The Notable Moments of 2021

Let's take a look back at the best and most interesting models and moments of 2021.

We'll begin with the best box art of 2021. I think that award must go to Miniart for their Bulgarian Maybach T-IV H

The best box art for an aircraft goes to Jetmads for its 1/32 Viggen.

Most modelers would agree that the best release of 2021 was the Tamiya F-4B Phantom II, which hit the market in June. Sprue Brothers alone had more than 500 in stock. A trendy followed thereafter whereby every modeler who bought the kit was compelled to post a photo of it.

By mid-July the first Tamiya 1/48 F-4B was seen on the secondary market.

Border Models kicked off the year by announcing a 1/35 Bf-109G-6. That’s right…1/35 scale, not 1/32. I’ll be curious to see if we see additional 1/35 aircraft releases.

Also in January, without warning or any formal announcement, Squadron closed up shop for good. In April the Squadron name and the company’s inventory were auctioned with many of the lots going to smaller dealers. A month later Chris Decker — the force behind Midship Models, Yankee Modelworks, and Free Time Hobbies — announced his purchase of Squadron’s assets and his plan to re-launch the business.

In March Kinetic posted a teaser on their Facebook page about their next new release, which generated nearly 600 comments from their followers. The following month they announced the kit, a new tool 1/48 Fiat G.91. A keen eyed modeler found a minor inaccuracy in the wing leading edge, and Kinetic said they would postpone the release to fix the error.

In June Airfix announced that they were now on TikTok. I could be wrong, but I think they’re the first plastic model manufacturer to do that.

Also in June, Kitty Hawk announced they were closing up shop, which predictably generated mixed reactions within the aircraft modeling community. Many modelers suggested the company brought it on themselves with poorly engineered kits, though everyone seemed to agree that their subject choices were very strong. Either way, they will be missed.

There were other exciting and curious product releases throughout the year.

Just as the IPMS National Convention was kicking off, Sprue Brothers announced a joint effort with Phantom Phreaks to release 12 versions of the F-4 Phantom.

Some of the designers behind the defunct Wingnut Wings announced a new company, Kotare, and announced a 1/32 Spitfire Mk Ia for release in 2022.

Yenmodels released what must be the most specific kit of the year, a 1/35 Pripyat town sign.

https://armorama.com/news/yen-models-pripyat-city-sign

CHINO MODEL announced what’s probably the most unusual item of the year, 3D printed ears. Yes, you heard that right, ears.

For those of you chomping at the bit to do a beach diorama, Armor35 released these figures.

Finally, the low point of 2021 has to be this 1/4 scale figure. 

It can only get better from here.

Happy New Year!

The box art of 2020

 Let’s take a look at the box art of 2020.

Worst box art of 2020 goes to the Dora 1/72 Lysander. I really, really like the kits that Dora has been releasing these last couple of years, but this box art fell short, particularly given how great the model itself is.

Best box art of the year goes to the Takom 1/35 Merkava Mk. 2D. I’m usually not a fan of head-on shots of armor, but this is nothing short of awesome.

If there were an award for most daring box art of the year, I’d have to give it to Airfix for their 1/48 Spitfire Mk. Vb. The plane is inverted! I don’t recall seeing another model marketed that way. Kudos to the graphic arts department at Airfix!

Five models I did not buy on Black Friday

This is something of a companion piece to an article I wrote four years ago, “Five kits I did not buy at the Nats.” I often see conversations about the kits that we buy, so I think it’s interesting to talk about what we did not buy and why.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone, and quite a few online shops offered a variety of discounts and deals. Some were lackluster (7 percent off -- really?) and others were more enticing (offer me 20 percent and I start looking for my wallet). The traditional highlight of the season, Squadron’s 40 percent sale, no longer excites me now that the threshold for the maximum discount is $500, though in fairness it’s a no-brainer f you and a few friends can compile an order together.

Nonetheless, there were a few sales that prompted me to browse for bargains. I found a few, but I fell short and spent literally nothing over the weekend.

Zoukei-Mura 1/48 F-4C - Try as I might, I couldn’t find a vendor here in the US that has these in stock, so this one was a non-starter.

Zoukei-Mura 1/48 F-4S - Found this at Sprue Brothers. Could have scored one for $60, but it was out of stock.

Trumpeter 1/48 T-38A - I’ve always appreciate the sleek lines of the T-38 and would like to build on in an old school, 1970s white scheme. MegaHobby has it in stock, but I just couldn’t quite pull the trigger knowing that I have too many 1/48 scale models in the stash while my focus has been largely on 1/72 scale. I also learned that the Wolfpack model is slightly more accurate, so there's that, too.

Trumpeter 1/35 BREM-1 - I’ve always had an affinity for Soviet/Russian engineering vehicles. I was thrilled when Trumpeter released their BTM-3 last year, so I've been eager for them to leverage their molds of the BMP-1, T-72, and T-80 to produce respective examples. I was excited to find Trumpeter’s BREM-1 at Squadron, but lo! It was out of stock. So this shall have to wait for another sale or an order from a seller in China or Japan.

Italeri 1/12 Fiat Mefistofele 21706cc - If you’ve seen photos of this model on web sites or Facebook groups, you know it’s an outstanding model. I’m continually tempted to get one, despite it’s heft price tag (around $200), so Black Friday seemed to be a good opportunity to get one at discount. But after a good deal of thought, I decided to wait. I’m not a car modeler, so I’m not sure I can do the kit justice, and, frankly I have many other models in the stash that excite me more. Who knows; maybe I’ll come back to it some day.

I hope you had more luck than me. Happy hunting!

It’s not a seller’s market

I’ve been slowly downsizing my stash over the last year, and I’m learning that it’s not a seller’s market out there. I recently listed a number of models on ARC and Facebook and got no offers. Then I took them to eBay and subsequently realize very low prices. Here are a few examples:

• Italeri Jaguar with Eduard details, $4
• Airfix Spit Mk 22 with Eduard details, $11
• Hobby Boss T-50 PAK-FA with Res-IM details, $8
• Trumpeter JS-7, $19
• Italeri Su-22, unsold

A quick search through completed sales on eBay shows that other sellers’ sales have been mediocre as well. Again, a few examples:

• Hasegawa 1/72 F-4 Phantoms, which used to sell in excess of $30, are now routinely selling for under that.
• Trumpeter 1/35 armor can often be scooped up for around $20.
• Trumpeter 1/48 aircraft are selling for under $20.
• Similarly, Hasegawa 1/48 aircraft are also selling for under $20.

