"Calibre Wings SU24 Fencer Review" Item Number CA722401
When i was asked to review the New Calibre Wings SU24 i was very excited to do so. I was asked by Calibre wings to make an Honest non Biased Review so that is what i will do !
So Here goes the model arrived today and the Box is quite heavy and Very Colourful with Nice Glossy finish with some Lovely SU24 art work including a small write up on the Aircraft Specifications Speed/engine type/Range /Size and also which Airforces it is in Service with.
On opening the Box Lid you get a Nice clear view through the Plastic of the Model similar to Hobby Master Model Box Arrangement.Even before removing the inner plastic you can see how much detail is on this model.Removing the model from the box is easy enough and it comes with the wheels already attached Configured in the Gear Down posistion and Wow what a heavy Piece of Diecast this is ! the model feels very Sturdy and slid easily from the packaging .Underneath the Inner box was a small red Packet with Remove before Flight written on it inside was the Weapons and Configuration Instructions a really nice touch and shows a little bit of extra class not found with other manufactures.
Onto assembling the Model to configure the jet was a little bit Fiddly and this was were my critisism begins a little bit the Nose Pitot probe is made of a Rubber material with is very Bendy and as yet i have not managed to get this as straight as i really want i would have preferred a Plastic rigid type and taken the risk of snapping it rather than the floppy probe . Attaching the Large Fuel Tanks was a bit tricky as the Plastic Pegs were a little too Large and did not want to enter into the Model Hole and i have accidentally snapped one of the pegs but seems to be holding o.k on one peg and seems o.k but i think the weapons and tanks could have been made easier to fit.The Model comes with Intake and Exhaust blanks fitted which i personally like and i will leave fitted Tools to remove the blanks and help with fitting are also supplied see pics.
The Refueling probe can be placed in the up or Down positions another nice little touch and i think i like it in the Up position best.Also in the Box you will receive Canopy Pieces to place in the open/ closed or either door open or closed i must say i found this really nice !
So with all the Parts assembled i sat the Model down to to take in the quality and i must say a BIG WOW ! to Calibre Wings they have done an excellent job with the Recessed panel lines and Detail of Rivets in the Canopy it looks awesome ! The Sweeping Wings work very Well and makes the model look completely different in each wing pose ! all in all i give a 9 out of 10 with my only Criticisms being the Rubber Pitot Probe and Difficulty in fitting the Weapons and Fuel Tanks i have not reviewed the stand as i was told by calibre i would not Receive one or the Special Limited edition Card that would normally be supplied with the Model.
Anyway i will leave you all with the photos i have taken and if you can please leave your comments as Calibre will be looking at my review.Many thanks to Calibre for letting me review this model and also to you all in advance for your comments.Martin
Thanks for your review. Honestly, while honest, your review is "just ok." You don't seem to have any actual familiarity with the Su24 whatsoever and your comments are mostly really generic stuff. There's not a single line in your review at all that has anything to do with the Su24.
Moreover, while it's nice that you provided a fair number of photos, they are of very low quality for 2018 - the "filtering" effects of whatever device you used (I'm guessing a mobile phone) to take the photos are clearly evident - some of the photos look like they've been through a photoshop "watercolour" photo.
Your "review" doesn't in any way compare Calibre's output to other manufacturers, pro and con.
I suggest that if you're going to be a "pro" reviewer, you might look at this forum and see some of the people who have shown some true expertise on Soviet and ex-Soviet types - the recent HM Su-34 postings might give you some ideas. So, even if you don't yourself have expertise, you can turn to experts for their ideas to help you better understand the subject.
Personally, I pre-ordered the UkrAF version and have debating whether to get the VVS Russia version. One of my big question marks was the washes and overall fuselage finish of the final release as we've seen a number of contradictory possibilities in pre-pro (Calibre is not alone at this - try to get a straight answer on a lot of JCW releases). TBH, your photos of are such low quality than i still don't feel I have a real good sense of the model..
It's also unclear how many models have the bent pitot problem and whether following Calibre's advice rectifies it. It may be the case that hard rubber is indeed superior for shorter antennae and probes but not for longer ones.
Also, one can't help but notice that the "info paragraph" from the collector card is just text lifted lazily from wikipedia. i get it that that text doesn't matter much, but still...
Anyway, glad you got a free model... I wonder what Calibre thinks of getting a reviewer who doesn't know standard English capitalization rules...
Thanks for the review....It look good except the nose pitot (hope calibre send us a replace part if we broke it if we try to make it straight),I ll don't see the FAB launcher that we saw in prepro.
