Italeri to Release Tornado IDS/ECR; New Parts

[Tony T]

15 hours ago, Gary Needham said:

I appreciate that Italeri are "the only game in town" for some big subjects but nothing they make appears to justify the prices they charge courtesy of that 'USP' factor alone being their main selling point or draw; it certainly isn't their mould technology or engraving that's for sure.  When you consider they charge the same for their big Tornado as, say, Academy were for their 1/32 F-18 when it was still available and their current F-16 Sufa kits, the content standards in the overall packages are night and day. Both those Academy kits aren't perfect packages I accept, but their tooling and plastic quality / detail is in another league.

 

The 1/32 Mirage IIICJ I bought when first released was like a 1/48 kit scaled up and after reading the awful build reviews, I immediately offloaded mine and struggled to get 40 quid back for it having paid about double that..which was about what it was actually worth. Likewise, their 104's are like a scaled up 48 kit but I love the subject so I will throw resin and etch at that one.

 

If others are happy with their products and prices fine, but I know lots of people I speak to at clubs and shows and with whom I correspond think likewise that Italeri refuse to move with the times (other than with their RRPs of course !) and haven't bought any of their kits for years.

 

Time will tell if they can stay lucky and compete indefinitely in an ever improving and evolving hobby.

 

Gary

 

Italeri would do well to up their game a bit, but it seems a lot of manufacturers are using softer plastic these days. And the higher prices are a sign of the times, especially much higher transportation costs. I would hate to see Italeri go, as there is no competition except from Trumpeter which has slowed down considerably. Kitty Hawk have folded, Tamiya seems disinterested in jets, and Academy haven't done anything new in well over a decade. 

 

For those that like 1/32 modern jets, Italeri is a gift, as we're facing a future of mostly 1/48 scale or Large Scale Resin. And the Tornado appears to be a great kit which, unlike the Zippers and Mirages, might not require much smartening-up with resin; but no, it'll never be a Tamiya.  

 

Tony 

 

 

[Gerhard]

23 hours ago, AlanG said:

 

Tornado IDS/ECR, Italeri 2517 (2021) (scalemates.com)

 

Two prices there

Gulp!!!   Hectic. 

[wunwinglow]

Anyone got a pic of ANY Tornado carrying JDAMS, or AIM9X?  I have never seen any.....

 

[Redcap1960]

On 10/20/2021 at 7:44 PM, Gary Needham said:

I appreciate that Italeri are "the only game in town" for some big subjects but nothing they make appears to justify the prices they charge courtesy of that 'USP' factor alone being their main selling point or draw; it certainly isn't their mould technology or engraving that's for sure.  When you consider they charge the same for their big Tornado as, say, Academy were for their 1/32 F-18 when it was still available and their current F-16 Sufa kits, the content standards in the overall packages are night and day. Both those Academy kits aren't perfect packages I accept, but their tooling and plastic quality / detail is in another league.

 

The 1/32 Mirage IIICJ I bought when first released was like a 1/48 kit scaled up and after reading the awful build reviews, I immediately offloaded mine and struggled to get 40 quid back for it having paid about double that..which was about what it was actually worth. Likewise, their 104's are like a scaled up 48 kit but I love the subject so I will throw resin and etch at that one.

 

If others are happy with their products and prices fine, but I know lots of people I speak to at clubs and shows and with whom I correspond think likewise that Italeri refuse to move with the times (other than with their RRPs of course !) and haven't bought any of their kits for years.

 

Time will tell if they can stay lucky and compete indefinitely in an ever improving and evolving hobby.

 

Gary

Gary,

 

Just as an aside, if you are interested/looking for a reasonable priced Academy F/A-18 I have a couple or three in stock!

 

Regards,

 

Gary

[Gary Needham]

20 hours ago, Redcap1960 said:

Gary,

 

Just as an aside, if you are interested/looking for a reasonable priced Academy F/A-18 I have a couple or three in stock!

 

Regards,

 

Gary

 

Hi Gary and I hope you are keeping safe and well mate. Thanks for the kindly offer however I still have a F/A-18A+ (USMC & Canada) kit in the stash to do and won't ever build more than one of these.

 

Cheers Gary!

Gary

[Redcap1960]

30 minutes ago, Gary Needham said:

 

Hi Gary and I hope you are keeping safe and well mate. Thanks for the kindly offer however I still have a F/A-18A+ (USMC & Canada) kit in the stash to do and won't ever build more than one of these.

 

Cheers Gary!

Gary

Gary,

 

Doing fine at the moment. Busy as always both inside and outside of the NHS. I will be having a major clear-out of stock in the new year will give you a heads up as and when the list is available just in-case there is anything on it that grabs you fancy. There is about 1000+ kits to shrink down with a smattering of 1/32 LSP in amongst the 1/35 and 1/48 aircraft.

 

Take care and stay well.

 

Regards,

 

Gary     

[Tony T]

On 10/24/2021 at 8:45 PM, wunwinglow said:

Anyone got a pic of ANY Tornado carrying JDAMS, or AIM9X?  I have never seen any.....

 

 

It's useful to have them if you need more bangy things in the bits box. Just like the Matra BL-EU-2 types in the Revell edition, which double as Mk.82 AIR ballutes.

