|
For a very limited time, we are offering all four of our currently available F-16 sets at about a 40% savings if ordered through this offer. The offer includes the Heavyweight and Lightweight Landing Gear and Wheel Well sets, as well as both the Bigmouth and Smallmouth seamless intakes. This is a value (on an individual basis) of $130 now being offered for $79.99. However, this offer expires on Monday, April 22nd or while current inventory lasts. We are out of tubing, and more won't be coming our way til about May....
0 Comments
This set has also been improved on slightly, based on the earlier release, with a lower parts count at no expense to details. The well is designed to fit snug in the Tamiya fuselage, but the instructions do need to be paid attention to, otherwise the wheel well assembly won't maneuver into place. The instructions point that out, and as long as there are no problems, installation is quite easy and yields a fantastic set of legs for your model. The set includes the main and nose wells, all with the required modifications that differentiate lightweight versions from the heavyweight ones, the struts, the gear doors and their (version specific) retraction struts as well as the smaller wheels.
The wheel well sets (both Heavy and Light) retail at $49.99US. These include the wheel wells, strut assemblies, all gear doors and wheels. Each of the intakes, Small and Bigmouth, retail for 14.99US. Generally, European customers from within the EU will have their orders mailed to them from within the European Union, so no additional expenses are incurred.
We can report a limited restock of the F-4 Wheel Well and Landing Gear Sets as we gear up printer space for other items, notably F-16 stuff.
A little editorial for you to consider. Let me know if you agree. I often read, and try to understand, the notion of something being labeled ‘fiddly’ in the realm of scale modeling, but I have an increasingly hard time looking at it with any real acceptance. In fact, I confess to a level of annoyance. The goals of plastic modeling, the end result that is achieved, is different for everyone. Some like the clean appearance and a closed up model, something observers may see as a very ‘plastic’ looking model of an airplane. Yippee. Subscribers to this approach may, in turn, view weathering and similar representations of realism, as generally overdone. Both are fine, given that the modeler has experienced a sense of satisfaction, something that the hobby, any hobby, should ultimately provide and they should not allow themselves to be convinced otherwise. But scale modeling is a subjective and interpretive art form. There is a general tendency towards being as accurate and detailed as possible with an associated increase in the level of sophistication in kit production.
Kit builders ply their art via the treatment and assembly of components that are a fraction of the size of the actual item (the fraction being defined by the scale), and the pursuit of detail and realism tends to break the small parts into even smaller items that come together to form subassemblies. This often gets described as ‘fiddly’, where ‘intricate’ might be more relevant. I would see ‘intricate’ a better description for the process and result proper, and ‘fiddly’ perhaps more relevant to the modeling skills of the person using the term. I look at recent efforts, such as Eduard’s Zeros, Bf 109s and Fw 190s, or Miniart’s P-47s, and I am blown away at the sophistication and dedication...and faithfulness, at the execution of the details. Absolutely blown away. The last term that comes to mind is ‘fiddly’, though the term comes up much more than it should. Actually, to my mind, it should never come up in a modeler. A modeler complaining of ‘fiddly’ is a little like a surgeon who can’t stand the sight of blood. Tamiya kits are beautiful in and of themselves, and are considered masters of engineering, and in some respects, they are. And they probably get less ‘fiddly’ labels thrown on them than Eduard or Miniart, but the price of that, to me, is that Tamiya kits have a certain ‘sterile’ quality to them. But it may also give them a generally wider appeal, and are, in any case, a good starting point for a project. If I were to design aftermarket sets for the Miniart Thunderbolts or the Eduard Zekes, I would be harder pressed to come up with something than for the Tamiya F-4B or F-14s, or their Spitfires or Bf 109G, for a more accurate comparison, as good as those kits are. To sum up, ‘fiddly’ is probably a really bad way to describe kit engineering and detail levels and is a better indication of modeling skills at the disposal of the builder. The ‘intricacies’, a better term, of a current generation kit, can be largely overcome by tools of the trade. I have found photoetched brass bending tools and a decent pair of tweezers go a very long way to easing construction of small bits. Hopefully, something to think about...(?). As much as Aeroscale's review is appreciated, I think there needs to be a small clarification. The review states that the hardest part of the build will likely be the masking off of the oleo and retraction pistons prior to painting. In fact, these components are made from (cut-to-length) stainless steel, serving two equally important functions. One is strength, and as such, the longest strut component has a steel tube running down its entire length, providing more than adequate structural integrity for the entire system to support the weight of the model permanently. The other is a realistic representation of the oleo and retraction pistons. Being made of stainless, these need no masking whatsoever, and primer/paint/overcoats can simply and easily be scrapped off with an x-acto knife blade, leaving a metal sheen that is both realistic and in scale. Photos taken with my phone don't do this justice, but.....
