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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 12, 2006 10:20:18 GMT 12
The Kiwi Resins website has been updated with more new products available. Dave Lochead also tells me that work is progressing well on the 1/72nd scale Vincent/Vildebeest And the 1/48th scale Airtrainers have been selling very well indeed - so much so he can hardly keep pace. The RAAF version is available now and the RNZAF ones are awaiting decals so will be just a week or two away. Check out the full range here www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/Kiwi_Resins.htm#48 |
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Post by Graham Slingsby on Feb 12, 2006 14:44:05 GMT 12
This is fantastic news ! I can't wait to get my hands on a few CT-4/A's and a CT-4/E (in Red Chequers markings) - Well done Dave, you've hit a market niche. Keep 'em coming mate !! ;D What about a 1/72 Beechcraft Kingair (200 & 350 series) ? ... I know - you've got enough on your plate at the moment. Maybe a nice resin 1/48 PC-9/A - huh ?   Take care and bye for now. Graham Slingsby www.aussiemodeller.com |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 12, 2006 15:13:57 GMT 12
The Kingair in 1/72nd is already available in that scale but is hard to find - is it Rareplanes that make it? Bruce knows.
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Post by Bruce on Feb 12, 2006 18:06:37 GMT 12
Yeah I have the Rareplanes B200 Vacform. it is extremely hard to come by (I got mine on eBay) and the demand is huge, pushing the price well up. I may have been silly, but I spent nearly $100.00 US on mine!. I'd say Dave would have a ready made market if he started producing these, but with the cost of resin models, I'd be guessing the price would still be pretty high - would be worth it though.
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Post by phil on Feb 12, 2006 19:21:07 GMT 12
Has anyone got a 1/48 CT4E yet? I'd be keen to build one of these, but I'd be interested in how good the quality of the resin casting is.
I have just got the 1/48 Macchi conversion and was dissapointed in the number of air bubbles in the smaller parts like the seats and the instrument panels. Also the fin is not exactly straight. Still the nose looks good, and this is the main reason I got the set, as I didn't fancy reshaping the nose myself. I will probably detail the kit seats anyway, and I can probably straighten the fin in hot water.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 12, 2006 20:29:20 GMT 12
Dave L. sent me the 1/48th Miles M2 Hawk, and I think the casting is superb. It's almost as good as some of the Verlinden products I've bought in the past.
I haven't seen the CT/4B in 1/48th but I've heard the 1/72nd kit is also superb, same for the Airtorer.
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Post by Bruce on Feb 12, 2006 21:55:31 GMT 12
I have the 1/72 Airtourer, Auster J5 and Vega Gull, and can not see any casting flaws at all, everything is to the highest standard and I look forward to other releases. I just have to get around to putting them together! Maybe the bubbles are more of a problem on larger castings - I'm not sure of the exact process, so its hard to say. I'd suggest if the bubbles are a problem, drop Dave an e-mail, I'm sure he'd see you were sorted.
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Post by phil on Feb 13, 2006 16:02:46 GMT 12
From what I see in my set, it seem the bubbles are more of a problem in the thinner parts. The sides of the seats, the intrument panels and the little antenna fins either side of the tail are the problems areas. The more solid parts like the tail fin, the pods, nose, wheels etc are very good castings (apart from the slight curve in the tail).
I'm not bothered by the seats, I used to work on the real MK10s in the seat bay at Ohakea, so I really enjoy building very accurate miniatures of them. There is a small piece of plastic card provided as an alternative to the little antenna fins anyway, and the bubbles in the instrument panel are not beyond repair.
I might get the Eduard brass set as well, it has seat harnesses, HUD frames, mirrors and various other little bits.
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Post by Anthony Galbraith on Feb 15, 2006 21:53:57 GMT 12
Hi Phil
I have the CT-4B kit(although decals & Canopy are still to come) and it is actually quite nice. With a little work and refining should come up nice, after all its probably all we will ever get.
As for the 339c, I purchased the Alitaliane 48th conversion which incl a complete fuse, and full cockpit detail etc. Really quite nice, with very fine details incl decals(Italian ones) aparently they will be doing a Kiwi set to.
Kiwi resins supply some nice extras and I reakon that for me I will use all of the above incl Eduard to get a good result.
Great to see Kiwi doing well, and they will only get better I am sure.
Cheers
Anthony
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 26, 2006 11:20:25 GMT 12
As well as the exciting prospect of the Vincent/Vildebeest kits which will be coming in the future from Kiwi Resins, Dave Lochead is now also working on another RNZAF biplane for future release, the Hawker Hind in 1/72nd scale. I hope a 1/48th scale version will also be forthcoming. This important aircraft has, to my knowledge, never actuially been released in kit form in either scale, has it?
