Charlie Cheetah Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 (edited) hey guys, wondering if anyone has the new Revell 1/48 Mosquito kit. I havent been able to find much out about it. Wondering if its just a rebox of the Revell Germany kit with the extra parts to make the fighter bomber, or is it reboxed older kit? Edited September 11, 2012 by Charlie Cheetah Quote Link to post Share on other sites
randypandy831 Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 (edited) are you talking about kit 85-5320 or 80-4555? 5320 is most likely the older monogram tooling. 4555 has a much higher parts count. 125 vs 225 i think it was. Edited September 11, 2012 by randypandy831 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dave Williams Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 It says you can build a night fighter, bomber, or fighter-bomber, so I'm sure it's the old Monogram kit, which really isn't too bad considering it's age. http://www.revell.com/model-kits/aircraft/85-5320.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Charlie Cheetah Posted September 11, 2012 Author Share Posted September 11, 2012 It says you can build a night fighter, bomber, or fighter-bomber, so I'm sure it's the old Monogram kit, which really isn't too bad considering it's age. http://www.revell.com/model-kits/aircraft/85-5320.html Yes, Im hoping its the older version, I wouldnt touch that newer Revell Germany kit with 10 foot pole. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Otto Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Yes, Im hoping its the older version, I wouldnt touch that newer Revell Germany kit with 10 foot pole. What is wrong with the new Revell kit? It has been rated to be nicer than the Tamiya kit from what I hear. From what I understand, the cockpit detail is superb on the new Revell kit. BTW at one time Revell Germany and Revell USA were two separate entities. These two have now been joined as in the fact that they have both been purchased by Grate Plains Models / Hobbyco in Champagne Illinois. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Charlie Cheetah Posted September 12, 2012 Author Share Posted September 12, 2012 What is wrong with the new Revell kit? It has been rated to be nicer than the Tamiya kit from what I hear. From what I understand, the cockpit detail is superb on the new Revell kit. BTW at one time Revell Germany and Revell USA were two separate entities. These two have now been joined as in the fact that they have both been purchased by Grate Plains Models / Hobbyco in Champagne Illinois. I've had it here and had it half built before my temper got the better of me. Maybe mine was a lemon but it seems like every other step I was running into fit issues and putty hungry steps. The last straw for me was the multi piece canopy that just wouldnt go together for me. It looks impressive in the box with all the extra detail but if you cant put it all together reasonably, whats the point? Id take a Tamiya kit over the Revell POS kit any day. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dmk0210 Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 I've had it here and had it half built before my temper got the better of me. Maybe mine was a lemon but it seems like every other step I was running into fit issues and putty hungry steps. The last straw for me was the multi piece canopy that just wouldnt go together for me. It looks impressive in the box with all the extra detail but if you cant put it all together reasonably, whats the point? Id take a Tamiya kit over the Revell POS kit any day. That's the problem with a lot of Revell kits. they require a lot of patience, ingenuity and major deviation from the assembly order in the instructions. I can't build two Revell kits back to back. I need to do some shake and bake kits in between to let my sanity recover. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Otto Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 OK, I know that Tamiya has a Mosi, so why did Revell come out with one to begin with. The Tamiya kit is state-o-d-art. This makes no sense to me. What were they attempting to improve upon? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dmk0210 Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 What were they attempting to improve upon? Price? Revell kits are often less than half the price of Tamiya. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
