Barneydhc82 Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 I'm waiting for a -B as well, having flown the Albert. It was an -A but owned by a friend in Vancouver. Barney Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Finn Posted April 19, 2013 Author Share Posted April 19, 2013 The instructions and parts: http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10215810 Jari Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spaced Marine Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 I've got to fondle the plastic on this one toady, & I must say that I am impressed. Good panel lines, thoughtful placement of rivets, and plenty of detail. Definitely going on my 'to-get' list. The one nit pick so far is the US insignia is out of proportion...the white of the bars cuts into the blue roundel of the star...good thing there are Caracal deals in the pipes! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 After looking through those directions it looks like a monster build. Maybe, , just maybe... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve N Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 (edited) The insignia are correct. The US national insignia consists of a white star on a blue circle, with whit bars, all surrounded by a blue border. When the bars were added in 1943, the border was red, but it was changed to blue a few months later. The red bar was added in 1947 when the USAF became a separate service. One of my pet peeves is seeing restored warbirds or movie aircraft that have the insignia depicted as just having the bars tacked onto the sides of the circle. A silly nitpick I admit, but it always sticks out like a sore thumb to me. This is the correctly proportioned insignia.. An this is the way it's often incorrectly rendered.. SN Edited April 20, 2013 by Steve N Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spaced Marine Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 I stand mistaken then. I thought they looked off. Makes me happy, b/c I like the box art bird. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 I see it comes with metal landing gear as an option, see "Assembly guide2" for parts breakdown and nose gear, and "Assembly guide14" for main gear. I daresay that would be a primary aftermarket purchase on a beast like this. I got SAC metal gear for the Trumpeter 1/48 Ju-52/3m that I'll do as a pre-war airliner, LOT SP-AKZ It's going to be hard to resist the siren song of this beast, despite the many years of life my stash will have beyond mine... :boohoo:/> Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KursadA Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 (edited) I received my kit today. I didn't have time to take photos today, but let me know if you'd like to see a close-up of any sprue or area. Overall, I think it looks very good in the box and Trumpeter seems to have done a good job. I don't have any plans, but overall wingspan fits the values quoted in the Ginter book exactly. The surface detailing is very good with engraved panel lines and restrained rivet detail. I think the metal undercarriage is a good touch. There is an almost complete interior and much of seems accurate judging by the interior drawings and photos in the Ginter book. Trumpeter clearly thought about future versions: the nose radome area is a separate part broken exactly in the same place an ASW nose radome would fit. Tail is a separate part, facilitation the addition of a taller HU-16B tail later on. A few oddities that I am not happy about: -Later USAF style drop tanks are not included. The kit contains only earlier style tanks. -Kit parts contain only the later "football" style ADF antenna. This antenna showed up pretty late in the Albatross' career; including the earlier style antenna would be a nice touch. -For whatever reason the very prominent VHF command and IFF antennas that should be on the HU-16A's tail are not included. Edited April 21, 2013 by KursadA Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dave Williams Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 I received my kit today. I didn't have time to take photos today, but let me know if you'd like to see a close-up of any sprue or area. Overall, I think it looks very good in the box and Trumpeter seems to have done a good job. I don't have any plans, but overall wingspan fits the values quoted in the Ginter book exactly. The surface detailing is very good with engraved panel lines and restrained rivet detail. I think the metal undercarriage is a good touch. There is an almost complete interior and much of seems accurate judging by the interior drawings and photos in the Ginter book. Trumpeter clearly thought about future versions: the nose radome area is a separate part broken exactly in the same place an ASW nose radome would fit. Tail is a separate part, facilitation the addition of a taller HU-16B tail later on. A few oddities that I am not happy about: -Later USAF style drop tanks are not included. The kit contains only earlier style tanks. -Kit parts contain only the later "football" style ADF antenna. This antenna showed up pretty late in the Albatross' career; including the earlier style antenna would be a nice touch. -For whatever reason the very prominent VHF command and IFF antennas that should be on the HU-16A's tail are not included. Looks like a lot of the oddities you mention are shown correctly on the box art. It's possible that Trumpeter used a museum piece with some late or missing features for the kit, but the box artist used contemporary photos of real aircraft. This isn't the first time Trumpeter has had a disconnect between the box art and the kit contents. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 Have they said when the B is due out? If Trumpet Boss is reading this: Shrink it down to 1/72 PLEASE!!! Lose most of the interior and give us a modern 1/72 kit of the Albatross please!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mlicari Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 If Trumpet Boss is reading this: Shrink it down to 1/72 PLEASE!!! Lose most of the interior and give us a modern 1/72 kit of the Albatross please!!! I agree. I've pulled my Monogram kit out of the stash to build several times, only to re-shelve it after wondering how to tackle the toy-like features. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KursadA Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 I spent some more time today going over the kit during the work to scale my decal designs correctly. I am somewhat impressed with this kit despite the omissions I mentioned before. It looks like Trumpeter got the message about rivets; there are very few engraved rivets in this kit and the panel lines are very crisp. The dimensions match those published in the Ginter book fairly well. Trumpeter clearly thought about other versions: Triphibian landing gear parts are already there, and a SA-16B will be easily possible with new sprues. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mark M. Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 I'll add a vote for the 1/72 crowd! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RiderFan Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 (edited) With the understanding that this is not a Canadian variant, any interest in Canadian markings for this one? Other than the engines, I'm not sure what other conversions would be required to bring it to spec. RCAF+3 look really nice on these with the big wide flourescent orange band on it. But it wouldn't be completely accurate without some additional work. Edited April 26, 2013 by RiderFan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 Oh yes, I would be nterested in RCAF markings. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 Somebody said Mike Belcher already has RCAF decals underway. I'd be surprised if he didn't, along with the cowling bits in resin to go with them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 Mike also makes some great stuff. We be lucky guys in Canada! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Phatsamurai Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 do any of you know if someone makes the dacals for the Expendables albatross? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RiderFan Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 do any of you know if someone makes the dacals for the Expendables albatross? I'd say very doubtful. It was a custom scheme for the movie so you would need a license for that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KursadA Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 The first 1/48 Albatross sheet from Caracal Models is available for preorder now. Caracal Models CD48041: 1/48 US Navy Albatross (HU-16C & UF-1) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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