The latest Facebook update from Calibre says they've slipped their U-2. They are basically creating the thing from scratch in concert with an anonymous researcher. The current target date is now December 2021.
Interestingly, in view of HM's kit copying approach, they say there are no kits sufficiently accurate to copy.
With the delay and all, maybe they`ll produce some early versions and not follow the U2`s HM are doing at the moment.
i'm perfectly ok with calw doing a short U2 or just moving on to a different aircraft entirely. Hobbymaster's effort on the long nose ones, while maybe not as perfect as a CalW's might have been, should be more than sufficient for most collectors. I'd rather CalW just do any other aircraft rather than (by that point) rehashing the long nose R/S.
With the delay and all, maybe they`ll produce some early versions and not follow the U2`s HM are doing at the moment.
Never say never with Calibre. They could announce a B-36 next, but I doubt it. TBH I seriously doubt we'll see an early U-2 from Calibre within say, the next five years. Probably never. I very much doubt they'll scrap their big U-2 project since they're pretty serious about researching it. I'd prefer they'd done the early versions, but they'd still be following in HM's footsteps there too.
In the past Noel has said he plans to put out around two new toolings a year. This year should see the F-16 and S2F on collector's shelves. We hope. The Fitter is now scheduled for mid '21. The U-2 and MiG-31 both for December '21. Let's be optimistic and say one of those actually makes it - that's two for 2021. The mystical B-58 for December '22 plus the loser from '21 gives two for 2022. On top of that there'll no doubt be some Macros, movie or other form of fantasy work for them. I simply doubt there's room for anything else.
I think Calibre's rate will eventually stabilise out like AC or CW, but with better quality and periodical new toolings.
Never say never with Calibre. They could announce a B-36 next
That would be my holy grail! Well, nearly. I would pay a lot of money for a B-47E! A whole bunch of shiny SAC aircraft in 1/72 scale would be more than i could take. It`s possible, if they had detachable wings. But i`ll consign that thought for my dreams!
I just hope the CalW Oxcart/SR-71 announcement materialize some day. I will wait for U2 and hope for Blackbirds I guess...
I have trouble seeing CalW going down that road. I would never say it is 0 %, but Century has had the SR market tapped for a long time. Their mold could use some love though. If they got rid of that massive panel gap mid fuselage, their SR/Potentially A-12 would be excellent.
Back to the U-2 however, I am excited to see it Materialize. The Pre-pros look alright with the HM U-2, but so far, far from excellent. Hopefully they can refine it further.
I have trouble seeing CalW going down that road. I would never say it is 0 %, but Century has had the SR market tapped for a long time. Their mold could use some love though. If they got rid of that massive panel gap mid fuselage, their SR/Potentially A-12 would be excellent.
Back to the U-2 however, I am excited to see it Materialize. The Pre-pros look alright with the HM U-2, but so far, far from excellent. Hopefully they can refine it further.
It’s being refined, but it will never be excellent for at least three reasons.
1. HM will be using thin walled construction which necessitates a glaringly obvious horizontal mid-fuselage joint.
2. No doubt it will have also have their trade-mark shallow blanked off engine intakes.
3. Kit-copying. Their initial pre-pro is based on a Testors TR-1A which is wrong in many ways for what they’ve announced.
So for those with the dosh and the patience I honestly think Calibre will be well worth the wait.
I have trouble seeing CalW going down that road. I would never say it is 0 %, but Century has had the SR market tapped for a long time. Their mold could use some love though. If they got rid of that massive panel gap mid fuselage, their SR/Potentially A-12 would be excellent.
Back to the U-2 however, I am excited to see it Materialize. The Pre-pros look alright with the HM U-2, but so far, far from excellent. Hopefully they can refine it further.
Whilst I agree that CW has had the Blackbird market tapped for years and that consequently many collectors will have had their fill, I’m afraid we’re going to have to disagree on what’s wrong with their tooling. They’ve a lot more to fix than just the gap (which whilst in the correct place is waaay too exaggerated). Obviously that’s because they didn’t really model the expansion joint, it’s really just coincidence.
I’m looking forward to seeing something of Calibre’s U-2 in hardware, especially those optional wings, but I suspect it’s months away. Standby for a CADorama.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric w
the only models from calw that I want are the mh/ah-6, mh-60/60 dap, and the mh-47
Disappointingly Noel’s shown zero interest in helos so far. I can’t see that changing for a long time. I suspect he’s just not a rotary guy.
