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Hasegawa's F1M Pete is from March 2009: That's 32 months ago, and it is the closest genuinely all-new 1/48th prop release of the three you mention...

Tamiya's A6M5 Zero is from August-September 2008, the 2010 A6M3 is not all new by any means.

Eduard's FW-190D-9 comes a little closer to being all-new within that period, but has the same terrible bubble canopy, thick tailfin base and thin wheels as the Antons of 2008, and is thus very unfortunately not strictly all-new...

Even Revell's 1/48th Mosquito is so awful (and badly trounced by Tamiya's B.IV) it hardy deserves mention, so add up Revell, Trumpeteer, Eduard, Tamiya and Hasegawa, for the past 32 months, and in 1/48th the total all-new prop tally is: 0.

I actually can't think of a dry spell, in that scale for props, that is even remotely comparable to this in the past thirty years... Ten years ago both Tamiya and Hasegawa each had two 1/48th prop kits every 12 months...

Robertson

I'll give you the Zero. I messed up my dates on that one.

I feel the Fw190D-9 is different enough from the A series to be considered a new kit. Personal opinion. Eduard has a Bf109E-1 in 1/48 scheduled for early next year. New kit in that scale for them? Yes. Exciting news for people who have a bunch of 1/48 Bf109Es already? Probably not...

As for Hasegawa, I think it's about time they release something new in 1/48... and it will doubtless be a japanese subject. But if they do a new japanese twin in 1/48, like their Ki45, I won't complain.

If you really lament the lack of new 1/48 kits from these companies, just look elsewhere. There IS stuff coming out in 1/48. Interesting stuff at that. Great Wall Hobby has their 1/48 Fw189 and (somewhat controversial) P-61. Special Hobby has released a bunch of interesting 1/48 stuff in recent years... I don't know the exact release dates, but they've done the Martin Maryland, CAC Boomerang, IMAM (Romeo) Ro-57, Fiat BR.20, Breda Ba.65, Airspeed Oxford... and have more interesting things announced like the Heinkel He115. Dragon is supposed to have a new 1/48 P-51D and Bf109E at some point, unless they've changed their minds. Zvezda had their well received 1/48 Bf109F-2, how long ago was that? Revell's PV-1 should be right around the corner. Not my cup of tea really, but Hobbyboss has also put out a number of new 1/48 kits in the last few years. And don't forget Italeri... they've done a number of new kits as well in recent years, though I don't know all the dates. Reggiane Re2002, Arado Ar196A, Macchi MC.200, Junkers Ju87B-2 Stuka, Hawker Hurricane.

The thing is, most of the well known subjects are already done in 1/48, and done well in a lot of cases. There's not a lot I'm craving in 1/48, except for obscure things and multi-engined things which aren't likely to be released any time soon. I'm really looking forward to the PV-1. And if Special Hobby gets off their butts and releases the stuff they've announced in the past (Heinkel He115, Dornier Do24T, Bristol Beaufort, etc), that'll be pretty cool.

What I'd really like to see in 1/48 is more russian stuff, and more of the japanese multi-engined stuff.

Edited by KOG7777
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Hasegawa's F1M Pete is from March 2009: That's 32 months ago, and it is the closest genuinely all-new 1/48th prop release of the three you mention...

Tamiya's A6M5 Zero is from August-September 2008, the 2010 A6M3 is not all new by any means.

Eduard's FW-190D-9 comes a little closer to being all-new within that period, but has the same terrible bubble canopy, thick tailfin base and thin wheels as the Antons of 2008, and is thus very unfortunately not strictly all-new...

Even Revell's 1/48th Mosquito is so awful (and badly trounced by Tamiya's B.IV) it hardy deserves mention, so add up Revell, Trumpeteer, Eduard, Tamiya and Hasegawa, for the past 32 months, and in 1/48th the total all-new prop tally is: 0.

I actually can't think of a dry spell, in that scale for props, that is even remotely comparable to this in the past thirty years... Ten years ago both Tamiya and Hasegawa each had two 1/48th prop kits every 12 months...

Robertson

Eduard SPAD XIII Early, from 2011?

Shane

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I'll give you the Zero. I messed up my dates on that one.

I feel the Fw190D-9 is different enough from the A series to be considered a new kit. Personal opinion. Eduard has a Bf109E-1 in 1/48 scheduled for early next year. New kit in that scale for them? Yes. Exciting news for people who have a bunch of 1/48 Bf109Es already? Probably not...

As for Hasegawa, I think it's about time they release something new in 1/48... and it will doubtless be a japanese subject. But if they do a new japanese twin in 1/48, like their Ki45, I won't complain.

