Pros:
General feel and shape (compared to CW)
Panel lines and rivets
Accessories (pilots, intake covers, wheel chocks)
Packaging (Box)
Cons:
(***Important) Paint can be scratched off quite easily, be very very gentle! I've already made some scratches on my JR...
Big gap under cockpit (on my JR, but not on wolfpack)
Gun panel gap
Green tint on cockpit front glass a bit too dark and reflective to my liking\
In general, I think it's definitely a step up from CW!
I'm not a good photographer (i took the pics with my phone), but if you want to have any close-up/photo from particular angle/question pls feel free to ask!
Thanks for posting Riceless, it does seem apparent that the final product hasn't kept up with the hype. I think that photo of the starboard side gap and wing vain and the port side gun vent panel really need some big improvements, there's a few other things but those are the major issues.
The cockpit interior however is very nice.
Not sure I'd be worried if I were CW or even HM until Calwings sort out their QC.
I hope your Wolfpack fairs alittle better.
Also are the models just sitting inside the clam shell without tabs ?
Luckily the wolfpack doesnt suffer from the starboard side gap and port side gun vent panel gap, which looks perfect!
Yes the models just sit inside the clam shell slot without tabs so it can be taken out without care to damage the shell/model.
Another thing i notice is a silver line along axially on top of the cockpit 'glass' which i dont understand. It's on both JR and wolfpack.
Edit: its on the real aircraft...so its actually accurate.
better than century wings? seriously? calibre wings doesn't seem to have addressed day one concerns... gun vent gaps. the fit for interchangeable bits and the finish along the glove vanes leaves much to be desired. but yeah, from two feet away none of these matters
The gun panel gap is still there for the Wolfpack, just the nose markings cover it perfectly.
With the panel line for the beaver tail, I'm not sure I'd put this on a Witty stand. Contrary to some popular belief, for the F-14 the Witty stand clips at the beaver tail, not the engines - so it may still work with the Century/FOV/HM mould.
Just like everything, it's a two-way street...separate gun panels for earlier or later versions creates panel gaps, separate beaver tails same thing...then you have HM not wanting to modify their tooling for the beaver tail for their VF-1 releases
This still appears superior to most entrants, IMO. Even Century has gotten rough on the QC.
Still can't wait to get my Wolfpack bird, and I'm going to pre-order the Ghostriders one as well.
The edges at the top portion on either side of the glove vanes seem very crude & rough to me... i don't really like the finishing tough but i guess that's what you get with Diecast models, if it was a plastic kit this would be very smooth to the touch...
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There are some rough spots on the models, but not any deal breakers to me. The gun panel gap & glove vane areas appear to be manufacturing issues as opposed to QC issues. I'm pretty sure this will be the norm on all the VF-1 & 103 models.
On the other hand, the models do capture a truer shape to the F-14 especially in the front windshield & canopy area. Overall quality, I believe it is a step up from CW & HM since they have had their own issues as well. I just have a hard time with the CW/HM front windshield and canopy. Does not resemble an F-14 & I have to look at the model as a whole to tell myself it is an F-14. My two cents
Riceless, again thank you for posting photos of the VF1. Indeed some areas are improved but those glove vanes, still very crude, are those file marks ?
It's not looking good if this is the type of quality we see from Calwings after so many delays and Noel motitoring QC, do calwings even have a QC Manager ? It's seems not
Do plan on keeping these or returning ?
I'm the LAST person to sing Century Wings praises, even heard the other day at a local hobby store the store clerk telling someone over the phone that CW QC was bad and they got a lot of returns and spares because of defects but I personally think CW, older CW, is still better then this...
Riceless, thank you so much to prepare these pictures for sharing with us. I had been waiting this looong. Now, I am planning to cancel my order, no Cal-Wings at this moment. HM/CW, they are inperfect, and CalWings too. After seeing these pictures, HM/CW look better in my perference. Thanks again.
I'm so sorry if these pics made you feel disappointed. But i believe the photos may have exaggerated the problems due to magnification. The store from which i bought the wings agreed to replace the JR to me, so I'll wait and see if the nose gaps are the same on the other JR.
On the other hand I'm quite satisfied with the wolfpack, so I'm not planning to return it. It looks great overall. I do have many older CW models like the black bunny/grim reapers/sun downers. The Calwings have a better surface finish in general, captures the shape of the aircraft more accurately and looks much 'more like an F-14' viewing from top and back especially because of the much smaller gap at the hinges of the wing and canopy shape. So be more positive!
The finish near the glove vanes do look like file marks. But if they are really file marks, i don't understand why they wouldn't use a fine file/sandpaper for such a delicate model. I think it's easily fixable by the manufacturer in the next releases.
Mate, absolutely no apology is needed, these pics are what collectors have been waiting for months, we can't thank you enough to put the effort into posting as many and as detailed photos as you have done.
Glad your local store will let you swap it out, agreed that the VF1 is slightly better.