(I’m looking only at auction prices, not the retail prices that professional eBay sellers set on their products.)

I think other modelers are seeing the same trend. I see a lot of models listed on the forums and Facebook that aren’t selling. I’m not talking about the guys listing models at near-retail prices (it's obvious why they don't sell), but those pricing their models at discount. Even well-priced models seem to be lingering unsold for months.

So what’s happening on the secondary market? I believe there are two big factors contributing to the soft sales.

First, a lot of modeler are, like me, realizing that they’ll never build the models they already have, so they’re reluctant to continue buying more, even at discount. Many of my friends share this sentiment, and I see it in discussions online as well.

Second, the cost of postage is detracting from what otherwise might be a bargain. For example, a $25 kit offered at $10 isn’t a bargain anymore when the buyer has to add $10 for postage. (The bigger the kit, the bigger the impact of postage!) The only bargains that can truly be had anymore are found at contests. Even then, I’ve seen plenty of sellers — especially professional vendors — pricing their models above what I’d consider a bargain. And…these are sellers sitting on huge inventories!

I reflect on this phenomenon to warn those of you who are downsizing your stashes to set your expectations accordingly. I also suggest that those of you who are new to the hobby to buy models very selectively; you don’t want to be sitting on a huge stash like many of us in our 50s and 60s and find you can recoup only a fraction of your investment.

Dora, I see what you're doing

Dora, I see what you're doing, and I like it!

If you follow the Rumourmonger forum on Britmodeller.com (and you should, because it’s one of the most lively conversations about upcoming releases), you may have noticed an interesting series of releases from newcomer Dora Wings.

Beginning in January 2017, and continuing through this year, Dora Wings has announced a series of new tool kits of the P-63 Kingcobra. That wouldn’t be particularly remarkable except that the kits span three scales — 1/48, 1/72, and 1/144.

To be fair, other manufacturers have done that. Hasegawa has F-16s in 1/32, 1/48, and 1/72. Monogram released kits back in the day of the F-105 in two scales. Trumpeter has released several tanks in 1/35 and 1/72. But what makes Dora Wings’ releases interesting to me is the close succession in which they’re coming to market.

I was intrigued by this strategy, so I messaged the company and subsequently had a nice conversation with the proprietor, Eugen Evtushenko. As I suspected, Eugen is taking advantage of 3D technology to release these kits across many scales. From his original 1/48 P-63, it's relatively easy to scale down the design to 1/72 and 1/144. “It’s a marketing move,” he said. “Let’s see if it’s right.” Based on the responses to other manufacturers’ new releases, where modelers often chime in with “wrong scale” remarks, I think Eugen is onto something.

Eugen said he produces kits that are interesting to him. Recently it’s been the Kingcobra, hence all the kits we’re seeing. As a modeler himself, he prefers 1/48 scale but realizes there’s a demand for 1/72 in particular.

His next three-scale release will likely be the Fairey Delta 2, and he has plans for at least two other models in two scales.

Looking further ahead Eugen tells me he’s most inspired by the Golden Era of aviation. “There are a lot of undeservedly forgotten prototypes, which are unprofitable for large producers to produce. Short-run manufacturers can help,” he said. "The cost of production for us is much less, and we can afford to produce a model with a circulation of 500-1000 copies."

Eugen casts a wide net when designing a new kit. He’ll search out books, magazines, and drawings, and is not averse to reaching out to the modeling community for assistance. One Britmodeller member, he told me, was key in providing references for the Dora P-63 racer.

Scrolling through Dora’s Facebook page you'll see many new and exciting releases. There’s a Percival Proctor and Vega, Bellanca CH300 and CH400, a Bf-109A/B, Dewotine D.501, and Gee Bee R1. I’m excited to see what Dora Wings will produce in the coming years.

Until then, here are a links to a few reviews of Dora Wings models.

1/72 P-63E on Hyperscale.

1/48 P-63E on KFS Miniatures.

1/48 TP-63E on Scalenews.

If something seems too good to be true...

Earlier this week Matt McDougall over at Doogs’ Models posted his findings of an informal survey he conducted on modelers’ buying habits. One of the questions he asked is where we buy our kits, paints, and tools. Much to my surprise, Amazon came in third, behind our local hobby shop (another surprise) and eBay.

Like many of you I’ve been going to Amazon quite a bit over the last few years in search of bargains. If you're an Amazon Prime customer in particular, the program's free shipping gets you around the bugbear of online purchases, postage. Even with that nugget, true bargains remain rare.

I’ve found a few over the years. Three years ago I found a Trumpeter 2S7M for $42 and a Minicraft 1/144 KC-135 for $8, both eligible for Amazon Prime! The only trick to finding these bargains is luck. (On the other hand, there’s no luck necessary if you want to buy models for pennies.)

I thought I got lucky last week when I spontaneously searched for one of the models on my short wish list, the Roden 1/144 C-5 Galaxy. You can imagine my surprise when I found this listing for the kit for $26.97.

I reviewed the description to make sure it was legit, not for just the box, or the decals, or just the fuselage. Everything looked good, so I ordered the model. I figured if it turned out to be a scam Amazon would back up a complaint. Amazon confirmed the purchase, so I set up camp in front yard to anxiously await the delivery.

Alas, there was no happy ending. Two days later I got an email from the seller informing me that his software had listed the model with the incorrect price. It should've been $126.99. He kindly offered me a 10 percent discount if I wanted to proceed with the purchase, but I declined and chose a refund instead. Total bummer.

There was a lot conversation about the Roden kit when it was released last year, and I tend to agree with the masses who find it's price tag a bit steep. I'll be patient and wait. Like most of the models that have been on my wish list, I’ll find one eventually at a good price, even if it's not $25.