If you really lament the lack of new 1/48 kits from these companies, just look elsewhere. There IS stuff coming out in 1/48. Interesting stuff at that. Great Wall Hobby has their 1/48 Fw189 and (somewhat controversial) P-61. Special Hobby has released a bunch of interesting 1/48 stuff in recent years... I don't know the exact release dates, but they've done the Martin Maryland, CAC Boomerang, IMAM (Romeo) Ro-57, Fiat BR.20, Breda Ba.65, Airspeed Oxford... and have more interesting things announced like the Heinkel He115. Dragon is supposed to have a new 1/48 P-51D and Bf109E at some point, unless they've changed their minds. Zvezda had their well received 1/48 Bf109F-2, how long ago was that? Revell's PV-1 should be right around the corner. Not my cup of tea really, but Hobbyboss has also put out a number of new 1/48 kits in the last few years. And don't forget Italeri... they've done a number of new kits as well in recent years, though I don't know all the dates. Reggiane Re2002, Arado Ar196A, Macchi MC.200, Junkers Ju87B-2 Stuka, Hawker Hurricane.

The thing is, most of the well known subjects are already done in 1/48, and done well in a lot of cases. There's not a lot I'm craving in 1/48, except for obscure things and multi-engined things which aren't likely to be released any time soon. I'm really looking forward to the PV-1. And if Special Hobby gets off their butts and releases the stuff they've announced in the past (Heinkel He115, Dornier Do24T, Bristol Beaufort, etc), that'll be pretty cool.

What I'd really like to see in 1/48 is more russian stuff, and more of the japanese multi-engined stuff.

I couldn't agree more with your last sentence, and I see the point behind much of what you say. But the two subject items you mention in that sentence undermine significantly one of your previous points: That 1/48th scale WWII is "full". For example, there has never been a proper "largeish" Russian or Japanese Army bomber offered in that scale, in injected plastic (the recent AZ Ki-48 Lilly being on a level with an Aurora kit of the 1950s)...

Also contradicting your point about a "full" scale is your correct assumption about the complete lack of a new four engine on the horizon, an assumption for which, sadly, you are likely to be heinously correct...

I share your excitement with Revell's upcoming PV-1. But this is the first really significant good quality kit of an all-new important WWII subject to come out in nearly three years (barring the FW-189 by GW or the Hs 126 by ICM, or a small handful of other mainstream kits, including a truly superior new Yak-1b by Modelsvit)...

Special Hobby is a notable exception, because they are quite prolific in 1/48th, and often offer good "apparent" quality. However, I find their kits to be generally more of a gamble to finish than a danger to the available space in the "finished" display case... The good thing is, they have the good taste of staying away from popular subjects, and thus discouraging "real" kit production of those...

I just wish AZ and Hobby Boss would have the sense to do the same with their kits, and thus not impoverish the 1/48th scale horizon of popular subjects needing to be done, or "refreshed", in the scale... It isn't just that few "real" mainstream releases are done in that scale, it's also that a lot of clumsy makers are actually impoverishing the scale with with their own clutter of inferior releases...

This scale is really quite heavily polluted with inferior, old, or worn out moulds, so the impression that it is "full" is misleading.

Robertson.

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I don't mean that every WWII subject that could possibly be done in 1/48 has been done. I just mean that all the 'likely' ones have been done, more or less. Anything remaining is for the most part unlikely due to either size or obscurity. There was a rumor that Trumpeter would do some more of the 4-engined british bombers in 1/48.... but I don't know how much faith to put in that rumor. I'm pretty sure we can count on Hasegawa for some new japanese subjects in 1/48. It just might take a while.

One thing's certain: new large 1/48 bombers are going to be few and far between.

As for Special Hobby... I really don't expect to ever see a Tamiya/Hasegawa/Eduard CAC Boomerang, or Airspeed Oxford, or Martin Maryland... so I'm really glad that Special Hobby is doing what it's doing. A basis to work from is better than no kit at all.

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That controversy was replaced by the Great Great Wall P-61 Kurfuffle. Now that that one has died down, we'll have to wait for the next Epic Kit Uberfail for some entertainment. I'm sure somebody will find a "fatal flaw" in the forthcoming Revell PV-1.

SN

Well that's already begun. It's obvious that they screwed up the PV-1 prop blades. It's gotta be true.... I read it on HS :rolleyes:

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I remember the day when it was more fun to build, paint, decal, weather, and display a model than it was to spend days scrutinizing every part with a ruler and comparing it with a dozen references.

You left out the 'run around the back yard flying the model and making engine noises' part. Other than that, RIGHT ON! 70.gif

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I understand that the upcoming Hasemiyatrump 1/57nd scale Farley Fruitbat has the wrong tire tread depth. Heresy.

:D, Oh no. We're not going back to all the faults of all the versions of the Farley Fruitbat are we. Each version had its own fatal flaw, if I rememebr rightly the German version had 2 Hispano 20 mm cannon and the Aussie version had 2 MK-108 cannon. Should have been vicki vercka. And they were just 2 of the many versions, every country had their own version and the kits all had fatal flaws.

:cheers:,

Ross.

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You left out the 'run around the back yard flying the model and making engine noises' part.

You mean you're not supposed to still do that? :blink:

This might explain the strange looks I've been getting from the neighbors......

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