After using several kits for verification of fit and to deliver as advertised, this is my own little work in progress, and I am very happy with the way it's going.
We have restocked the F-16 Bigmouth intake set as well as the F-4B sets.
We have modified our production process and have eliminated several 'middlemen' in doing so, allowing us to drop our prices of new sets, such as those for the F-16s introduced below. We have also dropped the prices of our earlier F-4 and P-38 sets by 25% to keep in line with our new pricing structure. Stocks are limited, though, so please, keep that in mind...
These are definitely our best sets yet (each one gets a little better) and with the changes we have implemented in our operation, we have also managed to reduce our production costs, something we are passing on to our customers. These are 3D printed sets with our traditional metal reinforced struts and stainless steel tubes acting as extremely realistic retraction and oleo pistons. These are for the Tamiya F-16s in 48th. The Landing Gear set and the seamless intake are separate sets, but are not dependent on each other. In other words, you don't need one to use the other.  The photo above is a part of the landing gear set made up of just four parts, plus some of the tubing. The entire set is composed of 22 prints. Stencil data decals are also included. There are not many, but they are prominent. Below is the nose gear section (minus the strut that is included with the set) and the separately available seamless intake.  The Landing Gear set retails for $49.99US and the intake for $14.99. For clarity, here is a render to give a feel for the level of detail...  ....there have been issues with doing business with UK retailers since Brexit, as you are no doubt aware, given the comments we receive regarding customs issues and delays. We are happy to announce that Hannant's is now importing our products with no issues (after some trials and errors), and we are looking forward to a mutually (very) beneficial relationship in the near future! Hopefully, this will make it easier on the end user as well
Hello, everyone. Sorry for the disappointment of a seemingly stagnant period over the last several months. Rest assured, we have been very busy with new items and overcoming issues in order to offer increasingly better items. Bigger and better things are in store. Of the things that are closest to release dates (through the summer), we have been working on a landing gear/wheel well set for the Tamiya F-16s in 1:48th scale. These include both Lightweight and Heavyweight incarnations and greatly improve on the kit parts, which, as good as they are, are limited by aspects that the 3D printer gets around.
What you see in the above two shots is the set test shot in the kit fuselage and the assembly consists of two prints only, though the set itself will have significantly more and will include wheels. This is the Heavyweight gear version and as is the norm with our landing gear sets, stainless steel tubing is included, cut to length, and represents the exposed oleo pistons while also providing the necessary structural integrity of the gears, ensuring they hold the weight of the model permanently. The stainless steel oleo pistons look incredibly real, and need no masking for painting, as paint simply and easily scrapes off with the use of an x-acto knife blade. These sets will also be modified to fit the Kinetic kits, which are widely considered to be comparable to the Tamiya releases. The design of the Kinetic kits follow closely the concept of the Tamiya items, and it has been suggested that they should be interchangeable. The moderately experienced among you will probably be able to install these sets intended for the Tamiya kit into Kinetic's, but there are slight differences between them, because the Kinetic kits are not copies of the Tamiya F-16s. We do pay a lot of attention to the fit of our sets into the target kits, and these modifications, despite being minor, will be made in the 'For the Kinetic Family of Kits' releases. Not to mention that Kinetic is releasing two-seat versions which Tamiya, unfortunately, has so far avoided. We are also well on the way to releasing new 3D printed sets for the Tamiya F-14s. The main item in progress now is a new Wing Box set.
The photos above show the box itself and the separate main landing gear well. The inclusion of the well with the set is mandatory. The roof of the wheel well is flat on the Tamiya kit, and won't allow the wing box to sit above it, restricting the depth of the wing box, completely screwing up spatial geometry of the thing. So, our new wells have a small wedge along the inner edge hidden under the various plumbing and cabling details, allowing that semi-circular structure visible in the wing box to be accommodated. Honestly, the fit is perfect, and that's no simple sales pitch. We spent a lot of time and effort on this to ensure that it does not become a stumbling block for the modeller, causing a loss of inertia in the project. Hate it when that happens!!....
The wing box structure itself will be a single 3D print, as will the wheel wells be. The question is, since the main wells need to be included, do we include the nose well? That has yet to be decided, and if you have any thoughts on the matter, by all means, let us know1 There will be a separate wheel well set to satisfy those that want new wells but have no desire to expose the wing box. A landing gear set along the same lines as the F-16 concept covered earlier will also be produced and is being worked on now. Our earlier cast resin sets of the spine details and avionic bays will be converted to 3D sets too, and we plan on fully avoiding using photoetching on these. We are playing with some ideas on how to do that so that it is accepted, and we have some promising test results. That's it for now. Enjoy your modelling projects and let us know if you have any issues with any of our products or if you have any suggestions whatsoever. We'd love to hear from you. |
Archives
February 2024
Categories |
RSS Feed