 

If the new boxing is strictly ECR low viz with no new parts, as appears pending a sprue preview, the original GR.4 edition is appealing more. I was on hold hoping for a Marineflieger Tornado option with plastic Kormoran missiles (I hate glueing resin or etch fins).

 

Anyone seen the sprues yet?

 

Tony 

[Kagemusha]

Not seen anything apart from an on-line flyer, it seems it was a late switch to the dedicated ECR release, so hopefully that will include all the intended IDS parts.

 

Tough choice between a green or a grey...

 

 

[Dave Williams]

I’m betting all they do is add the standard tanks and non-RAF style belly pylons in the big blank area on this sprue.

 

https://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/kits/it/pages/it_2513_parts2.shtml

 

The big question is whether they’ll also delete the sprue section with the large tanks and RAF style belly pylons since they aren’t needed in this kit.

 

There are two other sprues that appear to have missing parts.

 

Blank area to the left of the IPs, probably for alternate IPs

 

https://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/kits/it/pages/it_2513_parts3.shtml

 

Small blank rectangle near the middle, maybe for antennas or something else relatively small.

 

https://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/kits/it/pages/it_2513_parts1.shtml

 

A small flyer from Italeri with a little more detail on the ECR kit, but nothing unexpected.

 

https://www.italeri.com/uploads/news/Ar0G59UJTYJh44whxsg4uut7GJqPwsk3wFWz7yRX.pdf

 

 

Edited October 28, 2021 by Dave Williams

[wunwinglow]

9 hours ago, Tony T said:

 

It's useful to have them if you need more bangy things in the bits box. Just like the Matra BL-EU-2 types in the Revell edition, which double as Mk.82 AIR ballutes.

Tony 

True, but I thought I was buying an RAF GR4.  I have no interest in European versions. If anyone wants any of the HARMs, JDAMS, AIM9Xs, in fact anything nor-RAF, from my kit, ping me! I have no use for them.....

 

[alaninaustria]

Is it possible without any surgery to build a green Luftwaffe Tornado from the new Italeri IDS/ECR release?

Thanks

Cheers

Alan

[Kagemusha]

1 hour ago, alaninaustria said:

Is it possible without any surgery to build a green Luftwaffe Tornado from the new Italeri IDS/ECR release?

Thanks

Cheers

Alan

 

Yes. There were some green ECR's

 

 

A very useful resource is the Air Britain photographic library here

[Tony T]

18 hours ago, wunwinglow said:

True, but I thought I was buying an RAF GR4.  I have no interest in European versions. If anyone wants any of the HARMs, JDAMS, AIM9Xs, in fact anything nor-RAF, from my kit, ping me! I have no use for them.....

 

 

I'm mostly just interested in the countermeasures pods these days, but you can't expect a Brexit edition from an Italian manufacturer. Some of the stores were probably intended to future proof the kit and were taken from the F-35A tooling.

 

I'm just torn between getting the GR.4 to build a Marineflieger jet, or whether to hold out in case a third edition arrives with Germany Navy gear like the recce pods and Kormorans.

 

Tony 

[Dave Williams]

Seems like we are putting the cart in front of the horse.  This is only the second release of the kit.  How many boxings of the F-104 did they release, 5 or 6?  And people sound like are giving up on the kit because it still doesn’t have the perfect combination of parts to do the version that they want.  Just give it time.  Who’s to say they won’t release an IDS or GR.1 boxing?  Maybe they will, and maybe they have another sprue of weapons they’ll put in for other boxings.  Even if they don’t, it’s not like people can’t make what they want with a bit of effort.  Want a German IDS with Kormorans? Get the ECR kit and a set of CMK Kormorans.  Want a GR.1?  Get the GR.4 kit, a new front IP, and some of the bunch of Operation Granby aftermarket out there.  It’s not like no one here doesn’t ever go beyond the box to make the version they really want.  And as far as Brexit goes, if that was any concern, they wouldn’t have made the first release a GR.4, which is only flown by the RAF.

 

I get it on some level.  It’s an expensive kit and should have everything in the box and all correct.  And it’s disappointing that some of the included weapons aren’t used by anyone.  That said, the same comments could be made about many other companies.  In the end, we make do with what we get.

[Tony T]

The Brexit thing was tongue-in-cheek Dave. 

 

It's too big and expensive a kit for me to buy more than one interdictor variant, so I'm hoping the "right" one — an RAF desert pink GR.1A or Marineflieger basalt and pale grey variant — might happen before I die. That's not entirely a joke. 

 

Unfortunately, cyanoacrylate and my fingers just don't get on, so I'm waiting for plastic Kormorans or possibly ones from ResKit or Brassin with very positive locating features like tabs and slots. But thanks for reminding me of the CMK offerings. I remember looking at them when they were more widely available but passed because of visions of the aforementioned sticky fingers and my moral commitment to omit air-to-surface whiz-bangs from models if possible.

 

Have Ha-Hen decals for the 1980s Navy jets, and Aires parts for the Revell which might fit, so I'm torn between buying the currently cheaper "has been" GR.4 and adapting it —or— holding out for a third or fourth boxing with the right options, which might not happen anyway.

 

The decal options for the latest indicates ECR only which is fantastic if you want one with HARMs. Great subject and I hope it sells well for Italeri, to inspire an original Tornado interdictor or even an F.3, which would dictate buying a second boxing! 

 

Tony