This thread needs to be a sticky thread I reckon to serve as a warning to be clearful when purchasing Calwings, of course I really hope they improve but improvements don't come from burying the problem or excusing them, as I'm sure their expert marketer will be in damage control right about now. Maybe it'll be 4 feet away this time.
i think people have seen wolverine have his way with century wings models too but yeah, it sure looks like calibre wings got themselves into a lot of trouble putting those extra bits in. to be fair, witty did a pretty decent job with moveable bits.
Thanks for posting these pics. I was hoping for a better representation of the Tomcat. The thing that gets me this most is the gun muzzle port on the VF-103 jet. It appears to be only half the proper length. What the hell? That is a big issue.
Hi riceless, I have seen another production copy of Calwings JR with a proper gun vent just like the Wolfpack one. Yours is way off. How can this happen?
Hi Tajmashhad, do you mean the glove vanes? I just tried but can't swing the vanes out with my finger nails.
Hi NeedMorePlanes and Jason92, thanks for mentioning, I just realized the gun panel looks strange and very different from the photos on their FB. I'm trying to get a replacement for it, will surely let you guys know the results. I have a feeling that they might have put in a wrong panel...the wolfpack doesn't have the problem.
Edit: The two triangular gun purge vents are actually missing!
Hi Tajmashhad, do you mean the glove vanes? I just tried but can't swing the vanes out with my finger nails.
wasn't that one of calibre wing's selling points?
Quote:
Hi NeedMorePlanes and Jason92, thanks for mentioning, I just realized the gun panel looks strange and very different from the photos on their FB. I'm trying to get a replacement for it, will surely let you guys know the results. I have a feeling that they might have put in a wrong panel...the wolfpack doesn't have the problem.
now that it has been mentioned, i don't see any vents printed either
I think he means the star & bar insignia. He's right, it's missing from the upper port wing- well bad & sloppy on such an expensive & supposedly exquisite model.
Of all the mfg & QC issues on JR(wrong gun panel being the worst), it appears the missing insignia on the top port-side wing is intentional. It was either not added or very faded on the real bird. I can't confirm, but I'm betting this pic is of BuNo 163217 Modex 103 before the Final Cruise livery. Not sure if any other experts can confirm.
Of all the mfg & QC issues on JR(wrong gun panel being the worst), it appears the missing insignia on the top port-side wing is intentional. It was either not added or very faded on the real bird. I can't confirm, but I'm betting this pic is of BuNo 163217 Modex 103 before the Final Cruise livery. Not sure if any other experts can confirm. Attachment 254554
Ah, the classic "it might have looked like that at some point in time" excuse
TBF, the Mule's "advanced pre-prods" don't show the insignia, and, given they were specially prepared (ie actually checked for QC issues), I agree with Waviam that this model represents the aircraft seen in the picture provided.s
Of all the mfg & QC issues on JR(wrong gun panel being the worst), it appears the missing insignia on the top port-side wing is intentional. It was either not added or very faded on the real bird. I can't confirm, but I'm betting this pic is of BuNo 163217 Modex 103 before the Final Cruise livery. Not sure if any other experts can confirm. Attachment 254554
By no means am I an expert in anything....just an aviation enthusiast
I found the following pictures to what appears to confirm the missing star and bars insignia. The bottom line is it did not have one if you are to believe the picture(s) based on the caption(s).
Thanks for the expertise guys, I also cross-checked the century wings model that the VF-103 tail no.100 has the insignia but 103 don't. So I guess Caliber Wings is right.
Those glove vanes are a pre-order killer. Awful. And very disappointing.
noel is beginning to realise why the existing manufacturers never included certain stuff to make their models "more accurate". the glove vanes were supposed to house retractable canards but from what we've been told, they're not deployable. and the big hullabaloo about correct gun vents? let these pictures do the talking:
Guess I will save some money by not buying this one. Shame. I really wanted this VF-103 release. Well, what can I say, shame on Calibre. With all the delays, this should have been THE Tomcat model. Sad to see it go this way. Here is hoping HM does this scheme now.
Sorry to hijack the thread for a bit of a rant, no offence to the original poster, in fact, appreciate the photos and close ups but I got to get this off my chest:
Man, what a tragic finish...they promised so much and with all the delays the expectations were pretty high. I was beginning to believe the hype, but seeing these...what a way to snub your customers. Calibre posted some nice looking pics months back and now they fob us off with models finished off with bastard filing??!! Not a great move for a new manufacturer.
I'm still amazed and saddened by how utterly cr*p a standard aviation collectors have to put up with. Compared to the diecast auto/race car market, aircraft are truly light years behind in detail, quality and finish. I thought this new player to the market was going to raise the bar, but yet more polished turds promising so much but delivering so little.
Just take a look at these photos of a autoart Mazda 787b, let it sink in, then look at pretty much any model plane you have...
Bear in mind this particular model was manufactured more than 5 years ago. I have this model myself though these pics are from another forum with a better macro camera than I have, but you get the gist, all those different materials utilised to almost perfection...no shoddy gaps or excuses, this oozes quality and is the standard among all the premium model car makers such as autoart, spark, peako, kyosho etc.
