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SH-2F Seasprite - whats in the back?


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The Cobra Company interior set should dress up the rear cabin for just about everything except a sonabuoy launcher.

http://www.360cities.net/image/kaman-sh-2f-seasprite-cockpit#538.45,18.57,110.0

Thanks for that, good for the front but not so much the back.

Interesting that jump seat on the left is provided in the new Kitty Hawk kit but not mentioned on the instructions.

Julien

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The Cobra Company interior set for the Revell SH-2 has many superior parts than what is NOT provided in the Kitty Hawk kit. The front parts are better in certain areas and equivalent in other ways. The Cobra Company set offer a full rack of avionics for the rear, the ASW operator's panels and scopes and a seat for the operator. I have a Kitty Hawk kit in my hands and know for a fact the set will work and is very useful in many ways.

Chris M

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The Cobra Company interior set for the Revell SH-2 has many superior parts than what is NOT provided in the Kitty Hawk kit. The front parts are better in certain areas and equivalent in other ways. The Cobra Company set offer a full rack of avionics for the rear, the ASW operator's panels and scopes and a seat for the operator. I have a Kitty Hawk kit in my hands and know for a fact the set will work and is very useful in many ways.

Chris M

Cant argue with you. Just so hard to obtain in the uk!

Julien

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Cant argue with you. Just so hard to obtain in the uk!

Julien

Cobra Company's products were offered to a stockist in the UK who dismissed the opportunity as we were "insignificant". We did deal directly with clients in the UK until it started to be an exercise in sending packages that just kept failing to make it to the purchaser. It doesn't make sense to send packages through a postal system that can't deliver them and thereby costing us money in refunds to the expectant clients.We also became dismayed at the constant litany of complaints regarding the cost of postage which is nothing we can control. On the whole things just didn't work well trying to supply clients in the UK.

Chris M

Edited by Chief Snake
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Cobra Company's products were offered to a stockist in the UK who dismissed the opportunity as we were "insignificant". We did deal directly with clients in the UK until it started to be an exercise in sending packages that just kept failing to make it to the purchaser. It doesn't make sense to send packages through a postal system that can't deliver them and thereby costing us money in refunds to the expectant clients.We also became dismayed at the constant litany of complaints regarding the cost of postage which is nothing we can control. On the whole things just didn't work well trying to supply clients in the UK.

Chris M

Chris, that was not meant as criticism, I kind of understand why you dont offer those services. A pity you never found someone to carry the stuff as I am sure there would be a market.

Also in the last couple of years USPS has hiked postal costs to a stupid level from what they were.

Julien

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I understand your dismay at postal costs. I hear it constantly from international clients. These costs are arrived at by international agreement that involve political, labor and tariff considerations. The US faces somewhat daunting hurdles in these agreements. The result we see is that postage leaving to international destinations is much higher than the postage coming back to the US FROM those destinations. It's out of any of our hands.

Chris M

Edited by Chief Snake
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Just to illustrate how ridiculous international shipping agreements are I calculated sending a 9 ounce package to the UK and Germany. Using small flat rate Priority mail packaging the cost is $24.75 which is an increase made within the last 30 days. What is incredible is that shipping the same size package using standard Priority Mail International pricing is significantly higher, $43.00 to the UK and $36.00 to Germany. Each of these countries have arrived at what we are charged in conference with other worldwide postal systems, not just the US. Why so different between two countries who are not that far apart? Political, labor and tariff considerations. It almost seems that these countries wish to deter international purchasing. What customer in these countries would willingly pay these shipping costs? I submit very few, which discourages international sellers from even doing business there at all.Now I know people will probably take issue with this thought but it is a valid as any other. People can judge these thoughts for themselves. I did some additional checking with shipping this 9 ounce box and discovered this. The distance from Baltimore Maryland to the UK is 3,600 miles. The cost for the package is $24.75 flat rate and $43.00 regular rate, no insurance permitted. Same package now. To Germany from Baltimore Maryland is 4,100 miles. Flat rate $24.75 and regular $36.00. Huh? Further distance but a price variable and the package can be insured. The flat rate US box is $5.80. Anywhere in the US. 4,800 miles from Baltimore to Hawaii. Still $5.80 for a flat rate. Now if you send it regular Priority Mail it's $6.95. So the USPS does have a scale for internal US Shipping.But it's quite reasonable and even the huge distance doesn't make that much difference. Since distance isn't much of factor with the USPS then real influence comes from elsewhere. Not the USPS.