peebeep Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 What were they attempting to improve upon? Their bottom line - a Tamiya Mosquito doesn't make any money for Revell, a Revell Mosquito does. The Revell undercarriage legs appear to be somewhat short, whilst the propeller spinners look a little fat. peebeep Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dave Williams Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Which "Revell" Mosquito kit is being discussed here? It looks like Posts 1-4 are talking about the recent Revell USA reissue of the old Monogram kit but Posts 5 and up are talking about the new tool Revell Germany Mosquito? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Charlie Cheetah Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 I was inquiring about the latest revell release, not the Revell Germany edition from a couple of years ago. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mightymax Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 (edited) They are repopping the old 40 year old kit. Then the gall to retail it for 25.00 (yes I know you can find it cheaper)when the Revell Germany kit is a new tool kit with great detail and retails for about 30.00 U.S., makes no sense to me. They can choose to repop an old kit or rebox in a Revell USA box the newer, nicer kit, cause they own both molds. They picked the old kit, retailing it for an astonishing price when they could have picked the newer kit and retailed it for that same price (or less). Which do you think you will have a better chance of selling out the production run? Or do they sell out a production run to Hobby Lobby and Michaels and then let them worry about sales? If I owned a hobby store I would not take a chance and have more than one (if that many) possibly languishing on my sales floor. What market are they going after. All of us Boomers who have been modeling know about the Tamiya, Airfix, and Revell A.G. kits so would only buy this for a nostalgia build, but at that price how many of us want to be nostalgic? If they are going after the youth or new builder markets I think the price should be lower. Twelve to 15.00 dollars sounds about right to me. Then I would understand their marketing of this kit better! I have a couple of the Revell A.G kits and would have bought at least two more if that was what is in the new boxing, but it is not meant to be. I also have several of the older kits and usually bought them for 5 bucks. The most I ever paid was around 10 bucks for the Heritage Edition repop at retail. I know about the newer Revell kits purported Spinner problem. I took the spinner from an old kit and it will mate perfectly. I also may use some of the landing gear from the old kit. So for about 5 bucks I have my improvement set already in the stash! So will I buy this kit for nice new box art and decals. Unfortunately, no. Did I love this kit when I was ten and built it on my Mom's coffee table while my Dad watched Bonanza? YOU BET!!! I just think that after blessing us with a gorgeous new and 'affordable' Ventura, That Revell USA would want to maybe build on that success. I just sincerely hope they get the return on the repop of this old veteran kit that they projected..... My .02 Max Bryant Edited September 13, 2012 by mightymax Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nerdling Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 Honestly I love the old Revell kit. There isn't anything wrong with it at all. Like any old kit it just needs a bit of love and scratchbuilding. Sometimes I enjoy those older "inferior" kits just because of the fact that you can do some scratchbuilding. I'll buy one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Charlie Cheetah Posted September 14, 2012 Author Share Posted September 14, 2012 ok, I've gathered enough intel and will avoid any Mosquito marketed by revell. I could have put up with the short gear legs and stubby spinners, but the really inconsistant fit of a supposedly mainstream modern kit as too much for me. Id gladly pay the premium for the tamiya kit knowing I will have a kit that wont end up in the trash. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AlCZ Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 When do you need an Mosquito fighter bomber-buy Tamiya. It is still a very nice kit of this famous wooden wonder. When do you need a bomber/pathfinder/P.R. - buy Tamiya too. Revell B.Mk. VI cost 640CZK and Tamiya cost 700CZK. IMHO Very small price difference.. And Tamiya is nicest... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jay Chladek Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Frankly, for as much plastic is crammed into that old Monogram kit, $25 suggested retail is just fine (most places selling it are offering it for closer to $20). Revell is not marketing these old repops to us, but rather to relatively novice modelers who may not have the budget or skills to risk them on a more expensive uberkit. I don't see it as any different as what Airfix is doing in 1/72 with repops (granted Airfix is also doing a lot of new 1/72 stuff, but quite a few old tool kits are sprinkled among the new stuff, such as the Spit V, Hurricane 1, Yak-9D and BP Defiant). The old Mosquito was a great kit for its day and I believe it still has a lot going for it. Sure, a lot of us can find the older boxings for cheap, but as I said WE ARE NOT the TARGET MARKET. Even then, the new reboxing at least has better decals than those old offset print ones Monogram used to make (the ones that tended to have registration problems) and these new reboxings of all the old Monogram stuff have some nice new options that haven't been seen before or have maybe been less common (such as Tex Hill's Bullfrog markings in the P-51B/C kit). