the Battle and they were related to Howard Hughes. I think there'd be a lot of interest, given its flawed but heroic role at the beginning of the war and the fact that nothing accurate is available in any scale. I built the Classic Airframes 1/48 offering but it had a new AM nose, tail and undercart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubert Boillot Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 It doesnt make sense to me for Trumpeter or anyone to have cut molds (I'm talking final production molds) and just sit on them. You've already spent a considerable amount of money cutting steel molds, and the only way to recoup the investment is to sell the kit. Even if it's not a big seller, making a little money back is better than making no money at all. Where has anyone ssen the molds were cut ?I would venture this one never got past the initial design stage, and certainly not to mold-cutting, unfortunately Hubert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 Maybe it's time for a collaborative production, with the age of CAD it should be possible for two or three of us smaller manufacturers to make up a kit. Hopefully with the combined marketing reach we might get more sales than the '100' and also perhaps more interest in our own products. Graham Would you consider a vac TBD? I think that would be the easiest route. Resin would be too heavy and spendy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimW Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 The TBD only fought in a few battles, and almost all of the planes were lost. This is precisely why we would build that model. Ensign George Gay had a close up view of what happened when all of his squadron went down and the SBD's took over the job. The TBD's pulled fighter cover low and the SBD's had free reign to deal destruction on the Japanese carriers. That action is why we want a TBD. And they really look fine in yellow wings, which is why I'd buy any other yellow winged sibling of theirs. Tnarg No kidding. And limited combat shouldn't matter. There are a number of kits (a lot of them German) that didn't even actually SEE combat but are now out there for purchase and building. I'd buy a TBD. I'd by two. Tim W. alanash1963, coogrfan and Troy Molitor 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 No kidding. And limited combat shouldn't matter. There are a number of kits (a lot of them German) that didn't even actually SEE combat but are now out there for purchase and building. I'd buy a TBD. I'd by two. Tim W. Not only German aircraft that didn't see combat there's models of stuff that didn't even exist! :-) Nobody answered my question. How bad do you want a 1/32 TBD? Would you scratchbuild one? Would you build a vac? Or spend big money for a resin/fiberglass kit? ß! Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1to1scale Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 (edited) Oddly enough I got to meet George Gay at an IPMS meeting in 1971 in Redondo Beach, CA. My older brother drove me there, as fast as he could , over a very rough road to ensure that my models would be broken by the time we arrived. Some things never change. At any rate, I was in the early stages of planning to try my hand at the Devastator in 1/32 back in 2006 when our esteemed friends announced their kit. I put the idea to bed and now, when I think of the challenge of mastering the corrugated skin of those wings I just look away. It could be done quite well in CAD, and then hi-res printed but I don't work that-a-way so you newfangled 3D guys will have to do it. It breaks my heart to hear that Graham's lovely Spiteful has not sold very well. I hope that doesn't stop the Attacker......I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as the more I like an airplane, the less of them will sell. I had heard that HpH were doing the Wyvern, another on my short list but that seems to have gone quiet. As for "sitting on the molds", the only logical reason they would do that would be if they screwed it up as badly as their first go with the Wildcat and know better than to try and sell it. That would be very sad, but hardly a big surprise. Slightly off topic...but since we are talking about planes that are never made in 1/32. Paul, if you want to sell a kit that will sell out, do either the Japanese Dive Bombers/Torpedo planes that participated in Pearl Harbor. If you sold a Val or Kate, I personally would buy at least a couple of each. Make it easy to assemble with a one piece wing like the Panther/Cougar. I'm also sure I could sell a few commission builds of these. Edited May 8, 2018 by 1to1scale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill M. Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 I would definitely buy a good resin TBD and maybe a vacuform TBD, but my preference is a good injection molded kit. And yes, a Val and a Kate would be most welcome and would be good sellers— I would definitely buy one of each, but I'm hoping for a TBD first. Bill M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 I would definitely buy a good resin TBD and maybe a vacuform TBD, but my preference is a good injection molded kit. And yes, a Val and a Kate would be most welcome and would be good sellers— I would definitely buy one of each, but I'm hoping for a TBD first. Bill M. Right, but we can produce a vac or resin kit MUCH easier. They are so much cheaper and faster than an injection kit from a production standpoint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanna Posted May 9, 2018 Share Posted May 9, 2018 Paul, Off topic but I am in on the Val. Mike K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill M. Posted May 9, 2018 Author Share Posted May 9, 2018 I'm definitely in for an injection molded or a resin TBD and maybe a vacuformed TBD. I wish Trumpeter or Kittyhawk could give us a sign one way or another— so smaller manufacturers could safely give it a go. I don't blame the cottage manufacturers for holding off while the big boys fail to make up their mind— at least publicly. Bill M. Hubert Boillot and alanash1963 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tnarg Posted May 9, 2018 Share Posted May 9, 2018 This is a case of "I called the front seat, Mom, make him stop, that's mine". Mr. T called the TBD, but apparently has no intention of doing anything about it besides scaring away the rest of the kids in the playground. Sad, but all too true by our witness of what has gone on for years, maybe a decade by now. Please prove us wrong on this observation. Tnarg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now