what next ?

[paddy]

while i wait for the part i need to finish my car build i have been mulling over the next project
I have to think ahead as i don't have kits hanging about or a stash as they call it
That said i do have an Eduard Zero waiting for me to get in the mood however i am a bit taken with the last Tamiya P38j (1/48) 2023 update, its not an aircraft i have built before and I see Eduard do a raft of extras. Anyone built it ?

 

[moon puppy]

The twin boom can be tricky, I got the academy kit, first round with it I got about 80% done before getting distracted. I got the same kit now, it's probably on my short list behind all the other things I'm thinking about.

 

[Heavens Eagle]

The Tamiya P-38J I believe is the follow up to the early P-38F that they did a few years ago. I have that kit from the initial pre-release that was sold at IPMS Chattanooga. Only problems I had with that kit were the lower air intakes on the engines were kind of fiddly. Lots of contours there and that shouldn't be an issue with the J model. The other problem I had was the booms in my kit were warped slightly which gave a tilt to the rudders. I was able to fix that. I also don't think that was a common issue with that kit. I think I ended up with a problem kit. Solved it anyway.
The new Tamiya release has an awesome detailed landing gear and bays. I think the cockpit was also quite nice. I was taking this kit to another level but got tired of it then it had to be set aside for more important things thus it is a shelf queen. Not a bad kit just need to get the mojo back on it. Here is the link to that build.

Tamiya p-38F build

 

[paddy]

I see you had problems with the resin engine fitment bob ? Eduard now do a 3D print version so assuming its not just a 3D print of the resin item i will order it and see how it goes.
Now i see they do a 3D print for the nose guns and the cockpit...oh dear..this is going to get expensive.

The good news is i have had a revelation with my latest car build and realise now where i am going wrong...
As i wait for a spare part i have been forced to look more closely at what i have done so far and have kept myself busy for 10 days improving what i had already done.... despite being happy with the progress 10 days ago. basically i need to slow down I need to spend more time on insignificant detail as I now see its this detail when grouped together becomes significant detail,
Also i need step up my painting to the next level

 

[moon puppy]

I see you had problems with the resin engine fitment bob ?

I got the "Limited Edition" boxing from them that included their cockpit and the Academy P38. The cockpit did not fit and when I confronted them about it the only reply I got was "Yeah, you're right, sorry.". That's why I have a hard time supporting Eduard much to some others pain.
I haven't watched all this but you might find it interesting.

 

[sharkman]

You've been on a car kick, what about this??

Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16V, Italeri 4709 (2021)

www.scalemates.com

 

[paddy]

Ha ha yes i looked at it then i looked at the price and quite frankly no Italeri kit is worth £200.
Their poor quality plastic ,silly method of construction (screws and plastic really don't work) and their massive over price make these pretty much unbuyable to me now.
If Airfix can produce their new (ish) 1/24 Spitfire in its high detail in the UK and market it for under £100.00 then these chancer companies flogging £100.00 kits for £200.00 don't really deserve to survive.

TBH even the new mold new production Bugatti would be a very ordinary kit if you were not prepared to detail it yourself.

 

[sharkman]

Ha ha yes i looked at it then i looked at the price and quite frankly no Italeri kit is worth £200.
Their poor quality plastic ,silly method of construction (screws and plastic really don't work) and their massive over price make these pretty much unbuyable to me now.
If Airfix can produce their new (ish) 1/24 Spitfire in its high detail in the UK and market it for under £100.00 then these chancer companies flogging £100.00 kits for £200.00 don't really deserve to survive.

TBH even the new mold new production Bugatti would be a very ordinary kit if you were not prepared to detail it yourself.

Yeah, the price is crazy so I don't blame you there!

 

[paddy]

Ok you knowledgeable US guys help out a foreigner here

This the same plane in 2 pics..........i think
But the weathering on the museum example is not the same as the restoration pictures.

Surely they didn't fake an original finish ?

 

[Rhino]

The original 1/48 Monogram tooling P-38 has a hinged nose panel, gun and cannon details, hinged canopy and a folding boarding ladder.
Just sayin'.

 

[moon puppy]

Paddy from my understanding the P38 at Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is preserved as is.

