belcherbits Posted October 3, 2019 Posted October 3, 2019 (edited) Oh, my. I have a problem. I just got this kit and had plans to make a 'Dumbo' chin radome for a GR.V. When I opened the box and looked at the front clear part, I was shocked. It is clearly the wrong shape, being MUCH too wide at the bottom. If I cut the base of this part off and made my radome to fit it, it would be way too wide. Because this clear part fits the front of the fuselage, it also means the forward fuselage is also too wide. I'm not sure how or even IF this issue could be fixed. I don't want to be that guy who delights in pointing out flaws in Hobby Boss kits; I would rather the kit have been done right. I am attaching a photo showing the nose clear part from the front, with the Hobby Boss part on the left, and the same part from a 1/48 Monogram B-24D on the right. I am also attaching a couple supporting things I have got from the net via Carl Wimmi. Edited October 3, 2019 by belcherbits add a photo Jan_G, Kagemusha, AlexM and 1 other 3 1
ChuckD Posted October 3, 2019 Posted October 3, 2019 (edited) Oh boy. I'm pretty forgiving on shape issues, but that's a tough one to swallow. Edited October 3, 2019 by Gewehr 43
Barry Posted October 3, 2019 Posted October 3, 2019 WOW, what a wasted effort on their part and I wanted the D version. Barry
Dave Williams Posted October 3, 2019 Posted October 3, 2019 Yep, that was the first thing I noticed when I got mine. It’s pretty bad. Also, it’s too “pointy” in the side view, probably because the small triangle of glass under the top center gun mount is flat. The nose interior is pretty empty too. Not even a bombsight mount (although the actual bombsight is still on the sprue, left over from the first release).
32scalelover Posted October 3, 2019 Posted October 3, 2019 Strawberry ***** nose for comparison. scvrobeson, AlexM, Jan_G and 3 others 6
Kagemusha Posted October 3, 2019 Posted October 3, 2019 Doesn't look so bad when compared to the real thing, certainly looks more accurate than the Monogram effort. Glass half full, or empty..? nmayhew 1
Dave Williams Posted October 3, 2019 Posted October 3, 2019 Yes, the Monogram nose is wrong because it tapers too much. However, it still tapers slightly on the real thing. It does not bulge out at the bottom like the HB nose.
LSP_K2 Posted October 3, 2019 Posted October 3, 2019 Just out of curiosity, are you associated in some way with Belcher Bits? If so, I extend a big welcome to LSP to you.
CharmyDown Posted October 3, 2019 Posted October 3, 2019 Blimey, almost fell of my bar stool when I saw that - but the real deal photo has restored my equilibrium! I've just invested a considerable amount of dosh on AM bits and pieces for this kit (pre ordered with Hannants). I'm over it now- the lovely barmaid is pouring me another pint. wunwinglow 1
Out2gtcha Posted October 3, 2019 Posted October 3, 2019 Regardless of how far off it is, it appears it is off. Honestly, I think that is the way that problems should be pointed out; have the kit or have someone you know with the kit, find an issue, present the facts and work toward a solution to the problem. LSP_K2, nmayhew and jimbo 3
nmayhew Posted October 3, 2019 Posted October 3, 2019 (edited) I always want to know if something is accurate or not, so that's cool the more relevant comparison is the HB kit part to the real thing - which someone has duly presented (thank you) there are many frustrating things with the J and now it seems with the D model, but it is what it is so it's either aftermarket (turrets may be in the pipeline), scratchbuild (Davis wing from one very talented modeller) or suck it up and build it warts and all Edited October 3, 2019 by nmayhew not good to type a response when drunk Kagemusha and adameliclem 2
jimbo Posted October 3, 2019 Posted October 3, 2019 (edited) I received my B-24D just yesterday. So I just got out my calipers and took measurements. Width of HB part at: Top frame: 1.390” 2nd frame: 1.480” 3rd frame: 1.520” 4th frame: 1.455” The HB part clearly is a little “jowly” at the 4th/5th frame, but IMHO it is actually far more accurate than the 1:48 comparison shown, and also the photo shown the HB part is not propped up to be parallel; it is a bit skewed, which increases the distortion. No disrespect intended, I welcome the info. Just want to inject a little data. My gripe is, my box took a hit in shipping and my left fuselage half is broken apart above the waist gun position. Grrrr.... Edited October 3, 2019 by jimbo context Uncarina and nmayhew 2
adameliclem Posted October 3, 2019 Posted October 3, 2019 3 hours ago, belcherbits said: Oh, my. I have a problem. Belcherbits, Good catch. The profile and framing bother me more than the section. If it were my build, I'd sand off all the framing and as much of the pointy bit as the plastic will allow, polish it, and add the framing. If that didn't make me happy, I'd make a solid casting of the piece, sand it to the correct profile, plunge-mold a new piece in PETG and add the framing. Then again, I might wait for an outfit with a good track record in vac-forming or casting in clear resin to take a stab at it, which I think will happen before someone produces full replacements for the turrets and their innards. Adam
belcherbits Posted October 4, 2019 Author Posted October 4, 2019 3 hours ago, LSP_K2 said: Just out of curiosity, are you associated in some way with Belcher Bits? If so, I extend a big welcome to LSP to you. Yeah, that's me. I have a few items for LSP fans coming out. My scale is 1/48, but I can be tricked into other scales Mike Belcher D.B. Andrus, johncrow, Kagemusha and 11 others 14
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