Those crazy eBay prices

A recurring subject of conversation on the discussion forums and Facebook groups is the exorbitant prices we often see on Amazon for models and books in particular. I wrote about those crazy Amazon prices some time ago, and now we’re seeing algorithmic pricing on eBay. There are many companies offer software that allows eBay sellers to monitor product pricing across eBay and Amazon and adjust the prices of the seller’s items automatically.

I’d noticed some unusually high-priced models on eBay recently, but when I saw this one, a Fujimi 1/72 TA-4J for over $500, I had to dig a little deeper.

I’ve always suggested contacting sellers when you see an item that appears to be priced too high — I mean, typos do happen — so I thought I’d do just that with the seller of this model. I got right to the point:

"Hi. Is this price correct? It seems very expensive."

To their credit, the seller responded within an hour:

"Hello, thank you for contacting us. This is correct price. The sales volume of this item is decreasing, so the selling price is rising. Thank for understanding.”

I can’t help but feel a little sorry for the seller. They’re paying for algorithmic pricing software but being poorly served by it. A quick search of completed eBay listings finds the same kit having sold recently for $31 and $36, with others going unsold for $29 and $30. Clearly, this model isn’t as pricey as the software believes. I could see the software suggesting a price of maybe $50, but $500 suggests to me it’s missing the mark, by a lot.

Everybody knows that no one is going to pay $500 for that Skyhawk; well, everyone except the seller it would seem. Seeing the listing provides an interesting view into the world of eBay and Amazon sellers. I wonder how much revenue they’re missing by relying too heavily on technology.

BTW, if you get a big tax refund in the next couple of months and intend to lay down $500 for the Skyhawk, I have one in my stash that I’ll let go for just $300.

5 reasons why model kits are inaccurate

The newest release from Trumpihawk Boss just arrived at your doorstep and you’re excited to build it. But wait! The rivet counters on your favorite forum are lambasting the kit for its many inaccuracies. The nose is misshaped, the intakes are too high, the canopy shape resembles that of the prototype not the production variant, there are panel lines that shouldn’t be there. “It’s a caricature of the actual aircraft,” says one observer with an annoying affinity for hyperbole.

Whether you’ve learned to love rivet counters or not, you stare at the model wondering how the designers could make such obvious mistakes.

We'll I can tell you. In fact I'll give you five reasons.

Inaccurate plans

The designers may have used inaccurate plans. The manufacturers don’t always have access to the plans and schematics from the original manufacturer, so they use what they can find. For many of the aircraft, armor, ships, and cars we build there are two, three, or more sets of plans floating around out there in books, magazines, or online. The designers choose one, believing (or hoping) they’re correct. Clearly, when they’re not, mistakes in the plans are reflected in the model.

Inaccurate prototypes

The designers may have studied an inaccurate prototype. This is what happened with Eduard’s initial release of their 1/48 Bf-109G. If you followed the endless chatter online last year you may recall the model featured a bump on the wing root, which the designer dutifully included based on their analysis of a Bf-109G in a museum. It turned out that the bump was a a post-war modification. How were the designers to know that? In Eduard’s case, they didn’t find out until the kit was in our hands and modelers more knowledgable about the 109 pointed out the error. (To their credit, Eduard corrected this, and other mistakes, by re-tooling the molds and releasing a new kit.)

Lack of subject matter expertise

From the conversations I’ve had with insiders familiar with the model design process, the designers employed by the manufacturers are often design generalists. They’re not necessarily aviation or military enthusiasts like you and me. They might be designing parts for a refrigerator on Monday and designing the canopy of the upcoming Su-35 on Tuesday. They’re not familiar with the subtleties of your favorite subjects. It’s not surprising that they don’t “see” that gentle shape of the rear fuselage of the F-4 Phantom or notice the different angle of a Sherman glacis plate between the early and late variants.

When a subject matter expert is involved in a project (and we’ve recently seen a number of kits that are reviewed by modelers during the design process), there can be communication challenges. With many kits being designed in Asia or Europe there’s no guarantee the designers will be fluent in English, so when the expert sees an error in an early design image, communicating the nuance of the recommended change can be a challenge. For example, I have a basic understanding of Spanish; I know common words and phrases (and can certainly look up words I don’t know), but I’d be hard-pressed to assemble a clear, coherent explanation in Spanish of why the nose of the Trumpeter 1/72 Su-34 is wrong. And a Spanish designer might have a hard timely clearly understanding precise instructions I give him.

And I should point out that even when a third-party expert is consulted it doesn’t mean that the manufacturer will follow their guidance or that the expert is provided anything other than the CAD images.

No quality assurance

I don’t have any evidence to back up this theory, so I’d be eager to hear from anyone who can set me straight, but I have a feeling there’s no quality assurance check of the basic design of a new model prior to its going to production. The manufacturers hire designers, whether full-time or freelance, and give them the responsibility to design a model. But who checks their designs? I suspect it’s a product manager, but who’s to say that he's familiar enough with the subject to determine whether the designs are correct or not? He could look over the CAD drawings and declare, “Well, it looks like the photos of the Fruitbat Mk IIc that I’ve seen,” but would he notice that the exhausts are incorrect or the wheel hubs feature five bolt heads rather than six? Probably not. So the manufacturers release kits based on the best efforts of their designers.

The Dunning-Kruger effect

Finally, this leads me to the most likely reason your favorite model is inaccurate, the Dunning-Kruger effect. This concept suggests that we mistakenly consider ourselves to be more intelligent or to possess higher skills than we actually have. The guy who designed that inaccurate kit you bought thought it was accurate. He did the very best he could given his experience, skill, and resources available. But it turns out he wasn’t quite good enough to get everything right.

The Dunning-Kruger effect explains why you feel slighted when your model doesn't win at a contest...even though the wings weren’t aligned or you missed a seam on the stabilizer. Or why a chef at a restaurant featured on Kitchen Nightmares believes he's serving amazing food even though the restaurant is on the verge of bankruptcy because no one eats there. If Tamiya is producing the most accurate kits in the hobby, it's due in large part to their hiring the best talent.

You can read more about the Dunning-Kruger effect on Wikipedia.

In Summary...

Being aware of these factors should give you a clear understanding of just how difficult it is to produce a perfectly accurate kit.