I'll step in to remind people what the term plastic means :
Definition of plastic (Entry 2 of 3)
1 : made or consisting of a plastic
2 : having a quality suggestive of mass-produced plastic goods
especially : ARTIFICIAL sense 3
plastic smiles
3a : capable of being molded or modeled
plastic clay
b : capable of adapting to varying conditions : PLIABLE
ecologically plastic animals
4 : capable of being deformed continuously and permanently in any direction without rupture
5 : relating to, characterized by, or exhibiting neural plasticity
6 : of, relating to, or involving plastic
While the term is used for most thermoplastic polymers (or resins), it is in fact a physical property as in part meaning 4 (the real defi is that it yields when a stress is applied). Most polymers are plastic, some are elastic (like rubber which in fact is a thermoset)
Finally, these are chinese made toys, not advanced pieces of engineering nor art. Keep it cool boys
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Finally, these are chinese made toys, not advanced pieces of engineering nor art.
I’ll be sure to tell the hobby store that when I go to purchase the model and instead of giving them $250, I’ll propose $50 and see how that goes down
And btw yes these are advanced pieces of engineering, according to Lord Business himself
No ones questioning why rubber bends, it’s why CAD Wings after 2 years in the making decided to use the worst possible material on the face of the model, was it too difficult to make it out of tough plastic and pop a 2nd antenna into the box or would that require another 12 month wait and an extra $50usd
I completely agree with the points made by FortunateSon and Ukrainian_Falcons.
This is less a detailed review than a generic praise for the model. FS you were more diplomatic than I could be in critiquing the review. It would have been better if the review sample was sent to someone who is actually experienced with diecast and the subject matter in question.
Re UF vs CBL and his remark "get a life" I'm afraid to say this expensive hobby IS "getting a life"! Normally this phrase is meant for workaholics who have no life outside their office. A nice hobby is a way to enjoy life without worrying about money and productivity all the time. And in this "get a life" hobby that we have it is important that products work as advertised. Calibre Wings' mission statement is written proudly on their home page (and on each product line's page also) as:
Quote:
Our models are highly precise in construction and delivered with a high quality finish. The strive for perfection pushes the manufacturing boundaries, resulting in a collectible model as accurate as a plastic kit.
The price is in correspondence with these claims of high quality, and thus it would be odd if we were to ignore non-trivial problems.
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If any of the neatpicker on this website and particularly among the 1/72 or 1/48 collectors had 2 connected brain cells they would cry foul about the 'grandcanyonesque' seams and panel marks!
In any of these scales the models should be as smooth as a bowling ball!
Talk about judgment and a bunch of experts!
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CBL: In total agreement with you on this particular point. Some collectors seem to like deep and wide panel lines, I personally hate 'em and why I have decided to completely stop buying Hobby Masters. And as much as people seem to make fun of Witty/JCW I love their subtle panel lining, much more scale correct. Century Wings' Tomcats are much admired by everyone and their dog, and while I do like them again they are nearly as bad as HM. Calibre Wings' Tomcat (not the subject of this discussio per se, I know) seems to be in between the two. For me in fact this is one of its biggest weakness - purely as a matter of personal taste I would have vastly preferred subtler, thinner lines.
I if CalWings were to apply a full-on weathered/dirty paintjob that's where their panel lines would make most sense. On new aircraft the panel lines are hardly visible, it is only when they get service-worn that the panel lines become prominent.
Evidence:
Clean:
Granted this is a post-deployment freshly painted bird, but the point is still valid. A freshly-painted Tomcat is smooth and has very thin panel lines.
Dirty:
SO if Calibre Wings were to fully weather their models THEN the panel lines would make sense - but again thinner lines would be better!
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Panel lines should be simply tampoo printed, nothing more.
That would additionally reduce the cost of making a mould.
But strangely enough the bunch of neat pickers has always prefered complaining about the needle in the haystack rather than the major flaw, go figure out why.
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Hmmm tampo-printed panel lines, now there's a thought I haven't considered before.
To be honest I would rather have such printed lines in combination with full moving aero parts (control surfaces, flaps, slats, etc) than the recessed panel lines we get now. I believe one of the main reasons GMP's 1/35 Warhawk and Mustang models are so beloved is their full working feature set. The ability to set the moveable surfaces in any pose desired adds a huge amount of appeal to a diecast model, in my opinion. The sheer fact that those parts that move on the real aircraft have been replicated in the scale model renders it much more dynamic and "lively".