I read somewhere but can't find it that the crew at the Center just stabilized what nature did.

Lockheed P-38J-10-LO Lightning

Twin-tail boom and twin-engine fighter; tricycle landing gear.In the P-38 Lockheed engineer Clarence "Kelly" Johnson and his team of designers created one of the most successful twin-engine fighters ever flown by any nation. From 1942 to 1945, U. S.

airandspace.si.edu

There it is. This aircraft seems to have been a test bed for several experiments and even flown by Dick Bong at Wright Patterson.

 

[Heavens Eagle]

Paddy, I do believe the weathered P-38 from the Smithsonian in your photos is in the original paint. The orange color is a primer coat that is underneath the olive paint on top. I have seen this lovely bird and it made me want to take lots of photos. Udvar-Hazy is rather dark with somewhat dim lighting. It is really difficult to take photos there. Also if you are on the upper level and there are a lot of folks around you the upper level sways. The upper level is hung from the roof structure. I believe the lighting is to protect the paint pigments from fading.

 

[paddy]

Thats great thanks, i did wonder if the picture during restoration was bleached out with the flash as the green is barely perceptible

 

[moon puppy]

I think that's the case. The flash looks pretty harsh. Like Paul said the lighting inside the center is really low, looking back on my photos the all are not that good. What would you expect from a cell phone camera. Funny all the photos of that P-38 are from about the same angle. Down on the floor you're kind of overwhelmed by it.

 

[moon puppy]

BTW, they are restoring Flak Bait the same way. This was from 2016 (wow)

 

[paddy]

Today i am looking at the Reval 1/8th E-type and the Eduard 1/48 P38.
The Jag is huge, i might have over estimated my ability there, its half a meter long !!! and very very basic. My guess is it would take most of the this year to do properly as just about every part needs re working from huge mould seems in the body to poor resolution and detailed smaller parts before we even think about troublesome fit.
The P38 upgrade parts arrived from Eduard today, again i have committed to huge amount of work over the std kit OTB but these up grades are 3D printed instead of resin so it might go quite smoothly.
Bottom line is i cant start anything until i get a new body tub for the Bugatti from Italeri as my brain cant think about 2 builds at once or I will end up with a Bugatti with an E-Type engine.....

 

[Greg Kimsey]

Today i am looking at the Reval 1/8th E-type and the Eduard 1/48 P38.
The Jag is huge, i might have over estimated my ability there, its half a meter long !!! and very very basic. My guess is it would take most of the this year to do properly as just about every part needs re working from huge mould seems in the body to poor resolution and detailed smaller parts before we even think about troublesome fit.
The P38 upgrade parts arrived from Eduard today, again i have committed to huge amount of work over the std kit OTB but these up grades are 3D printed instead of resin so it might go quite smoothly.
Bottom line is i cant start anything until i get a new body tub for the Bugatti from Italeri as my brain cant think about 2 builds at once or I will end up with a Bugatti with an E-Type engine.....

Same! How do these guys work on more than one kit at a time?!!
I do hope the people pricing the kits come to their senses. I doubt many of the one percenters who could actually afford the models are builders. My Airfix/Hornby rep sent this newletter the other day. I don't care how big it is...$1100? really?

 

[paddy]

Thats my thinking behind the Revell Jag, can you make an acceptable (£1000) large scale model for £100/$100 ? I'm certainly going to try
The only other E-Type Jag of that scale was the DeAgostini thing where you had to buy 1 million magazines over 100 years at $50 a mag to get the parts

 

[moon puppy]

That's nuts man! But you know you can spend that much on a fully upgraded with all the bells and whistles large scale ship like the Iowa or Arizona.

 

[paddy]

I tend to look at it from a value for money angle rather than an outright cost angle.
A £120 model that takes me 4x as long to build as a £75 model is better value than the cheaper model..
My first impression is the Revell E-type is its going to take me a long time to make it in to something and consequently its fun/hours per £ is going to be quite high i expect.
At least that's my justification for spending too much on my hobby.

They were saying on the radio last night a ticket for a show in the West end (our smaller Broadway) in London is about £200. That about £100/hour approx. ?
I would think i get about £1/hour entertainment with a model ?