1. Ideally the designers work from the manufacturer’s plans, and…

2. They have to have access to an accurately restored prototype, and…

3. They consult with subject matter experts with whom they can clearly communicate, and…

4. There’s someone in the company who’s familiar with the aircraft or vehicle prototype to double-check the designers’ work, and…

5. The designers are the very best in the industry and — ideally — aviation, military, naval, or automotive enthusiasts themselves.

That’s a tall order by any measure!

My love hate relationship with resin kits

Every evening I check the Rumourmonger area on Britmodeller, which is one of the best sources of news about upcoming kits. My heart skips a beat when I see a new thread about an enticing subject, but sometimes a wave of disappointment quickly follows when I see that the kit will be in resin rather than injected molded form. 

This happened to me last year when a new 1/72 YC-125 Raider was announced. It’s an usual aircraft to be sure. I’d never heard of the plane, much less seen one, until I visited the National Museum of the US Air Force many years ago. (It's not one of those aircraft that makes it to magazine covers.) It has an ungainly sit, looking more like a 1950s era Soviet design than something an American engineer would create. The nose-mounted engine looks like it could have been the result of a barroom bet among the designers after wrapping up a more conventional two-engine configuration. "Hey Jerry, I'll bet you fifty bucks I can stick an R-1820 on the nose and the Air Force brass will eat it up!"

You can learn more about the Raider’s history on the museum’s web site,  but to make a long story short, only 23 Raiders were produced, so it’s a near-miracle that any manufacturer would choose to produce a kit of it. That said, I’ve always been intimidated by resin, and a lot of modelers I talk to feel the same way. I understand that resin is often the only choice for limited run subjects, but I wish the resin manufacturers would partner with one of the plastic manufacturers and produce subjects like this in injected molded form. As much as I'd like to build many of these resin subjects, I just don't see struggling with resin when there are so many other models awaiting my time.

Of course you might feel differently, especially if you really want a model of the YC-125 (as one example), and I can't deny the skill of modelers who are willing to tackle resin kits. We've all seen resin kits at contests to know they can be made into masterpieces just as well as a plastic kit can be. Kudos to you willing to give these resin kits the attention they require, but they're not for me.

A plethora of resin Humvee wheels

Have you noticed how many aftermarket companies produce resin wheels for the Humvee in 1/35 scale?

Aires
Blast
Calibre35
CMK
DEF Model
DTOYS
ET Model (three versions)
Live Resin
Mig Productions
Panzer Art (two versions)
Pro Art
Trakz
Verlinden
Voyager

And I'll bet you a banana split that I missed two or three others.

I can only surmise there’s an unspoken rule that if you’re going into the aftermarket business, you absolutely must release Humvee wheels!

And I must say…they all look very nice!

You can find reviews for many of these wheels on HMMWV In Scale, which is an excellent resource for information on the Humvee.

Other voices: The Kitty Hawk 1/48 Su-17 and criticism of new kits

Paul Cotcher of Red Star Scale Models is back for another contribution to our Other Voices series. Paul has long had a strong interest in Soviet and Russian subjects, so it's only appropriate that you hear his comments on the new Kitty Hawk Su-17 and the response from rivet counters upon seeing it.

- - - - -

Fair warning, this article is the modeling equivalent of our parents describing walking to school in the snow, uphill – both ways. Time to practice a little modeling relativism, so if that might push your buttons, you may want to stop reading now. Otherwise, let’s take a trip down memory lane.

In the days before the internet, every trip to the hobby shop could bring a surprise, there were no CAD renderings posted ahead of time, no product listings, no Facebook (or Hyperscale, ARC, or even rec.models.scale). And if the local hobby shop wasn’t good enough, a trip to an out of town hobby shop could bring even more modeling goodness. In the early 90s I frequently travelled to Miami on business, and used those trips to frequent Orange Blossom Hobbies. Not only did I get to meet a bunch of people that I still consider good friends, every trip revealed something new that I had never heard about before. Those of us that have been around the hobby for a while can certainly remember these discoveries.

This specific story, however, relates to a different out of town shop. Traveling to New York City, one would have thought that there would have been a grand and glorious hobby shop somewhere in that metropolis. Ace Hobbies, formerly of mid-town Manhattan provided plenty of exotic products that you wouldn't find elsewhere. Their product listings in the old Military Model Preview magazine would have led one to believe they were much larger. Frequently getting kits, magazines, and supplies from Eastern Europe (apparently from pilots flying in and out of JFK). That was more than enough to get me to visit. Having always been a big fan of modeling Soviet and Russian subjects, anything that was then coming out of newly opened eastern Europe was modeling gold! Alas, Ace Hobbies was far from grand and glorious, it was a dark little place in the shadow of the Empire State Building. Located on the third floor up an elevator that likely later posed as the elevator in the Big Bang Theory, you’d enter the small space to find a pile of kits strewn about in no particular order, save for the few kits on a somewhat center table that were the “new items.”

On a visit one summer day, I recall walking in (after the ride up from Bucks County, PA where I was staying) ready to shuffle through the dusty piles, after all, that’s what was required to really find what was in stock at this (and so many other) shop. What to my amazement should appear but a brand new 1/48 Su-17 from KP. Talk about modeling gold! A 1/48 swing wing Fitter! I was in modeling heaven. Not thinking for a minute, it was going home with me. Of course, they didn’t take credit cards, so I had to ask that they hold it while I went to find an ATM. Long story short (no, Steven Zaloga, you can’t have it), it was on its way home with me.

First inspection showed that it looked a lot like an OEZ kit. Which later was confirmed. OEZ had sold their efforts to KP (Kopro) resulting in their last tooling showing up under a different brand (I guess at one time they had a MiG-23BN planned, too). It was certainly more refined than the Su-7 that I had previously built. Still crude (mid-90s crude) in some areas, but again, better than the other OEZ kits I had in the stash (keep in mind there was no Academy MiG-21 yet, so that included the OEZ MiG-21 kit).