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noel is beginning to realise why the existing manufacturers never included certain stuff to make their models "more accurate". the glove vanes were supposed to house retractable canards but from what we've been told, they're not deployable. and the big hullabaloo about correct gun vents? let these pictures do the talking:
Initially, I was willing to accept some "rough" manufacturing. The list of issues keeps increasing and it is downright disappointing to say the least. The wrong gun panel is killing me. The question now is are they all like this & what will Calibre do to rectify if that's even an option. Like tomcatter, I still have each of the 1st releases on preorder & want to see for myself how good or bad these are. Curious on how the distributors will handle this if the issues are consistent. Wondering how many will cancel pre-order.
Compared to the diecast auto/race car market, aircraft are truly light years behind in detail, quality and finish. I thought this new player to the market was going to raise the bar, but yet more polished turds promising so much but delivering so little... but you get the gist, all those different materials utilised to almost perfection...no shoddy gaps or excuses, this oozes quality and is the standard among all the premium model car makers such as autoart, spark, peako, kyosho etc.
You are quite right Andy. I come from a diecast motorsports collection background, and while that hobby is split among diecast (metal) and plastic (resin) sectors, the fully opening diecast models from the likes of CMC, Exoto, Autoart, and GMP are a sight to behold. Properly open vents/grilles/louvres are de rigeur from these manufacturers, as well as deep, rich paint and tampos for the livery. Sorry if I sound flippant but I laughed on reading the troubles CalWings have had with the vents behind the gun port; any of the car model makers would have put a proper vent there, not applied tampos to simulate it. I've also purchased a couple of CW F-14s recently, and I am none to amused to see the wingtip lights for example are just painted on, rather than a separate piece of colored plastic or glass.
I think the only thing going for diecast warplanes is their size and heft, otherwise yes, they are significantly behind diecast cars. Below are a couple of shots of CMC's models:
Auto Union Type C, with vents above the engine:
Maserati 300S:
Borrowing a nice photo from a forum showcasing the engine detail:
Back on topic, I too had (somewhat) high hopes for CalWings, especially since I am a new entrant to the hobby and having missed all past CW F-14 releases if CalWings had been great, or at least as good as promised, I would have compensated by having a better manufacturer to start with. The glove vane area is shockingly badly finished, and while I still hope that CalWings will correct future releases, it is not a good omen that their very first releases have such pathetically poor quality control.
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You are quite right Andy. I come from a diecast motorsports collection background, and while that hobby is split among diecast (metal) and plastic (resin) sectors, the fully opening diecast models [/IMG]
I still have hoped for calwings. if their su24 is as good as their tomcat, warts and all, i'm happy.
cars: i guess i'm not a huge car fan, but i have a bit of a fancy midlife crisis car that i thought would be nice to have in diecast. and while the car is available from many manufacturers in diecast and it's similar, it's not *my exact* version (i'd even be ok with a LHD exact version as I have a UK RHD one). and then i tried to find my first car which was a 1986 BMW 325ES (or is - i dont remember exactly) and again i found *similar* models but not exact so I couldnt be bothered.
the 325ES was a great car by the way at least at that young age. I had a look to buy a copy just for fun but i see they have become collector cars! (pls don't ask about my current car let's leave it at that).
Calibre Wings´s facebook, May 11th 2017:
....We are still learning how to improve to provide the best experience to the discerning collectors of high grade models ..... Please pardon for any areas that are not satisfactory on our 1st production as we strive to further improve.
It looks like its not just a rare exceptional issue what riceless reported....
Calibre Wings´s facebook, May 11th 2017:
....We are still learning how to improve to provide the best experience to the discerning collectors of high grade models ..... Please pardon for any areas that are not satisfactory on our 1st production as we strive to further improve.
It looks like its not just a rare exceptional issue what riceless reported....
It isn’t right that CalWing gets paid to learn on the job IMO. To let those awful file marks and rough edges on the wing gloves slip by like this on the “finished” model isn’t about a lack of experience on their part —*it’s a lack of just common sense. Especially since their market is the discerning collector!
Heck, if they were pressured by time, I would’ve been very happy to let them tweak it a bit more and take another 2 or 3 months! After waiting more than a year...what’s another 2 months! So disappointing!
do you guys know why american aircraft only have the insignia on one wing (maximum?) I do... just curious if you guys know the history
I'll bite ..... Something to do with Friendly Fire?....as stated:
"In February of 1943, one national insignia was removed from the upper right and lower left wing surfaces. Incidents of "friendly fire" continued after the "red dot" was removed, so the US Government initiated a study and discovered that the "red dot" wasn't the issue because color couldn't be discerned from a long distance anyway. Whereas shapes could. So the probable problem was the circular shape, which could be seen at distances."
Calibre Wings´s facebook, May 11th 2017:
....We are still learning how to improve to provide the best experience to the discerning collectors of high grade models ..... Please pardon for any areas that are not satisfactory on our 1st production as we strive to further improve.
It looks like its not just a rare exceptional issue what riceless reported....
Then please likewise pardon me for only paying half MSRP for this early production example. It's so nice in many areas, but the glove vanes are a disgrace.