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Otto Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Don't crucify me for this, but wasn't it the old Monogram kit that had the vertical fin the wrong size? I know that some time ago I did a side by side comparison with the Airfix, Monogram and Tamiya kits and one of the old kits (I believe it was the Monogram) had a greatly oversized fin. You may want to check that for yourselves. This obviously can be remedied by cutting it off and shortening it a bit, if this indeed is the case. I just bought one of the NEW Revell Mossyes at my LHS for $24. It looks like a beautiful kit, and I don't care if it is going to require a bit of extra work. I like those kind of kits. Matter of fact a seek them out when people make complaints about certain kits. Just started an ARK Hurricane Mk.I in 1/48. This is definitely a challenge. That kit is not for the squeamish. The fuse is a nightmare but has fantastic stringer detail. Much better than the overdone Hasegawa or Italeri. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jpk Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 (edited) Unless you're into nostalgia, avoid the old Monogram Mossie. If you want one that bad you can buy a real original 4 star classic kit for about the same price and at least you'd have a collectable. The Revell release of a few years ago has several issues as well. Another "avoid" this one. The best 1/48 Mossies are the Tamiya and Airfix kits. Even going on 33 years old, (I can't even believe it's been out that long), the Airfix kit is still a great kit and much better than the Monogram and Revell kits. The Tamiya kits though are easily the best with the only issue being a slightly too tall rudder, easily corrected. One other thing about the old Monogram kit. The nose for the FB MkVI is really accurate for the Tse Tse cannon armed version. The plating under the nose and the strengthening ribs on the side show that. Monogram just didn't mold the cannon port and bump thinking the other structural features were the same for all gun nosed Mossies. I'm thinking there wasn't a lot of research material for Monogram to pull from back then as there is now. Edited September 30, 2012 by jpk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Otto Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Unless you're into nostalgia, avoid the old Monogram Mossie. If you want one that bad you can buy a real original 4 star classic kit for about the same price and at least you'd have a collectable. The Revell release of a few years ago has several issues as well. Another "avoid" this one. The best 1/48 Mossies are the Tamiya and Airfix kits. Even going on 33 years old, (I can't even believe it's been out that long), the Airfix kit is still a great kit and much better than the Monogram and Revell kits. The Tamiya kits though are easily the best with the only issue being a slightly too tall rudder, easily corrected. One other thing about the old Monogram kit. The nose for the FB MkVI is really accurate for the Tse Tse cannon armed version. The plating under the nose and the strengthening ribs on the side show that. Monogram just didn't mold the cannon port and bump thinking the other structural features were the same for all gun nosed Mossies. I'm thinking there wasn't a lot of research material for Monogram to pull from back then as there is now. JPK; What do YOU think of the new Revell kit. So I WAS right it is the old Monogram kit that the tail is oversized on. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jpk Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 JPK; What do YOU think of the new Revell kit. So I WAS right it is the old Monogram kit that the tail is oversized on. More wrong than just the fin and rudder. The fuselage cross section is way off, the cockpit is for the most part fiction. Landing gear wheels and struts, basic and inaccurate. Engine nacelles are too skinny. For 1966, it's not bad. I knew I wanted one when it came out back then and thought it was great because it was Monogram. As time has passed and more reference material has appeared you can see how flawed the kit really is. But.....if you have one and like it....build it. It will look sorta like a Mossie when done. The recent Revell oG kit has a few issues a couple of which is the landing gear and the spinners. There have been many post as to the issues. Do a search and I'm sure they will come up. Like I said though, if you want accuracy get the Tamiya or Airfix kits. I have the Tamiya FB MkVI and B MkIV as well as the Airfix FB MkVI and PR MkXVI. It seems Airfix copied the Tamiya bomber fuselage for their PR MkXVI but corrected the fin rudder issue besides altering it to work with their older FB MkVI kit parts. A plus is it has the two stage Merlins of the later marks. They are not great but usable with some work. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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