Fast forward a few months, maybe even a year or so, and it was time to build the beast. Likely the release of the Cutting Edge cockpit for the kit was what pushed the project over the Go line. Like most projects it was simple to get the cockpit together, but the small amount of work in to get the resin fit to the kit, and then the fuselage together. After all it was just two fuselage halves, putting those together can’t be hard. But (and here’s the but), from that point in the project fought me every step of the way. Things I remember being difficult include the main wheel well where half the well wall was molded with the upper half of the wing and the other half was molded with the bottom half. Well that will leave a heck of a seam...if the two wheel well halves even matched up. They were so offset that a totally new set of walls had to be fabricated to get one smooth wall all the way around. Seemingly everything had to be trimmed, shimmed, blended, or otherwise spackled in place. Pylons were not molded to one side of the wing or the other, and had to be filled and carefully blended. The large wing fences were split requiring careful filling and sanding. The landing gear was an atrocious approximation of the complex gear on the real aircraft (heck we had new books coming out to show us what these things really looked like). One problem after another. And let me be perfectly clear here, I am only glossing over the bigger issues.

Suffice to say, I fought it all the way to the finish line, and LOVED every minute of it. It was a 1/48 Su-17, and I was darned glad to have one to build. Despite this, I had others in my collection over the years, and even built up a host of additional details to do a “really nice” build. Cutting Edge cockpit, exhaust and outer wings, resin wheels from TallyHo!, a host of etching from Eduard and Part, weapons and pylons from Art Model, and then at the very end came Ciro and their glorious wheel wells (that fixed the out-of-register main wheel well halves). All of this would have made for some spectacular detailing on a kit that was still a bear to build. Project cost was probably in excess of $250 by the time you secured all the add-ons – not to mention some aftermarket decals. Despite many false starts I could never get myself to really engage on the project again. Would get the kit out, tinker a bit and then turn my attention to something newer.

In the two decades, give or take, since I built the first one, I never built a second. I am a far better modeler now then I was then. Better not only in terms of skills, but also better in terms of tools, materials and techniques that have come to light since that time (I mean, Squadron Green putty, am I right?). As we moved into the last four or five years with the onslaught of new 1/48 jet kits, it then became a matter of time before a new Su-17 would present itself and I would be able to build a new and improved Fitter (and the good Lord willing, all the earlier versions too).

So where is this whole thing going Paul, that’s a great story, but what’s your point here?

Thanks for asking! There is most definitely a point. Today, on my front porch, I found laying a brown corrugated box in the characteristic model kit dimensions. In that box, was a brand new 1/48 Kitty Hawk Su-17M3/M4. The kit is GLORIOUS. I’ll have details on my website and Facebook page (probably by the time you read this), but in the interim, let’s talk about why it’s a great kit, and why you almost certainly will have heard otherwise.

From the moment this kit was announced, it was already decried as a piece of garbage. Because of brand alone, it was already doomed in the eyes of many. Doomed not only to those that like to use such statements as “debacle” or “dumpster fire” or even “horribly misshapen monstrosity” to describe flaws in kit designs, but doomed to the people that just read those statements in passing and assume them to be gospel. After all everything you read on the internet is true, right?

Unlike the good old days, we get to carefully monitor each dumpster fire in progress, much like the 24 hour news cycle. Each step of a release is carefully charted on modeling forums everywhere. Announcements are made, CAD renderings are displayed, test shots come out of the mold machines, first kits are assembled, early releases reviewed, and only then does a release get to mass market. By that time the Photoshop and red pen brigade have sliced and diced every nuance of every photo.

So as we proceeded through the release process on the Kitty Hawk Su-17, we see the CAD, and it looks pretty good. We see updated CAD, still pretty darned nice. We see the first test shot build – wow that looks great! We finally see parts on the trees, those looks great, too. Wow, it’s a legit 1/48 Fitter! Yet even with all of this, the haters are still there, and more importantly those that read the hate go into the release expecting it to be wrong and not worth their while.

Here is why the negative point of view, relatively speaking, is incorrect. Let me make this VERY simple:

You ready?

Gonna be hard for some of you to comprehend, but...

IT’S NOT THE OEZ/KP/KOPRO/KARAYA/EDUARD KIT.

End of discussion. Somehow we’ve gotten ourselves into the practice of comparing every kit to some idealized non-existent kit that can never be achieved. Yeah, there’s Tamiya, they seem to be the best blend of engineering and fidelity, but they come at a price, and come out with maybe one subject a year. We need to stop comparing against unrealistic ideals and maybe look at some more realistic comparisons – like what else is out there in the 1/48 Su-17 space? Here’s a clue: It’s that project I so lovingly described above. It was a beast to build, it was full of accuracy issues, and to get it to a similar standard, would cost three to four times as much as this new kit will cost. Fair and full disclosure – there is a Hobby Boss kit coming of the same subject – not sure when, but it’s in their catalog. Maybe that will fix the canopy issue, but from what we’ve seen of early test displays, it’s not as accurate as the Kitty Hawk kit. Beyond that, you’re hoping that somebody else does a better job, but at this point you’re hoping for something that’s FAR down the road, and nothing more than a wish at this point. Kitty Hawk, Hobby Boss, Ideal Future Kit or KP – that’s your choice. Nope, sorry, I forgot one, there's the Evergreen kit too. There's always the Evergreen kit.

So back to that whole modeling relativism thing. We need to stop comparing to the imaginary and start looking at what’s in front of us. Ninety-five percent of kits are really good releases and so far and away better than what has come before. We’ve lost track of that. Every once in a while something really superb comes along, but even then, there’s a flaw somewhere, or the panel lines are too heavy (even if everything else is near perfect), but those releases are the exception and not the rule. Secondly, if you’re really into a given subject, you’re going to be willing to put more effort into the build then somebody only casually interested in the subject. That said with the huge variety of new kits coming, there has to be just about something for everyone at this point.

And yes, I get it, we want to hold the manufacturers to a higher standard. The reason why the kits are so good today is because of the input that has been received by customers over the internet years of modeling.  But while the standard has gotten better and better, the complaining about accuracy issues has not. Endlessly chasing down accuracy issues comes at a price, and in most cases, manufacturers will cut a corner here and there to keep the price of a given release in the reasonable range.