Of course I understand that doing such moveable parts would be difficult in 1/72 scale, especially for the flaps and slats. Thus why I would LOVE for 1/48 high-detail models which do have such functionality and are very sharp and accurate. The presence of a 1/48 model in the finish and quality that we get in the "premium" 1/72 scale would be impressive, and having moving features would increase the presence off the charts.
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As long as people buy at MRSP it will sell at MSRP (or more).
This is business 101, just swallow that.
Personally I never buy at full price and don't complain.
Strangely I am never disappointed either...
Agreed, if there are donkeys out there that just hand their wallets over to Noel, there’s little need to improve the quality or adjust the price to match the current low quality. I’m quiet happy to get the Fencer and if the quality is that bad, never both getting their overpriced models again, yeah I know, boo woo, I’m sure Noel’s gonna cry about it (not!) but there are LOTS of collectors out there that are coming towards the end of collecting and don’t want rubbish in the last years of collecting. Noobs can take over then and fill Noel’s wallet from then on, if the hobby survives that long at the current price point.
Well der, every biz out their wants to put minimal effort in but get maximum profit but as a few ppl on here have pointed out, Noel put his foot in his mouth making so many claims, so stop talking **** and do what you said you would or just shut up and swallow the VALID criticisms.
The “Made in China” excuse is weak as pi$$ in 2018, that excuse was good back in the 90’s (actually it was “made in Taiwan” back in the day), China is now one of if not THE richest countries in the world, that’s something you guys in the US just have to accept and not too butt hurt about it.
Good for you but you do know not everyone has low standards and while no one on here tried to impose their higher standards on you or others, I’m sure the collectors that do have discerning values would appreciate you do the same, cheers. If at anytime it gets too much for you hearing ppl not want to kneel down infront of Noel, you just go ahead and hit that “X” button on top of the screen or if your using a smart phone, you probably want to throw your phone into the ground, yeah just do that, then wrap yourself in cotton wool
well monsieur uf, seems like you've got competition in the meme section
anyway, coming back to martin's review...
it's not all that bad and he's just giving his views. and the pics? well, he's given us more than what some people just keep talking about. as monsieur bb would say, a picture is worth a thousand words... he's given us 19 thousand (yes, monsieur bb... i counted. twice). granted, some of the close ups are enlarged pictures and grainy but hey, they're photos of a model he was given to review, not some elaborate light staged photoshoot with heavy photoshop (remember the mismatched reflection from hm not too long ago?). and at least he has made it clear that the review was at calibre's request... unlike some others who cloak themselves in the bona fide collectors persona and do obviously biased reviews with not a single mention of the VERY apparent bent pitot. anyway, guess martin was doing a personal review and just sharing his experience with the model. comparing models with other manufacturers? well one can only do a proper comparison IF one had a model to compare it with too. not everyone is as fortunate, unfortunately. and before pouring scorn on other people's review, it would be interesting to note how one personally reviews their specific model instead of talking about the generic model since theirs is tucked away in the basement/up the attic/under the bed thousands of miles away...
I think this review was useful. The more pictures you can find about a model, the better you can decide if you buy this model yes or no. And I think, the goal of this forum is to discuss and share information.
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Still looking for these items (thanks):
1. Ultimate Soldier Me-262B (Nightfighter, B Version !) scale 1:18.
2. Elite Force F-18 Hornet (Golden Dragon) scale 1:18.
Thanks for the effort F14 Jet. You did OK and I am grateful.
The pitot is certainly causing some discussion. I think CalWings is on a hiding to nothing. If they harden it to hard plastic and one breaks,.....lads would be crapping on about soft plastic. Although, that being said, the plastic is as bad as the old FoV stuff.
Its on the list,.....but gee I have to confess I am only buying because I am not convinced of CalWings is in for the long term and I want a SU24.
What I am really after is a Soviet camo, Cold War SU24.
Patience is a virtue.
Patience is a virtue I guess.
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"The deliberately planned fighter sweep went just as we'd hoped. The MiGs came up. The MiGs were aggressive. We tangled. They lost." BRIG Robin Olds.
the strange thing about this pitot discussion is that it seems to be heading in the direction that there is no suitable alternative. i own the terebo su-47 berkut and dare say the pitot is perhaps as long as the su-24 fencer's (i could be mistaken, though), but no, i haven't heard of bent/broken pitots, at least not from their publicity pics. what were those made of? the gaincorp's nighthawk, on the other hand, are notorious for broken pitots... and i've accidentally broken quite a few off my witty vipers. but surely there are other alternatives to material x that will naturally bend and material y that will naturally break. it's almost like i'm hearing the london bridge nursery rhyme about iron bars.
