justin

I just collected another two models today (what an expensive week for models ) these are;

Mitsubishi A6M3-22 Zero of Hiroyoshi Nishizawa. As before the Zero is nicely modelled, the big story here is the finish. Corgi have represented it in battle scarred condition, with the IJN Green paint peeling off to reveal the IJN Grey base colour. This looks very effective, you will either love or hate this finish but is certainly eye catching.

Vought F4U-1A Corsair of Ira C Kepford. This is my first Corgi Corsair, first impression is first class, as on other recent Corgi's they've engineered it so the seams tend to run with paint demarcation lines to make them much less obvious. The paint finish is excellent, I'm not familiar with USN aircraft so I can't comment on accuracy, but will say it is very well applied and the blue shading is very good. Shape is good, there is nothing that jumps out at you saying "this is wrong" and the canopy sits well on the fuselage. I'd recommend this to any WW2 aviation fans without hesitation.

One thing that is very obvious looking at these side by side is the difference in size, the Zero was a lightweight compared to the Corsair!

Justin

PS. the shop also had the new Constellation in polished metal. This transforms the model and looks 100% better than older models painted silver. Personally I've always thought Corgi's Connie doesn't look quite right, but this new "real metal" style finish is a huge improvement, they're doing a P51D in the same finish too, let's hope they expand it to include more bare metal models.

Ozz

I noticed the size difference as well between the Armour F4U, the Spitfire and the BF109. I was also impressed with the size of the JU87G.
I have the BF109 sitting beside the Luft Marine F104 and it gets a lot of comments. It's hard to believe these are the same scale.
I am looking forward to seeing the bare metal Connie and the P51D, they sure look good in the catalog. I'll have to bug my retailer to get these in, he's having a bit of a row with his usual Corgi supplier so we haven't seen anything new in quite awhile, I have a FB Mossie and a 617 Vulcan on order so I hope he can work things out. I think I'm falling behind here!

justin

Fighters now are like heavy bombers of old, it's amazing! A Tornado can carry over 9000Kg if you're not worried about it going very far, how many WW2 bombers could lift that weight? Not many!! Lining up different models to illustrate different size is often surprising, the F117 is much bigger than most people realise, and of course a Bf109 or Spitfire looks like a toy compared to an F14 or F4. The CDC F104 is amazing, I always had a soft spot for the F104 but in Europe it never really lost it's image a crash machine due to the number of crashes in Germany. The bare metal Connie certainly is a huge improvement, I can't wait to get the P51 in that finish.

Ozz

I remember a saying back in the good old days of NATO that if you wanted to own a Starfighter, just buy an acre of land in W Germany and wait a bit.
Sadly a lot of those 104's that were lost over there were ours.
I bought the Marine Starfighter mainly because the "day glow" paint on the tip tanks reminded me of 410 Sdn's birds from Cold Lake, which had day glow on the tips and stab.
I wish Armour would make a Canadian F104G in the livery above or in Euro cammo.

__________________
Ozz

ORANGE IS BEAUTIFUL
GO WESTJET!!!
We need more CPAir/CDN and don't forget PWA and BA Landor!

justin

I thought there was an air of a design without compromise of the F104, it was just an engine with stubby little wings bolted on, no fat or uneccessary extra's. They used to say the early ones with the original wing really were hairy to land, like a not entirely controlled crash. Italy was still building the things up to about 1979(?), I think it had passed it's sell by date by that time though.

Ozz

I think with the 104 it was a love it or hate it affair for most people.
I fell early for the raw power and sleek lines of this manned missile. And the song of the Starfighter like a demented mammoth stuck in a tar pit, went straight to the soul.
We had two private 104's doing the airshow circuit in N America a couple of years ago but I havn't seen them since. I miss them.
Another aircraft that I would have loved to see in person was your BAC Lightning I imagine it was capable of capturing the hearts of all who saw one.

__________________
Ozz

ORANGE IS BEAUTIFUL
GO WESTJET!!!
We need more CPAir/CDN and don't forget PWA and BA Landor!

justin

The Lightning was a rocket machine, it was just amazing!! I was always sad that by the time I was in the RAF they were already a fading memory as I've never heard of any other post war British aircraft inspiring the same awe, respect and adoration from it's crews, not even my beloved Harrier . On the one hand the Lightning was a poor machine as it's endurance was almost nill, it had no provision for growth or external stores (even the drop tanks had to go on top of the wing!) and it's systems were basic, but it's sheer speed and power seemed to make people oblivious to all it's shortcomings. I remember watching old film footage of them going vertical as soon as the wheels were off the ground and then blasting off like a Saturn V!! The Lightning and F104 were cut from the same material, speed without consideration for anything else great!!

PS. The Corgi model in 1/72 is a good effort, recommended to any Lightning fans!

ANTHONY F DUVA JR

I can remember the F-104 as being a distinct favorite when I was very young - about five years old, because Bachmann Mini-Planes were introduced in 1969 - the year of "3 days of peace and music" (and also the first moon walk!). I could never keep still for Sunday morning mass, so I ended up in the so-called "crying room" which was a little chapel in front usually crowded with parents and their active children. I would play with a little Mini-plane Starfighter even after the horizontal stabilizer broke off and had to be re-glued, and, mind you, I still had it ten years later in 1979. All the time, I was unaware of the wing problem.

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ANTHONY F DUVA JR

Bit of cutting-edge "high-tech" for the "old country," what?

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justin

Nothing wrongwith tried and tested!! If you want real cutting edge go to China and see real museum pieces like copies of the MiG21 and Tu16 are still rolling off the line!

Justin

Ozz

You know, that's probably the best way to go. If an air force can put up 15 thousand Mig 21's the western forces would be seriously overwhelmed, regardless of their technological superiority. We would lose by attrition .

__________________
Ozz

ORANGE IS BEAUTIFUL
GO WESTJET!!!
We need more CPAir/CDN and don't forget PWA and BA Landor!