So the next time you want to build a given kit, here are a few pieces of advice:

• Look up hyperbole (see also click bait) in the dictionary, then look at many other pieces of new, postings or similar pieces of content (whether modeling related or not). It will put things in perspective.
• Stop worrying about what’s being said online about a kit or manufacturer. Chances are it’s something you’d never see if a subject matter expert hadn’t pointed it out in the first place.
• If you’ve built a few models, chances are you’ll be able to overcome any fit issue that you come across. Remember these are model kits and not Lego sets. Maybe the whole “kit doesn’t fit” issue is something that I need to address in a separate article (this one is long enough).
• Don’t apologize for what you’re building because somebody said something bad about the manufacturer or the kit. If you like it and had fun with it, a lot more people want to hear about your experience with the kit than with further comparisons to the imaginary ideal. Guaranteed that 90 percent of the folks who view your model, whether online or in person, will be blown away by the effort.
• If you’re into a given subject, build the kit, because chances are a better kit is a lot further out than not. Unless it’s a P-51 or a Tiger tank, there will be another release of one of those in five, four, or three years.

Finally, it’s a hobby, it’s supposed to be fun, build the darned thing and stop worrying about what some expert said.

If I can build and enjoy the KP 1/48 Su-17, then it’s a virtual certainty that you’ll be able to enjoy the Kitty Hawk release. All a matter of perspective.


The opinions expressed above are those of the contributor and not necessarily of Scale Model Soup.

Scale models at the state fair

Modelers often have conversations, face-to-face or online, about how to increase interest in the hobby. I’ve heard ideas about how to introduce the hobby to young people and adults alike, though it’s the latter group who I believe should be our target audience — that is adults who have an interest in aviation, militaria, naval history, or cars.

Regardless of where you stand, the members of Albuquerque Scale Modelers Club know how to promote the hobby.

For more than 10 years the club has run a model contest that’s part of the New Mexico State Fair. This is brilliant! State fairs attract thousands of children and adults, who just might have interests that could lead to a hobby in scale modeling. These fairs usually have arts and craft competitions, so it makes sense that scale modeling should be among the categories.

Last year the New Mexico State Fair model contest saw 69 models entered by 40 modelers, with categories for youth (11 years and under), senior youth (12 to 17 years), adults, and professionals (those who make a living as model makers, as well as all ASM members themselves). The club members serve as the judges, which ensures that judging is fair and consistent with what those in the hobby have come to expect.

I’d love to see other chapters follow ASM’s lead. I’m guessing that nearly every state has a state fair, so it’s an untapped resource in bringing newcomers into the hobby.

Kudos to the guys in Albuquerque! Take a look at photos from the 2016 fair, and browse their web site to enjoy photos from prior years.

Thanks to Joe Walters, ASM’s Newsletter Editor, for permission to use the photo you see here.

More of the same

Five days into the new year, and there’s already evidence that we’ll see yet more multiple releases of the same vehicles and aircraft from the manufacturers. Feel free to yawn now, and don’t be surprised if someone else yawns, too.

On January 1 Trumpeter announced a new kit of the BMR-3 on Facebook, and I complimented them on moving into the realm of engineering vehicles, an area that has been underserved by the manufacturers. But then yesterday Meng announced their own kit of the BMR-3.

What the what is going on among the manufacturers? Why do we see so many concurrent announcements and releases of the same subjects?

I pondered this question almost exactly a year ago. In that post I mentioned the T-10, SCUD-C, and MiG-31. Since then we’ve seen three new kits of the Su-34, two kits of the ZSU-23 Shilka, two kits of the 9A52-2 Smerch, three of the BMPT, two of the King Tiger, and several M1A2 Abrams in its different incarnations.

I point out this phenomenon again with the same frustration I felt a year ago, with the realization that for ever model kit that a manufacturer produces, it’s not producing something else. If Manufacturer A announces a kit of a vehicle or aircraft and then Manufacturer B decides to produce their own version of it, it means that Manufacturer B is not producing something else, something unique that could drive sales equally well. I don’t know who conceived the BMR-3 first, but the company that responded in kind should have chosen something different, like a BREM-1 T-72 recovery vehicle, which is not available in plastic form.

At the beginning of every new year I'm excited about new kits that have not been previously announced (there are always surprises), but that excitement is tempered this year knowing that several kits will be variations on a theme.

So, who's taking bets on how long it will be until Tiger or Takom announce their own BMR-3?

Scale Model Soup’s aircraft wish list

I really dislike the recurring threads we see on the forums where everyone submits a list of the aircraft, armor, ships, cars they’d like to see in kit form. After two or three pages of these lists the manufacturers — assuming they’re even reading the forums — are left with a list of pretty much...everything! Whenever I see a new thread I think to myself, here we go again.

Well, here we go again!

Being as big a hypocrite as the next guy, I’ve compiled my own list, too. But my list differs from those I've seen online; these are kits I believe would actually sell. As much as I’d like to see a 1/32 Convair B-36 Peacemaker, I doubt that more than 100 modelers would buy one. My list includes models that I would invest my own money to see produced, which implies that I’d see not just a return on my investment but a profit as well.

Two notes on these choices. First, I’m assuming these kits would be new-tool, injection molded kits from a major manufacturer, not short-run or resin kits. I realize that some of these aircraft are already available in kit form, such as the Otaki C-5 Galaxy; where that’s the case, these are models I’d like to see replaced with a better product with more options. And second, I did not list models that (to my knowledge) have been announced for future release, such as a 1/32 F-111A and F-111E, which Tan Model lists on their web site.

So onto the list!

1/144
Douglas C-133 Cargomaster
Martin JRM-1 Mars
Boeing B-29/B-50 Superfortress
Martin P5M Marlin
Lockheed C-5 Galaxy
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress series

1/72
Lockheed B-2 Spirit
Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot
Grumman F7F Tigercat
Cessna T-37 Tweet
Sikorsky H-53 series (HH-53, MH-53)

1/48
Bell AH-1 family
Bell UH-1 family
Bell CV/MV-22 Osprey
Northrop B-2 Spirit
Lockheed U-2 series

1/32
Waco CG-4A glider
Martin B-26 Marauder
Lockheed Martin F-22
Lockheed Martin F-35
Lockheed U-2 series

So there you go. I don't doubt that we'll get some or all of these eventually, an increasingly move toward a day when the manufacturers have run out of subjects. In the meantime, where would you invest your money?