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Post by corsair67 on Feb 26, 2006 11:39:57 GMT 12
The Hawker Hind has really got me keen. I haven't built a model kit since the mid-1980s, so I might have to get practising again on a few cheapies before I start on something serious like the Hind!  Are resin kits much more difficult to assemble than the standard vacformed kits? Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question, but I've never had a 'bash' at one before.  The major problem is finding time to do anything like model kit building these days. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 26, 2006 12:39:49 GMT 12
In my experience Craig, resin is much much bettter to work with than vacuum formed kitsets. You will need a fairly good cutter like a razor-saw to remove sprues if there are any, but other than that, they are as easy to put together as plastic injected moulded almost. You glue parts with cyanoacrylate (super glue) rather than plastic glue, but that's easy to get. Resin shows up much more detail than vacform too. Based on what I have seen from Kiwi Resins the detail is very good, and there is very little in the way of sprue to remove compared with some manufacturers.
Remember if sanding or sawing resin to be mindful of the dust though, it is not good for you at all, so well ventilated area. Mind you, plastic dust probably is too, and nor is the glue, paint, thinner and most things you use in modelling...
I haven't made a model plane in a long time. I am very keen to get started on the lovely Kiwi Resins Miles Hawk kit I have, and hope to begin it very soon.
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Post by Bruce on Feb 26, 2006 15:45:39 GMT 12
The Hind has been modelled in 1/72 before, by Frog. the kits were re-realeased at a later date 1970's by Merlin. Having built a Merlin Hind, I would suggest that anyone else waits for the Kiwi resins kit. Acuracy and even basic fit of virtually everything left a lot to be desired - a real hard work kit to get anything decent from. The previous option would be the Airfix Hawker Demon which was almost identical. but Yeah - the resin offering should be way better than either!
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Post by davelochead on Mar 2, 2006 20:44:27 GMT 12
Hello all, esp Phil,
pleased to see im making an impression. However if anyone has any problems with any parts of my kits, please do not hesitate to let me know. I know a few shockers have snuck through at times, usually because I have been packaging them at 1 in the morning... (and a beer doesnt help your perception sometimes). I am ALWAYS happy to see my customers right, to the extent of re pouring a mould if someone thinks the part is not up to scratch.
I am now using a new moulding compound that is extremely expensive, but lasts a lot longer than the old stuff, and gives better detail definition.
As with most of these sorts of products, people who order early get good quality, and the quality tails off as the moulds get old. In the case of the Austers, the moulds have been re done 3 times now, with nicer wing rib detail by the way, due to the high demand... amusing considering I only did it as a request for a modeller who was keen on having 3 or 4 of them.
Take care all,
Dave
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Post by davelochead on Mar 2, 2006 20:56:06 GMT 12
MACCHI 339 TAIL WARPAGE
Ive just got my (last) Macchi kit out to see what you guys are talking about, and there is an explanation for this, plus an easy fix.
The resin comes out of the moulds reasonably hard, howevera good rule of thumb is that a chemical reaction (such as mixing resin) doesnt reach its full cure for 4-5 days, by which time the kits have been packaged and sent off. Funnily enough the Macchi tail is clearly bad for this, and yet the Lockeed A-12 parts, which are much larger and a lot thinner, dont have this problem at all. I have no explanaition for why this is happening.
Now, the fix, simply immerse the part in hot water, straighten it gently,then shock treat it with cold water. This will cure the problem immediately.
Now I know we have a problem, I will also look at the mould itself to see that nothing strange is happening with it, and I suspect it is due for replacement anyway as it has done a lot of work.
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Post by kiwichappers on Apr 11, 2006 21:50:07 GMT 12
I have just received my first two of Dave kits, a CT - 4B and a Miles M2, and initial impressions are that these are fine kits which I am very pleased with. Dave's service gets my highest recommendation, six days from order to delivery here in the wilds of Yorkshire, and all this with a friendly email dialogue to keep me informed of the progress of my order.
Marvellous!
I can't wait to get started on them, just got a couple more weeks to finish a Warren Schrader Tempest then its the Miles as my first resin kit.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 22, 2006 23:13:34 GMT 12
To all those who have bought Dave Lochead's excellent Kiwi Resin kits and have either made comments here or would like to comment on them publically, I am going to begin adding modeller's comments to the webpage. So if you want to praise the kits, or recommend them, or perhaps send in tips for their build or remarks about the quality or whatever, please PM or email them to me.
Also it would be really appreciated if you can send photos of the finsihed models to add too, and if you have the time, a full build review that may help other modellers in the future.
Some of the modellers who've commented on this thread have made some nice remarks about the kits. Does anyone object to me lifting comments and placing them on the webpage? Let me know if I have your permission to do so, or send your original comments and thoughts now.
I will be adding "First Look" comments and hopefully eventually "Build Reviews" to make the public a bit more aware of what they get for their money. I'm sure most of us agree, it's a very good product and we'd like to recommend it to others.
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