Dragon defo had some highly skilled modellers back in the day, this base can still be bought for a reasonable price. I might try to track down a compass dio, any advice on Dragon's Bf-109's ?
It wasn't just their aircraft dio's that were good, their armour is second to none and still is more then a decade on.
Very nice U_F, and quite agree you are showing most of the best of HM's recent efforts off there; if we didn't all know they were capable of such great models nobody would be disappointed by the lame duck releases, QC failures or lazy research inaccuracies that people note!!
I have a couple of these too, and am very happy with my copies as well. Every time you update your arrivals you make me jealous, but in a good way that encourages me in my protracted unboxing process (years of buying don't unbox themselves!!) so I can share mine too
What carrier catapult base is that you have the USN models on there? I have an Italeri cat kit to put together, but wouldn't mind one or two of those you have for quick and easy display too.
Thanks Tker. Exactly, HM and any other manus are capable of great things if they don't cut corners. These were just some models (there are many others as well) that I look at on a daily basis to remind me how good this hobby can still be with alittle effort.
I'm sure you have something awesome as well if you've been collecting for nearly as long as I have. I was in the same boat, couldn't display mine till I settled down and had the room for it. I'm sure I'll be jealous of some things you have too, especially if your as keen on modern USN as I became.
I got the carrier base and a few others from an eBay seller called Coastal Kits, very nice and cheap bases. I have some others from 3Wire but they are expensive to buy from the States now.
I have got one or two models I reckon are pretty cool, picked up over the past decade
I will be ready to post my USN cab soon, I am about 90% done with unboxing for it now.
Yeah, looking forward to the upcoming A-1 a lot too! The Skyraider is one of my favourite planes IRL and the HM model is one of their best, so I have ended up with a few of them and they are up there in my favourite models list. This new one's a nice scheme too, so I'm pretty excited
Where did the base under the Soviet MiG-21, come from?
SO nice!
That's also from Coastal Kits on eBay, from memory there were 2 versions of this style of airfield and probably another 2 or 3 other soviet / eastern block airfields.
I have one of these, but the darker one (chosen as I have seen it at numerous air shows), they have at least got the shape right on these..
The darker one is very nice as well, if I wasn't so concerned about FM's hit and miss QC, I'd of gotten both. The mould is good, just FM always struggled with paint and parts QC.
I also like the Hawk because it can double as a combat capable trainer.
The darker one is very nice as well, if I wasn't so concerned about FM's hit and miss QC, I'd of gotten both. The mould is good, just FM always struggled with paint and parts QC.
I also like the Hawk because it can double as a combat capable trainer.
Ditto, I bought one for my RAAF collection and it's cool, but it's not Air Commander, you know?
The Hawks are great little jets, and they always put on a good show when they display.
As you say, if push comes to shove, they can always have a bit of ordnance loaded on them too, which makes them a bit more interesting than straight training-only trainers, IMO at least..
Ditto, I bought one for my RAAF collection and it's cool, but it's not Air Commander, you know?
The Hawks are great little jets, and they always put on a good show when they display.
As you say, if push comes to shove, they can always have a bit of ordnance loaded on them too, which makes them a bit more interesting than straight training-only trainers, IMO at least..
Defo would replace the FM with a HM if they ever did one. Or if the pooch did a 127.
Reminds me of some of the COIN aircraft out there, whose original purpose was not for combat.
but... but... that canopy! looks like a space capsule got plonked in there! and that nose cone overspray! and... and... those leading edge gaps. they make the laurentian abyss look shallow in comparison. i could go on all day...
This nice little model just arrived from the UK. Originally not fan of Dauntless models for being abit "rivety" around the engine and cockpit and all those tail panel lines, my USN WWII theme was lacking an SBD (as well as a few others) so I decided I'd go cheap with my first SBD.
Updated cab pics (btw all my previous photos got wiped because the file sharing site I was using pulled the plug, I hadn't taken my bat and ball home like some do )
Enjoy. Also happy to take close ups of any particular model your interested in.
WOW! Excellent collection Falcons. It's bloody huge that's for sure . I was stunned by the amount of aircraft you had before I even scrolled to the WW2 section. Then my jaw just dropped!
I notice that your airline collection focuses on Air China aircraft. Interesting airline, as they possibly are the only airline in the world to hold such an old fashioned livery.
They always catch my eye when you see deliveries of brand new aircraft to the airline like the 787 and 747-8 that you have, yet it has an old fashioned look to it.