Chris M

Edited by Chief Snake
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Just to illustrate how ridiculous international shipping agreements are I calculated sending a 9 ounce package to the UK and Germany. Using small flat rate Priority mail packaging the cost is $24.75 which is an increase made within the last 30 days. What is incredible is that shipping the same size package using standard Priority Mail International pricing is significantly higher, $43.00 to the UK and $36.00 to Germany. Each of these countries have arrived at what we are charged in conference with other worldwide postal systems, not just the US. Why so different between two countries who are not that far apart? Political, labor and tariff considerations. It almost seems that these countries wish to deter international purchasing. What customer in these countries would willingly pay these shipping costs? I submit very few, which discourages international sellers from even doing business there at all.Now I know people will probably take issue with this thought but it is a valid as any other. People can judge these thoughts for themselves. I did some additional checking with shipping this 9 ounce box and discovered this. The distance from Baltimore Maryland to the UK is 3,600 miles. The cost for the package is $24.75 flat rate and $43.00 regular rate. Same package now. To Germany from Baltimore Maryland is 4,100 miles. Flat rate $24.75 and regular $36.00. Huh? Further distance but a price variable. The flat rate US box is $5.80. Anywhere in the US. 4,800 miles from Baltimore to Hawaii. Still $5.80 for a flat rate. Now if you send it regular Priority Mail it's $6.95. So the USPS does have a scale for internal US Shipping.But it's quite reasonable and even the huge distance doesn't make that much difference. Since distance isn't much of factor with the USPS then real influence comes from elsewhere. Not the USPS.

Chris M

Totally agree. The cost of shipping to and from USA has become really expensive. In some items, the shipping price is much higher than the article itself. I do not understand what the governments applying these tariffs are thinking, do not know if they realize that small transactions between businesses and customers between the U.S. and many countries around the world are declining. The shipping costs in online shops or eBay products are greater every day and that makes that people are not buying and that transactions are reduced to national levels. The exception is UK, with quite competitive prices if sending items from there. This matter is benefiting the Asian market, offering lower prices on their shipping costs and products.

These words are just a criticism of the politics and their policies that just want to make more money regardless of the damage caused.

I.Martin

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I looked further into the anomaly with the package going to the UK and not being able to insure it. The UK bars insuring First Class Mail entirely and bars any insurance of Priority Mail International except for the indemnity offered by the USPS of $63.00 maximum per package. I tried finding a ceiling where insurance was accepted. There is none. The only way to properly insure a package beyond $63.00 is to elevate service to Priority Express Mail International. This service is roughly $10.00 more ($53.90), allows full insurance, has tracking and is delivery guaranteed. This service goes outside of the USPS and is handled privately (UPS,FEDEX etc).

Even with the modest indemnity of $63.00, there is trouble. Claims for loss presented to the USPS for these small parcels rarely result in return of funds as the UK post seems not to respond. Clients trying to claim the loss in the UK are turned away as it was "international" mail. Things have become very tenuous there for some reason. This presents a real problem to both buyers and sellers. If the security of the parcel cannot be guaranteed to either party, how do we trust the system?

Chris M

Edited by Chief Snake
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Yeah even trying to claim for internal mail in the UK is bad, took me 6 weeks last time to get my money back!

I see you Hawaii thing but kind of understand how they charge that as US.

If I send a parcel to Belfast in Northern Ireland it costs the same as UK internal even though its over the Irish Sea. If you send to Southern Ireland you pay the same as anywhere in Europe even though it maybe less distance to there.

As you said its all very complicated dealing with different countries. Costs from the UK to USA have gone up, but no where near it seems as much as US to UK. I used to buy a lot of stuff from the US when I got $2 for my pound, even now at a lower exchange rate its still good, but the postage kills it.

Julien

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Chris, are your Sensor Station bits for a "newer" fit (80s, 90s)? I think I'm seeing what we used to call "plasma panels" flanking the scope... (Black screens with little buttons around the edges).

Edited by DonSS3
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Chris, are your Sensor Station bits for a "newer" fit (80s, 90s)? I think I'm seeing what we used to call "plasma panels" flanking the scope... (Black screens with little buttons around the edges).

The reference photos I used for making that set were for an SH-2F flown in the 1991 Gulf War. Now, that does not mean what was in there is what you are expecting but that was the equipment in the ASW position. The aircraft was two tone gray, had a FLIR and the launchers for the sono bouys had been moved outside and into the landing gear sponsons.

That's about all I can remember.

Chris M

ps- I looked at a resin ASW console and it has screens with small button panels.

Edited by Chief Snake
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No problem, Chris, not meant as criticism. These panels would not be correct for 1960s or 70s aircraft, but for the time frame you're referencing they would be correct. I can't remember when we started getting those types of panels in the P-3 community. IIRC the first equipment that had them was acoustic analysis equipment, then later on the Non-Acoustic operator got them when (again IIRC) the AIP (including ALR-66 EW Receiver) was installed.

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