Quick unboxing of the New Italeri Tonka GR.4

[Stokey Pete]

It looks like a Tornado, it’ll do for me. I eagerly await mine in the mail.

[Eagle Driver]

3 hours ago, Lancman said:

It's advertised as a GR4 and that it ain't 

Based on the rear panel only?

[Panzerwomble]

Can't help but feel , for all the threads about " I wish this was in 1/32.....especially the rare Moldavian version of which only one flew for a single test flight  etc etc ", the minute a new model arrives it's jumped on and pulled apart rivet by rivet .....& no doubt by modellers on other forums and facebook and the rest .

 

Which means less people will buy it ...and then less manufacturers will consider releasing new 1/32 models as the last ones were pulled apart by the modelling community and sales failed to materialise . 

 

Worked out why Tamiya don't bother with 1/32 aircraft anymore or why WnWings went bust? ......it's a business they are running based on investment and sales, not a service to people with too much time and a copy of Janes in front of them .

 

[thierry laurent]

Is our voice so important...? 

[wunwinglow]

26 minutes ago, Panzerwomble said:

Can't help but feel , for all the threads about " I wish this was in 1/32.....especially the rare Moldavian version of which only one flew for a single test flight  etc etc ", the minute a new model arrives it's jumped on and pulled apart rivet by rivet .....& no doubt by modellers on other forums and facebook and the rest .

 

Which means less people will buy it ...and then less manufacturers will consider releasing new 1/32 models as the last ones were pulled apart by the modelling community and sales failed to materialise . 

 

Worked out why Tamiya don't bother with 1/32 aircraft anymore or why WnWings went bust? ......it's a business they are running based on investment and sales, not a service to people with too much time and a copy of Janes in front of them .

 

You flatter us all. Sales is what drives Tamiyas project plans. Across their ranges, not just one range of aeroplanes. 

[Dave Williams]

The reason that Tamiya seems to have cooled off on 1/32 releases and WNW folded has nothing to do with rivet counters.  Of all of the companies that make LSP, they seem most immune to the red marker brigade.

Edited December 16, 2020 by Dave Williams

[Panzerwomble]

No idea what the red marker brigade is . 

 

You're both right it is only sales that drives more investment in models . 

Who buys these models ....mainly middle aged men with the cash to burn on $100 models, not exactly a large audience. 

 

Where do the companies get the marketing smarts to decide to invest in a new model ? they won't be conducting street polls or phone ins.... same as any company today they will look at all the online information they can pull in , forums , reviews, youtube, IMPS model shows etc ....because that's where the consumer info is .

Equally the shops/ wholesales and importers will have a view as the "buyers" and I'll bet a fiver they watch carefully what goes on . So I'd suggest your voice does have some  impact,  as you are the target and only market .

 

My point was more , that if we great every release with a host of criticism , then people get put off buying the product because of it's "perceived issues" ....which for some might be quote minor... and which "problems" I'm sure get told and retold over the numerous sites out there. Net result less sales, less likely to invest again . Or they play safe , and you only get the 300th "new"  boxing of a Spitfire...... or 45 versions of 1/35 Tiger tank . 

 

Wing Nut Wings was a vanity project pure and simple , despite the great product it was kept alive by subsidy alone , it was never commercially viable ,as its rapid demise attests once the subsidy dried up . 

 

I'm not looking to pick a fight , just feel we should be careful what we wish for . 

 

Still awaiting my Tamiya 1/24 Armstrong Whitworth Wombat IV to be released ....but I bet when it turns it it'll be a bag of #### & I'll happily let all my friends know not to buy one ...that'll show you Tamiya !

 

 

 

[Dave Williams]

The “red marker brigade” is what I call people who enjoy posting pictures of kit parts and photos of real aircraft highlighting errors (real or perceived) with circles, arrows, and straight lines, usually in red marker.  Not so much here, but more prevalent on some other forums.  Check out the mega thread on the 1/48 AMK F-14A over at ARC for an extreme example.  Not to say that it’s wrong to point out issues, it’s not, but sometimes it gets to be a bit too extreme.

[Out2gtcha]

Even though I'm not part of the rivet counting crew, I enjoy being informed. Information is key for me if I'm looking for accuracy, and if you have all the information possible, you can start to discern what you want to correct, and what you really dont care about. I cant ever seeing "knowing more" about a subject as bad in that aspect.

I think the red marker brigade only starts to look like a fascist entity when it starts criticizing other people for what the do or do not correct. 

[chrish]

2 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

The “red marker brigade” is what I call people who enjoy posting pictures of kit parts and photos of real aircraft highlighting errors (real or perceived) with circles, arrows, and straight lines, usually in red marker.  Not so much here, but more prevalent on some other forums.  Check out the mega thread on the 1/48 AMK F-14A over at ARC for an extreme example.  Not to say that it’s wrong to point out issues, it’s not, but sometimes it gets to be a bit too extreme.

I remember a (I think it was Airfix? P-40??) new release being shredded by the "red marker brigade" over on another site who's name rhymes with...wiper-shale. pages and pages of this and that issues that ended up with folks being banned and hating each other....So much for a camaraderie building fellowship of scale model builders sharing ideas that turned out to be.

I agree, though this is just my opinion... That it's nice, even important to share problems or shape issues when building a given subject. Although no one elses opinion on any kit has swayed my buy/ don't buy decision (other than to inform that it was an old kit in a new box.) From conversations with fellow modellers in my local club many of them do not even visit these kinds of forums so it's possible the tempest in this tea cup is just that when it comes to the manufacturers ideas, inputs??

I should add that some of the fellow club modellers mentioned above do visit builds on Facebook...gag puke spit spit...(I don't)

PS Thierry Laurent's tweak lists don't fall into this category and are invaluable.

Edited December 16, 2020 by chrish
typo

[Lancman]

Received the new Xtradecal sheet and their Tornado silhouette looks like the real colour a gunmetal compared to kits pinky one.

 

[Lancman]

Never looked at the painting guide before and there's a big mistake in it, it has all 3 Tornado's painted in the same colour flat light grey FS 36495. First one is Danger Mouse she should be painted Camouflage Grey BS 381C 626 and it was Alkaline Removable Temporary Finish, the others should be satin medium sea grey B.S. 381C.

[Scotsman]

Well spotted , I really should have noticed that earlier since I've got the Op Telic GR4 sheet , along with the book ,