The challenge of selling low-priced kits

I’ve been reducing the size of my stash over the last few years, four or five models at a time, using the many venues available to us modelers — eBay, discussion forums, and Facebook groups dedicated to selling and trading kits. I'm here to tell you that it ain’t easy.

Many of the models I’m selling aren’t worth much. I recently wrote about how to price pre-owned models, and I assure you I drink my own Kool-Aid. I price my models at what I believe to be a bargain price, and yet I don’t always get buyers.

For example, I recently offered an ICM 1/72 MiG-29 (with a mostly complete Repli-scale decal sheet) and a DML 1/72 Su-24 (with photoetch) in a Facebook group for $7 and $15 respectively. I think those were fair prices, yet no one expressed any interest. To be fair, you could say that both kits are “obsolete,” what with the new Trumpeter kits that have just hit the store shelves for these aircraft, but I know from experience that there is a market for low-priced models. Maybe that Facebook group isn't the place for them.

Or maybe it's the cost of postage. I would've sold the MiG-29 for just $5, but when you add another $6-8 for postage it doesn’t look like much of a bargain anymore.

These kits eventually went onto eBay with starting bids of 99 cents. Both models sold, but at less than my Facebook prices. I really don't mind, because  a dollar in my pocket is of more use to me than a kit in a box that will never be built. Had the kits not sold on eBay, there would likely have come a point where I’ll be happy to take the models to a contest, set the box in a corner with a FREE sign on it, and walk away.

Is the T-55 the new Bf-109?

I don’t have the patience to count the number of 1/48 scale Bf-109s on the market. An accurate tally would require a calculator and a level of proficiency in calculus that I do not have. Suffice to say, it’s a large number.

Here we are the weekend after the 2016 Shizuoka Hobby Show, and we’ve learned that two companies are planning to produce variants of the T-55. Panda announced a T-55A (with parts for Soviet or Czech versions), and Miniart announced a T-54B. This news follows an announcement from Takom a month ago about their upcoming Type 59 and Type 69-I kits (which they originally said would be available only in the Chinese market but now say will be available worldwide).

Armor modelers have long enjoyed the Tamiya T-55, an excellent kit that the company has retooled in recent years for the Enigma and Ti-67 variants. More recently Takom released their T-55 AM and T-55 AMV kits to much excitement in the armor community.

We’ve come a long way since the Lindberg T-55 was the only game in town. Earlier this year I opined about why we see multiple releases of the same subject, but I’m hesitant to complain today about so many companies producing kits of the T-55, a tank which has seen enormous usage around the world over the last 50 years. With so many variants, it’s not hard to imagine each of these companies releasing additional kits to cover all of those T-55 variants. My excitement about these releases is tempered only by the finite time available to me to actually sit at the workbench and build them.

As a fan of Soviet and Russian armor, these are clearly good times. And by the way, we haven’t a peep from Trumpeter yet. I bet you a banana split they announce a T-55 series by the end of the summer.

I want it now!

Have you ever been on a road trip with children who incessantly ask, "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? How much farther?" Although we can acknowledge their enthusiasm about getting to the destination, the endless chatter becomes annoying after awhile, right? Children are impatient. They don't have the maturity to appreciate the value of waiting for something they want.

Judging from some of the discussions within the scale modeling community it appears that many modelers haven't developed any further than the are-we-there-yet stage of emotional growth.

Some time ago I posted a list of five questions we need to stop asking, yet I continue to see a lot of conversations asking when this new kit or that new set of decals will be released. Mind you, I'm not so pompous to believe that people are taking my rants to heart and making major life changes, but a blogger can dream.

Here are a few examples I found on discussions groups over the last couple of years, copied almost verbatim, bad grammar and spelling included.

"Just went and checked on the ARC site for the T-45 decals from Caracal! According to his post he was doing something crazy and releasing these in June [2013] along with the F-15s? I have a feeling we won't see these!"

"Any news on this [1/32 OV-10 Bronco] yet? thought it was meant to be released in September but not heard a peep?"

"Has anyone heard any news on the release date of Airfix's forthcoming C-47A/D Dokota/Skytrain kit? The Big H and others have it listed as due in April - well there's not an awful lot of April left now, I was expecting to have heard something by now so I'm wondering where it's got to."

"Still no news about the [Special Hobby] Mirage F 1? I heard soemthing that it will be available in September." And then three weeks later someone else asked, "Any news? in october?" on the same thread.

"The release date [of the Tiger Model Nagmachon] has been changed at least 3 times on Hobby Easy's website a few days at a time. Now it has been moved from 12-31 to 1-4…. Where the heck is my Nagmachon?"

"I'm really interested in this kit [T-72B3] from Meng that's "coming soon". I'm new to Meng and have no idea what their idea of soon would be, or if they release on a schedule or just willy-nilly. Would anyone happen to know?"

"Any update on the SLUF Guide? When can we expect this jem to be out for sale?" (Posted just six weeks after the publisher said he was finishing the book's layout.)

"Does anyone know why these [Sword F3D Skyknight and F9F-8T] are to be released? I have been looking at Hannants daily waiting to order them!"

Even dismissing the tone of some of these comments -- some of these guys appear to take it as a personal insult that new kits aren't delivered when promised -- I honestly don't understand the impatience. I'm as excited as the next guy about many of the models in the pipeline, but don't we have plenty of models to build while we await the next kit that will finally bring joy and happiness to our lives? Do we have to constantly barrage the forums seeking these updates? Even if, for example, Meng told us that their T-72M3 will be released on June 5, what difference does it make?

Let's give the manufacturers time to work their magic. If you've ever worked for a small business, hired a contractor, or been involved in project management, you know that things usually go wrong. Estimates are inaccurate. Last minute changes are made. Timelines slip. It's a fact of life. My advice today is the same as it was a few years ago: Build the kits you have, and one day you’ll find that the model or decal sheet you've been waiting for is available from Sprue Brothers, Hannants, or your LHS. I speak from experience; I've been quite happy during the 30-year wait for my L-17 Navion.

Espionage or imitation?