Regardless of whether he's a "rotary guy", a shriner, or a mason, it might be more of an issue that helos just don't get the love. When was the last time anybody here mentioned HM's competent AH-64?
And I've been waiting for my Oxford diecast westland dragonfly forever.
Regardless of whether he's a "rotary guy", a shriner, or a mason, it might be more of an issue that helos just don't get the love. When was the last time anybody here mentioned HM's competent AH-64?
And I've been waiting for my Oxford diecast westland dragonfly forever.
I know I have said this before, and I also know this isnt on topic with the U-2, but I really wish the 1/72 Helo market was tapped into a little bit more by HM. CalW has zero desire to enter that market, Force of Valor may improve in quality moving forward, but so far I am still unimpressed. This kinda leaves HM to start making moves. I would love to see a good V/MV/CV/MCV-22.
I have trouble seeing CalW going down that road. I would never say it is 0 %, but Century has had the SR market tapped for a long time. Their mold could use some love though. If they got rid of that massive panel gap mid fuselage, their SR/Potentially A-12 would be excellent.
Back to the U-2 however, I am excited to see it Materialize. The Pre-pros look alright with the HM U-2, but so far, far from excellent. Hopefully they can refine it further.
Talking about the SR-71 I think you’re right but I can only hope you’re wrong and some other company will venture into Oxcart/Blackbird territory. We will see my friend... And as far as I am concerned I’ll probably wait for U2 by CalW...
__________________ ANTONOV - NO OTHER NAME CARRIES MORE WEIGHT!!!
Talking about the SR-71 I think you’re right but I can only hope you’re wrong and some other company will venture into Oxcart/Blackbird territory. We will see my friend... And as far as I am concerned I’ll probably wait for U2 by CalW...
I'm afraid I will be gone before CalWings produces the U2 I want.
The tail, and the nose look kinda funny to me. So does the cockpit. I can't say much since it is only a prototype.
Paul, did you write in to HM with a critique of their prototype?
The latest from another forum on HM’s late model U-2 is that they have tooled the long nose, so we can expect that at some point. Also they are planning to release a NASA ER-2 “late next year”. That should make a nice change from black.
Paul, did you write in to HM with a critique of their prototype?
The latest from another forum on HM’s late model U-2 is that they have tooled the long nose, so we can expect that at some point. Also they are planning to release a NASA ER-2 “late next year”. That should make a nice change from black.
I have the current one on pre-order; if HM does the NASA version, I would have to sell the pre-order.
Paul, did you write in to HM with a critique of their prototype?
The latest from another forum on HM’s late model U-2 is that they have tooled the long nose, so we can expect that at some point. Also they are planning to release a NASA ER-2 “late next year”. That should make a nice change from black.
I have not spoken to HM at all about the subject. I believe I talked to Mr. William around October about the A-C model was happening, and when. I know the CalW CADer who was previously assigned to the U-2, now the B-58, was in contact with the guy doing the CAD for HM. HM was basically just scaling up the old Herpa 1:200 U-2R, and working from there. They both ran into huge problems. CalW had a lot more research in their future tooling, but the dimensions and shapes of the U-2 are just hard to master correctly. The HM tooling will happen, but I am not certain of its accuracy since it is a scaled up and tuned 1:200 U-2 from many moons ago.
I have not spoken to HM at all about the subject. I believe I talked to Mr. William around October about the A-C model was happening, and when. I know the CalW CADer who was previously assigned to the U-2, now the B-58, was in contact with the guy doing the CAD for HM. HM was basically just scaling up the old Herpa 1:200 U-2R, and working from there. They both ran into huge problems. CalW had a lot more research in their future tooling, but the dimensions and shapes of the U-2 are just hard to master correctly. The HM tooling will happen, but I am not certain of its accuracy since it is a scaled up and tuned 1:200 U-2 from many moons ago.
Interesting that the CAD guys are bumping heads. The situation with the HM late model U-2 has improved somewhat since you spoke to William. Their reference kit is now the 1/48 Academy which is basically the 1980’s Italeri. Now it’s still full of errors, but it’s a lot better than Herpa’s 1/200.
So both their early and late U-2 are based on 1/48 kits. Both kits have errors. To be optimistic though, we should at least get models that turn out better than most collectors, as non-modellers could build for themselves out of the box. I know for a fact that the details will be more accurate, if HM take the advice they’ve been given. I know for a fact that after over 100 F-4 releases HM simply cannot take the advice that they are given.