Here give this a try.....perhaps find one suitable or a close enough metal pitot, can be found here....or contact them for possible custom made i.e. SU-24. Scales are to the left. Of course for diecast metal, some moding, (sanding, drilling, glue, etc.) either at the tube end or mating nose end, to achieve desired results, may be required since they are for plastic kits....
Another brand name to look for is dreammodel... a different company..but same type of products....(don't know if the are still in business, perhaps new old stock is still on retailers shelves)
BB
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Here give this a try.....perhaps find one suitable or a close enough metal pitot, can be found here....or contact them for possible custom made i.e. SU-24. Scales are to the left. Of course for diecast metal, some moding, (sanding, drilling, glue, etc.) either at the tube end or mating nose end, to achieve desired results, may be required since they are for plastic kits....
Another brand name to look for is dreammodel... a different company..but same type of products....(don't know if the are still in business, perhaps new old stock is still on retailers shelves)
BB
Here's a review on the master-model SU-24 Fencer metal pitot tube...
One would think that for the price i.e. USD $160. For the CW "highest quality" model .... NL could at least provide metal pitots... It makes sense to me....metal plane, metal pitot... But no, the cheap and dirty way is more profitable. IMO....
Rhetorical Questions.....
If master-model can make them....why can't CW? Or if it's all about the outlay of cost for machine casting pitot's ... then why not contract third parties (i.e. Model-master, etc,) to make them and supply them...
There's absolutely no excuse for limp penis pitots...IMO.
BB
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One would think that for the price i.e. USD $160. For the CW "highest quality" model .... NL could at least provide metal pitots... It makes sense to me....metal plane, metal pitot... But no, the cheap and dirty way is more profitable. IMO....
Rhetorical Questions.....
If master-model can make them....why can't CW? Or if it's all about the outlay of cost for machine casting pitot's ... then why not contract third parties (i.e. Model-master, etc,) to make them and supply them...
There's absolutely no excuse for limp penis pitots...IMO.
BB
as you stated... definitely rhetorical. but don't ever let nl hear you. he'd probably challenge you to a virtual fistfight
Amazing. This is the first ever review I've across. Apart from this one, the only other release is the camo version. For the bent pitot if it's like HM's or Witty's then you can just bend it to place. I think only CW issues the plastic pitot tubes as of the moment. I think moving forward that's the way to go. The argument is that it'll break easily but I don't think we're gonna be moving the model around too much so yah I suppose it's the better route. For the model though, I'm really happy they changed the colors. It's much better now. The pilots and the added ordnance also helps. Would've wished it came with some OFAB bombs though as it was showcased on the tooling but maybe in the future though. Overall I'm very impressed. I'm sure they'd knock the fitter out the ball park as well. Outstanding job by CALW
Guys, all this strife from a collector's simple review of a plane from a manufacturer you guys (most it seem anyways) seem to love to hate. Personally, you can take it as far serious or as casual as you want when it comes to diecast collecting, but personally I would really want to respect others for their views, however different, from yours. Everyone feels differently, writes differently and yes, spells differently.
So really if you think this forum or this thread is about those "elite-level rivet counters who compare sub 200 bucks mainstream models to real life planes", then I feel the moderator shud set it so and restrict to a very specific list of top tier and very discerning collector group. If its a public board that welcomes genuine collectors from all around the world, let's keep it cordial. Agree to disagree, there's way too may more serious stuff in this world to worry about and not cry abt our little models, which are supposed to bring joy...and not more strife!
Sure, you may be proven right but then again...so what? Friendship in collecting is a much more fun prospect.
Note : Yes, I personally feel that some of the reviewers for the Su24 in question has "simplified" their reviews sure, but I also feel that most if not all of them are quite genuine in their reviews, free model or not.
Just putting my personal views forward, that's all Peace out.
Guys, all this strife from a collector's simple review of a plane from a manufacturer you guys (most it seem anyways) seem to love to hate. Personally, you can take it as far serious or as casual as you want when it comes to diecast collecting, but personally I would really want to respect others for their views, however different, from yours. Everyone feels differently, writes differently and yes, spells differently.
So really if you think this forum or this thread is about those "elite-level rivet counters who compare sub 200 bucks mainstream models to real life planes", then I feel the moderator shud set it so and restrict to a very specific list of top tier and very discerning collector group. If its a public board that welcomes genuine collectors from all around the world, let's keep it cordial. Agree to disagree, there's way too may more serious stuff in this world to worry about and not cry abt our little models, which are supposed to bring joy...and not more strife!
