Model-Junkie

Under fuselage Data link pod according to navalnews.com

For Hasegawa kits, I believe the F-14D chin-pod only came in F-14D specific boxings on Sprue R. However, the F-14D boxings also came with the chin-pods for F-14A & B variants on Sprue J so hopefully someone with an F-14D boxing and wants to build an F-14A or B can help you out.

Zvezda's Su-34 kit calls for the underside to be painted in Humbrol 23, duck egg blue. A color conversion chart can be found here

I've bought from Ali Express several times over the years, some of them knock-off toys, and I always received what I paid for. There are lots of knock-off items listed on there but they are clearly listed as knockoffs or off brand. Legit brand items are sold on there but I have not found any real good savings buying those from Ali Express versus other online retailers. For example, I was looking for Academy's new 1/72 F-14B model kit earlier this year, they were being sold for a somewhat reasonable price on Ali but I bought from another online retailer for a similar price instea

HLJ only shows shipping costs of true in stock items, I do not recall for in stock 3-5 days items but they do not estimate shipping for pre-order items. Once you start using the private warehouse option it becomes harder to estimate shipping. Buying from Japan was cheap pre-covid but even with the low Japanese Yen right now, shipping costs are very high.

I think what I wrote is not being understood. This is not a COD situation, the additional cost is either due to taxes or fees and the courier did not correctly explain the situation. I find it very unlikely the extra cost goes back to HLJ.

It appears COD is not fully understood by some folks. COD stands for Cash on Delivery or Collect on Delivery, it is a method of paying for the goods at the time of delivery versus paying before being shipped out. The courier did not explain or fill out the form correctly, and by refusing the package the buyer will most likely have to pay for shipping from Japan a second time.

Thank you for the link and the updated photos, that is some amazing and realistic weathering.

Do you have a link to the post on the burned metal finish? I was unable to find it using the search function or looking back through yours post history.

As a couple of folks have already pointed out, Hasegawa mainly focuses on their domestic market and are producing what sells well in Japan. They have released dozens of new tool kits the last few years. For aircraft they have focused on anime/sci-fi, such as the Macross series, and they also re-release many aircraft kits each year with different decal schemes. Trumpeter may be producing a lot more modern kits but their focus is on the latest fad and accuracy / fit is average. Hasegawa products seem to focus more on quality and they just have a different business model. Its li

Sorry to hear someone has taken your money. I never use friends and family when paying with Paypal. On a separate forum someone with a low message count was selling some hard to find kits at decent prices but wanted Paypal friends and family payment. I paid with Paypal and paid an extra 5% to cover fees. In my case, the seller turned out to be legit and I had no problems. It's possible to have honest folks out there but I've learned it's best to keep 'friends & family' out of business.

Orders now have to be $100 minimum to qualify for free shipping

A quick search on Google led me back to ARC, this gent removed the canopy by carefully cutting it out:

And the PA Attorney General is taking action against them: https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/taking-action/press-releases/attorney-general-shapiro-files-complaint-against-online-hobby-shop-warns-of-holiday-shopping-scams/

I've had luck airing model kits outdoors in sunlight, or in my garage depending on weather, for a day or so for faint smells or anything that is not covered in nicotine residue.

EDIT: There's a thread on this in the Jet Modeling section Supposedly, uncovered images of the aircraft has been leaked. It's one ugly bird. Source

Yes, all accounts carried over, you can still see your old order history too.

The Squadron website is up and supposedly you can place orders, but I was unable to complete my order. They are offering free shipping on orders over $39.99 but of course there appears to be an issue with placing any orders over $39.99! I sent them a message notifying them of the issue, just waiting to see if they will continue honoring the shipping deal.

I'm sorry for your loss. I lost my wingman, Niblet a medium hair orange tabby cat, earlier this year in July and I know your pain. I still miss him terribly but at least I am able to hold back my tears. Niblet was a dog in a cat's body, he loved me unconditionally and always followed me everywhere. I was volunteering at an animal shelter and found him in the quarantine area because they ran out of cages in the regular cat hold room. I just heard this 3-4 week old kitten with a raspy meow crying loudly over and over as they were preparing to close up for the weekend. I opened his cage and

Yes, I am! I sent you a PM.

I bought a UH-60J kit from Dave a couple of months ago and I had no issues. I did a quick search on his Facebook page, as Dutch mentioned he is currently having house issues and is handling business matters 4.00am to 7.00am each day. https://www.facebook.com/flyingleathernecksmodels.net/ I hope things work out for everyone

I'm looking for the 1/72 decals (for all black and all grey F-16) that was included in the Twobobs 1/48 F-16C Alaskan Splinters Part II decal sheet. I will buy the whole sheet if necessary.

They never responded to my inquiry and I opened a dispute with my credit card, who refunded me instantly. I was expecting to receive an email to say I was a bad customer but I didn't even get that. I will not be going back to this retailer

Its been over a week and my order still has not shipped. I sent them a message and received the automated response. I'll start a dispute with my credit card company if I don't hear anything from them in a couple of days

Damn, Murphy's Law just got me. I just placed a $200 online order with them this evening and a couple of hours later I notice this thread..... I should've figured it was too good to be true, I've been looking for an Airfix Sea King HC.4 and they're the only ones to have it in stock Stateside. Everything else I ordered is available elsewhere so hopefully they have them in stock too.