Thanks Aussie, I actually only consider it a medium sized collection, I know there are collectors out there that have way more then me, wish they would stop hiding and share
I have plans to get a 5th and final cab at some point, soviet theme is going to blow out this year and I'd like dedicated shelves for the RAAF, 1/48 and maybe the armour.
Lol yeah Air China have only changed their livery (and only the tail and logo) once after they went from CAAC to Air China. I'm a big fan of cheat line liveries and the fact CA never changed its livery since becoming Air China means building and completing a fleet looks all that more epic with all liveries the same plus special liveries Also they use both Airbus and Boeing, I don't think there are too many airlines that can claim that.
Last edited by Ukrainian_Falcons; 02-26-2017 at 08:31 PM.
A medium size collection! I guess I'm still learning the ropes of model collecting considering that's one of, if not, the biggest collection I've seen.
I can't wait to see what you have next. The soviet theme will definitely be an exciting one, especially now that all the major brands are beginning to release them.
Yes Air China have changed a bit, but they couldn't help but hold that communist past. That's a good point you raised. It would be very cost effective as well since you only need one of the same aircraft, and never have to stress of buying a new one because because of an updated livery (Minus the special liveries).
The airline will certainly grow in the comings years, it will only be a matter of time before we see Air China colours on locally built aircraft like COMAC.
There's been some guys on here post their collection, maybe about the same or abit more then myself. But then their are guys that claim to have hundreds of models but no ones even seen one of their models, so to figure.
Well I'm playing abit of catch up for my RAAF theme, the rest is whatever comes out this year.
Yeah that would be rather annoying that you could have 2-3 liveries per aircraft, do you collect only the one you prefer or whatever comes out and then your stuck buying them all.
That's also the good thing that most airliner manus make Air China models, the theme is rather complete if your just going for 1 model per aircraft. GJ is coming out with a 767 this year so that's another off the list. Yeah once COMAC get a few customers, the manus should start making that mould.
Tomcatter, more like Iceland, I reckon your Greenland
I'm glad you reposted - A) nice collection & B) the more "natural light" pics we have to view, the better
Professional shots, ironically, are almost useless it is starting to seem to me, given how the lighting affects the colours especially
Sure, it might show the detail; however, I already know what level of detail to expect for almost all releases, having seen other copies from most moulds.
The colour, OTOH, changes - sometimes dramatically - between releases, even for "the same scheme". For an example, look at the changes between early HM F-22A releases and the more recent ones (with their slightly bilious, greenish hues..).
Of course there is a place for "pro" photos, but generally I personally feel we are generally much better served by collectors sharing in situ photos from their collections, in natural lighting, than we are by much of the marketing material that is produced. The pre-prods are perfect for noticing errors in markings ("USS Indepoopdence" and etc..), but for colours?
I'm glad you reposted - A) nice collection & B) the more "natural light" pics we have to view, the better
Professional shots, ironically, are almost useless it is starting to seem to me, given how the lighting affects the colours especially
Sure, it might show the detail; however, I already know what level of detail to expect for almost all releases, having seen other copies from most moulds.
The colour, OTOH, changes - sometimes dramatically - between releases, even for "the same scheme". For an example, look at the changes between early HM F-22A releases and the more recent ones (with their slightly bilious, greenish hues..).
Of course there is a place for "pro" photos, but generally I personally feel we are generally much better served by collectors sharing in situ photos from their collections, in natural lighting, than we are by much of the marketing material that is produced. The pre-prods are perfect for noticing errors in markings ("USS Indepoopdence" and etc..), but for colours?
Give me a collector pic any day
true that. but i have to admit that unless they're raw photos, most pics would've seen some form of in-camera processing. that's when multiple pics would allow members to personally gauge the colours, and yes, in this respect, the natural process works best (for our eyes to process the different hues and adjust them accordingly, like how we are able to make out the different colours in limited lighting). so yeah, the more the merrier...
true that. but i have to admit that unless they're raw photos, most pics would've seen some form of in-camera processing. that's when multiple pics would allow members to personally gauge the colours, and yes, in this respect, the natural process works best (for our eyes to process the different hues and adjust them accordingly, like how we are able to make out the different colours in limited lighting). so yeah, the more the merrier...
I think this is the key take away for me from all the discussions we have shared here on DAC.
More pics is better - it's hard to trust just one, no matter who took it.
The Mule pics are great because they are so consistent in the angles and lighting used.
The pre-prods are essential as they give some opportunity for collectors to notice potential issues and contact manus.
Best of all though - when available - are collectors' pictures, in the cab, in natural light as this is what I will see when I get a copy.