Sure, you may be proven right but then again...so what? Friendship in collecting is a much more fun prospect.
Note : Yes, I personally feel that some of the reviewers for the Su24 in question has "simplified" their reviews sure, but I also feel that most if not all of them are quite genuine in their reviews, free model or not.
Just putting my personal views forward, that's all Peace out.
fair enough. forgive my cynicism and my emphasis for reviewers to state their interest (getting free models for reviews, for example). i'm not saying that those who get freebies are naturally biased. but the least they could do is to inform their readers as to whether they did in fact get the model for review free or whether it was an off the shelf example. i think that makes a difference since manufacturers would usually give review models more attention than the general mass market ones. but not stating the obvious is also a cause for concern and would naturally arouse one's suspicion of intentionally glossing over apparent issues.
the other point about stating one getting a freebie model for review is the simple reason that we have, in the past, seen how some 'collectors' hold themselves out as posting pictures of models they only just recently purchased, but no other collector seems to have been able to get their hands on. if my memory serves me correctly, that particular reviewer finally admitted on getting the freebie only when it was pointed out that the model had the exact same peculiar issues as a model that was previous posted by a retailer. so you tell me, what gives?
as for the strife... like any good movie, there's always the protagonist and antagonist. just sit back and enjoy the ride... ignore the white noise, if you must. happy collecting!
That said, I do appreciate and look out for objective reviews of new jets and stuff... accuracy shud be taken seriously by manufacturers no doubt tho collectors have to understand and agree that never will there be a exact replica and unless the product is obviously dumped to market, then we should encourage these few companies around to do better with more of our feedback heard...constructive feedback of course.
That said, I do appreciate and look out for objective reviews of new jets and stuff... accuracy shud be taken seriously by manufacturers no doubt tho collectors have to understand and agree that never will there be a exact replica and unless the product is obviously dumped to market, then we should encourage these few companies around to do better with more of our feedback heard...constructive feedback of course.
Happy collecting guys!
well, if you went to calibre wing's facebook page and read how noel addresses constructive feedback, then you'll probably know where all that 'hate' stems from. and there was that bit whereby he actually challenged a guy for raising issue with some defective paint job. that's been deleted since but i think it's still in da.c somewhere. with the bent pitot, i do think that there is a better alternative, but calibre just refuses to acknowledge that there is a solution. many other manufacturers have done similar pitots without much issue. oh well... let's hope calibre does do something to improve their second wave of fencers.
If China can make this, bent antennas are a load of BS, it's just simply lazy / cheap skate manufacturing.
And for a model that retails above $200 and when that donkey has a sook when dealers sell it below that, the antenna should be perfect out of the box AND include a spare
If China can make this, bent antennas are a load of BS, it's just simply lazy / cheap skate manufacturing.
And for a model that retails above $200 and when that donkey has a sook when dealers sell it below that, the antenna should be perfect out of the box AND include a spare
hmm... ok. thought you were trying to tell us something we didn't already know. obviously i was mistaken
hmm... ok. thought you were trying to tell us something we didn't already know. obviously i was mistaken
Well if your a discerning collector like you or I (and Ladia) then yes you'd know this sort of thing is possible, it's more for the donkey fanboys that make excuses, you know the ones that think China is still in the 1980's when it comes to manufacturing
Well if your a discerning collector like you or I (and Ladia) then yes you'd know this sort of thing is possible, it's more for the donkey fanboys that make excuses, you know the ones that think China is still in the 1980's when it comes to manufacturing
i guess if you've taken a drive over the hzmb, or a ride on any of their extensive hsr networks, that piece of engineering feat you just linked would make anyone roll their eyes a million times over.
EDM wire cutting (that's the process used to make the part in the reference) has nothing to do with China! It is was developed in the USA.
PS: EDM are very expensive tools that require expert knowledge for their handling. Not easily found in China.
I said MADE not developed. Just like these models are made in China but the manufacturer is in HK, Germany, England and in this case, Singapore, which is normally known for their high standards and lack of BSing
You sure about that ? It's not the 80's and not "Made in Taiwan"
I said MADE not developed. Just like these models are made in China but the manufacturer is in HK, Germany, England and in this case, Singapore, which is normally known for their high standards and lack of BSing
You sure about that ? It's not the 80's and not "Made in Taiwan"
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Calibre Wings SU-24 Review
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