Interesting that the CAD guys are bumping heads. The situation with the HM late model U-2 has improved somewhat since you spoke to William. Their reference kit is now the 1/48 Academy which is basically the 1980’s Italeri. Now it’s still full of errors, but it’s a lot better than Herpa’s 1/200.
So both their early and late U-2 are based on 1/48 kits. Both kits have errors. To be optimistic though, we should at least get models that turn out better than most collectors, as non-modellers could build for themselves out of the box. I know for a fact that the details will be more accurate, if HM take the advice they’ve been given. I know for a fact that after over 100 F-4 releases HM simply cannot take the advice that they are given.
I am very glad to hear that it is progressing. I do not have much of a relationship with anyone at HM, but I do hope you continue to critique their work if you are providing the input yourself. If you ever need a second eye on a subject feel free to sent it to my inbox. Cheer and Happy Holidays!
I am very glad to hear that it is progressing. I do not have much of a relationship with anyone at HM, but I do hope you continue to critique their work if you are providing the input yourself. If you ever need a second eye on a subject feel free to sent it to my inbox. Cheer and Happy Holidays!
I’ve given them some input, although the early model is my speciality, not the late. I have prevented them from making a couple of huge mistakes, but I couldn’t persuade them to substitute a vacuform canopy for the stock kit canopy. To be honest I can’t really see the problem myself, though I know serious modellers say it’s there. That said, they are at least doing two wind-shields so we get the current wrap-round wind-shield as well.
I’d take you up on your offer, but there haven’t been any pictures to share. These days, for some reason HM just don’t like people looking at tooling shots and pre-pros all that much.
pre-pros of the HM U-2s have been out for a few days now. I'll leave it to the boffins to tell us if they're good or not - looks fine by my rough estimation plus or minus a slightly crude nose join. But, it's also true that matt black can cover up quite a lot of diecast sins
Last edited by FortunateSon; 01-19-2021 at 01:56 AM.
Yeah, so U-2 pre-pros are out. The good news is they are actually pre-pros so it’s not a case of “already produced”. The bad news is there’s quite a few defects.
Both models are missing their tailplane stiffeners on the undersides and have fictitious painted exhausts. The Beale aeroplane has the wrong windscreen. The Black Cat has lots of lumps and bumps that shouldn’t be there. William says they’ll be fixed, we’ve heard that story before though.
[QUOTE=Ladia;2830518]Here you are, Adour . Photos from Facebook diecast group ...... Big black glider, only the chase car is missing
QUOTE]
Thank you very much for sharing! I am incredibly excited to get mine. It may not be a perfect model, but it is surely better than nothing. Still hoping CalW becomes a reality. All dev on the U-2R/S from CalW has been stopped for the time being to focus on other projects.
Just aquired the U-2R ROCAF "Black Cat" squadron very nice and detailed, also comes with a nice box of the squadron's emblem. Either version of HM's U-2 Dragon Lady you will need enough shelf space for the long wing span.
Here you are, Adour . Photos from Facebook diecast group ...... Big black glider, only the chase car is missing
Thanks Ladia. Neither of these is perfect, and I’m going to have to modify mine when they arrive, but I think HM have done an adequate job and most collectors should be satisfied.
The biggest problem is probably the lack of wing droop on the ground. I think HM did the right thing to go with straight wings (“in flight”), but it does look silly gear down. A tooling with different wing options is the only real solution. I’ll be seeing if the wings can take some bending.
Just aquired the U-2R ROCAF "Black Cat" squadron very nice and detailed, also comes with a nice box of the squadron's emblem. Either version of HM's U-2 Dragon Lady you will need enough shelf space for the long wing span.
Thanks for those. It still has a couple of errors that HM couldn’t get rid of. Any chance of a look under the tailplanes? I’d like to see if they made an attempt at printing the tailplane stiffeners that the tooling is missing.
I always wondered why diecast canopies have to be so absurdly thick - this U-2, on any diecast model, HM F-16 canopies are like magnifying glass. Is there any reason? Canopy is made of plastic, so apart from hinges and fixing points, the top of the canopy can have thickness similar to plastic kits canopies. Or?
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Re: HM U-2 Coming Soon... Maybe
I know for a fact that after over 100 F-4 releases HM simply cannot take the advice that they are given. 
. Photos from Facebook diecast group ...... Big black glider, only the chase car is missing 
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