There's yet another "wish list" thread over on one of the forums, a reminder that each of you has no shortage of ideas for the airplanes, tanks, ships, or vehicles that you’d like to see produced in kit form, and I'm no exception. (Does anyone care that I'd like to see a 1/32 L-17 Navion?) In fact, a tiny motivation behind my creating this blog and talking about product decisions and trends was a hope that I might one day parlay this experience into a product management position in the industry. It’s a long shot, I know, but the opportunity to actually choose the kits that are brought to the market is an intriguing prospect.

Besides the huge responsibility for the financial investment in a new kit, I'd have to be keenly aware that another manufacturer could release their own kit of the same subject, an occurrence that's become uncomfortably common over the last few years. My long-time readers will remember my biggest surprise of 2013 — three nearly concurrent releases of the obscure Soviet Object 279.

And the trend has continued. For example, we now have two kits each of the T-10 and SCUD-C (not counting the old Dragon offering of the latter), as well as the 9A52 Smerch Multiple Rocket Launcher. Two companies have announced 1/72 kits of the F-106, and we have or will soon have multiple 1/48 scale kits of the Su-33, MiG-31, and Super Etendard.

What's going on among the Asian manufacturers? Is there corporate espionage in the industry, employees within each company feeding information to the others? Or are product details disseminated as soon as designs go from the manufacturer to contracted production facilities?

Even if there’s no outright espionage, there may be an element of imitation that’s common within the Chinese economy. In the technology industry, being first to market doesn’t always offer an advantage, and the same may be true in the hobby market as well. Announcing a new kit is risky. Will it be accepted with enthusiasm by modelers? Is it the right variant? Are the features (think open access panels) desirable? It might be safer to let a competitor announce a new kit, assess the market’s reaction, and then announce your own.

And as this article suggests, Chinese business leaders often make decisions to justify a return on their investments, particularly with an eye to making a quick profit, even if it means copying another company’s product. The author writes about the consumer electronics industry, noting the belief among Chinese corporate leaders that "all products are the same, and it’s all about taking that product, change its color, tweak a few corners and perhaps its shape and resell it." There’s less chance for failure. A colleague who went to college in China told me that it’s common for a new restaurant to open in a neighborhood — one that specializes in, for example, ramen — and when it does well, other entrepreneurs come into the neighborhood and open restaurants with similar menus.

There’s been a history of imitation within the Chinese culture for hundreds of years. Copying is seen as a way to learn, whether you’re memorizing Chinese characters or learning how to paint.
Students, even, will copy articles verbatim. As college professor Austin Williams explains in Global Briefing, "There is nothing wrong with plagiarizing the 'correct answer' from a respected expert, instead of spending time trying to give their interpretation of the answer that could be wrong."

Now that I think about it, I could make the same observation within our hobby, that many of us are openly copying the painting and weathering styles of respected modelers such as Mike Rinaldi and Adam Wilder, made all the easier thanks to their books, which explain their techniques in detail. Maybe imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, even if it results in a bland sameness in the technology we use in the office and at home or the models we see at the hobby shop.

Whatever the reason for these multi-kit releases, it must be incredibly difficult for any one company to corner the market with a model that will be truly unique on the shelves. I’d like to believe this puts a new pressure on the manufactures to produce the best, most accurate kits possible, but experience has told us that there is a market for less-than-perfect kits, but AMK's 1/48 MiG-31 and a new 1/48 MiG-25 may point to brighter days ahead.

Takom announced a new tool AMX-13 series in November. Is anyone placing bets on how long will it will be until another manufacturer announces their own kit?

It's time to be thankful

It’s Thanksgiving week here in the United States, so I thought I’d take a moment to share what I’m thankful for...in our hobby. We spend a lot of time griping and complaining throughout the year, so I think reflecting on the good things we have is time well spent.

I've always liked the Soviet T-64, so I’m thankful for the many variants of the tank that Trumpeter has released over the last couple of years. It's a reminder of how far we've come since the primitive Skif kit. I could say the same about their T-62 and T-80 series. Looking more broadly across the hobby, we should all be thankful for the deluge of kits that have hit the shelves over the last few years. A friend recently pointed out that pretty much any tank he wants to build is available in kit form. These are the best of times. The biggest risk to the hobby now? Running out of subject matter!

I’m grateful for contests. As much as I like looking at your models online, nothing beats the experience of seeing hundreds of models in the flesh. No matter you skill level, you should be entering contests and sharing your work with me.

I'm grateful for rivet counters. Yes, you read that right! Despite the lack of pay and the heat they take from armchair modelers, their contributions are important to the hobby. Rivet counters tell me things about kits that I would never discover on my own, and there's great value in that.

I’m thankful for the friends I’ve made in the hobby. My best friends are guys I met in IPMS clubs or contests. Unfortunately, most of them don’t live near me, so it’s a treat to meet up with them at contests or during family vacations.

Lastly, and most important, I’m thankful for simply being in this hobby. Building models gives me great satisfaction, and I’m not happy unless I spend time at the bench. It always strikes me odd when I meet people who don’t have hobbies. How do they spend their time? What do they spend time thinking about? I feel bad for them.

Count your blessings.

Contact them directly!

I don’t understand people. The internet puts the world at your fingertips -- literally -- yet we fail to use the resources that are just a click away.

This guy has two phones an an email account. Why is he posting questions on Hyperscale?

I often see modelers post to the forums asking for information about a particular vendor or web site. Here are some I’ve seen over the last few months.

• Why doesn’t Lucky Model have Trumpeter or Hobby Boss kits in stock?
• Will Brookhurst Hobbies charge me postage at cost for a single sheet of decals?
• Has anyone heard from HLJ about their Mosquito pre-order?
• Any news on if/when we will see the next issue of MMiR?
• Squadron shows three prices on their website: List Price, Our Price, Lowest Price. Are they offering it at the Lowest Price?

These are all valid questions, but they should be directed to the respective companies not the modeling community. With very few exceptions, every company with a web presence has contact information, usually an email and sometimes a phone number, for just these kinds of questions.

I understand it’s easy to quickly post a question on your favorite forum, but I strongly suggest we start communicating with companies directly before reaching out to the modeling community, which, by the way, is full of misinformation. If a business fails to respond (and shame on them if they do), then a more public inquiry is warranted.