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Well, everybody, I got my airplane from MegaHobby today!  YEA!!!!!  😊

 

And, frankly, after all this time, waiting for this model, it seems like a dream....can it actually be here, in my hands?  Is it really possible?  I hope it's still here tomorrow and doesn't vanish in a puff of magic dust overnight!

Edited by Curt B
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Nice!!!! What are your thoughts about nose shape, waist, and panel lines compared to the Tamiya cat?

 

Tell you what...I'll give you all some feedback sometime tomorrow evening.  I've had a long week at work so far, with one more long day ahead.  No energy at all to pull the boxes apart.  And...I haven't even broken the cellophane seal on my Tamiya F-14D yet.  I had been kind of hoping to wait until I was actually going to build it to break into the box.  However, I guess I can't think of a better reason/motivation to rip the cellophane off the Tamiya box before I'm ready to start it.  As far as the AMK box is concerned, no external seal...the box isn't even tapes with those round circular pieces of tape that seem so popular.  I can tell you that the box is packed just like the AMK MIG-31, with separate inside-the-box boxes for various parts, like the forward fuselage and nose cone, and it looks like separate boxes for the huge variety of bombs and missiles.  The top of the box, when first opened, the instructions great you first, and under that are the first sprues you see, which are wings parts.  It's really nicely packaged, again, just like the MIG-31, and when I do tear into the box, I will for sure document how it was packaged originally, as I doubt you will fit everything back into the box if you don't take note of how AMK did it!

Edited by Curt B
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Now that a few of us have finished the kit, it is fair to say that there is no major issues with the kit that cannot be fixed. Hey, no kit is perfect and this kit has a lot going for it. While a lot of euphoria was generated by the first look and the discovery of some unorthodox designs and production method, the only issue with the kit, is somehow, there is a lack of sharpness in the production of the mating edges of the parts in the sprues. That could just be from my experience building it. You might need to spend a bit of time making sure the little bit of trimming, cleanup, etc that you think is not neccessary, will definitely be needed to turn this into a gem.  I spent more time cleaning up, dryfitting, adjusting and  finetuning the complex putting together of the parts, especially at the fuselage and air intake ramps area. A lot of us discovered that you cannot apply force when putting the kit together as once the cements cures, it tend to pull the parts and sometimes with undesirable results. Might be the plastic or just my poor unrefined skills.... So treat the kit with love to bring out all those wonderful details. Shape and profile accuracy wise, I will defer to the experts like Zactoman, though I do not see anything major. Looks and feels like a Tomcat any which way you see it. Is this an easy built? It would have been, if you are not too particular about shaving, cleanup, puttywork and adjustments. Design wise, top notch work. Be very careful with the decals. They are so beautiful but thin and fragile, they tend to curl up once they leave the backing paper. Work with a lot of water, but do not let them float in water that will just give them room to curl, no matter how big the decal is.

A few areas to spend a bot of time checking: Nose wheel door hinges, wheel well actuators, slide mold bumps cleanup, ejector pin marks to fill, fuel probe short cast.

Areas to marvel: Panels details, cockpit, jet nozzle, undercarriage details, payload, decals,  spoilers, flaps, ramps, ladder, good kit design concept and approach

 

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I know some have already built and finished the kit, still . . .

 

Speaking of the AMK kit, here is a little box opening. The box is huge and it is crammed full with parts and sprues. Not a millimetre is left for the parts to move around.

I don’t know who designed the box interior and the way the sprues are placed in it but it was quite a job! It is a classic case of a can of worms, you could never get them back in once you have opened it.

 

The decals look excellent with fine details, legible text and do I remember right that someone had a problem with the lines on Phoenix should be yellow and not gold. Well they are yellow on the decal.

 

 

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Best regards

Gabor

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It drives me crazy when they pack the boxes like that. As Gabor says, once you open the can of worms you can't get them back in. I just know that after opening and looking at everything and (hopefully) admiring the work done, I will spend hours trying to fit everything back into the box again. Trying it over and over. Maybe if I turn this sprue this way and put that down there. No, that doesn't work... and on and on. Years from now, someone will open up the long buried basement where I worked and there will sit my desiccated corpse, bent over a dusty box of sprues with one clutched in its bony claw.

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I remember right that someone had a problem with the lines on Phoenix should be yellow and not gold

 

It was me, but it was all about decals for F-14D GWH 1:72, not AMK.

 

 

 I will spend hours trying to fit everything back into the box again. Trying it over and over. Maybe if I turn this sprue this way and put that down there. No, that doesn't work... and on and on.

 

Oh yes, especially my favourite kits: F-15s from GWH, with engine tubes molded in vertical… Really nice play to put it right into box. 🙂

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It drives me crazy when they pack the boxes like that. 

 

I think you misunderstood me. It was not a complaint (although this is normal on this forum unfortunately) but more an observation.

 

Packaging is an art on its own and I admire those who design and make such packaging!

 

I think the Tomcat kit packaging is excellent. It perfectly protects all the parts during transportation / delivery. This is the job of packaging.

 

The sprues are all individually in plastic bags, some of them, the more fragile and worth extra protecting are placed in smaller boxes within. They also act to hold all the sprues in place, they don’t move around which can cause surface damage.

 

Actually it is possible to put all the sprues back without a problem, they fit like a jigsaw puzzle.

 

Of course if the postman jumps on the outer box “some” damage will be incurred on the kit.   :)  :)

 

Best regards

Gabor

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I think you misunderstood me. It was not a complaint (although this is normal on this forum unfortunately) but more an observation.

 

Hi Gabor, I was just having some fun with the whole idea of being unable to put the parts back in the box right. Not a complaint, though there have been times when I just couldn't get the sprues to fit back in the box the way they originally came. I can always tell which kits those are in my stash as the lid never fits all the way down on the box.

:thumbsup:

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Hi Gabor, I was just having some fun with the whole idea of being unable to put the parts back in the box right. Not a complaint, though there have been times when I just couldn't get the sprues to fit back in the box the way they originally came. I can always tell which kits those are in my stash as the lid never fits all the way down on the box.

:thumbsup:

The first Mig I bought was the same way. It took two or three attempts to get it done. Now it's a piece of cake. The hardest kits for me are RFM and Meng armor kits. I got Tacom figured out on the first try! 

Gary

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Haha yeah.  Or just take a photo of the whole thing each time you take a bag out.  And number them with a sharpie marker. Or maybe do a video recording to celebrate the occasion at the same time : ) 

 

Oh, now you're taking all the spontaneity and joy out of the moment. For me, opening up a kit is like Christmas. The anticipation followed be the unveiling. :santa: If I have to take pictures or number bags, well, that's just making it work, and that won't do... not at all. :explode:

 

On the other hand, maybe not such bad ideas after all :hmmm:

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The first Mig I bought was the same way. It took two or three attempts to get it done. Now it's a piece of cake. The hardest kits for me are RFM and Meng armor kits. I got Tacom figured out on the first try! 

Gary

 

I guess some people are just born with the knack of being able to rebox a kit. A special skill. Reserved for a special few modelers who will rise above us all. I salute you, you are a beacon to us all, a shining light showing us the way 💡 (to put the sprues back). :salute:

:whistle::naughty: :tongue-in-cheek:

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Yes, agreed, my airplane came with what appears to be ALL the weapons, and I agree with the others who have posted about the challenge to try to repack the box, if I had been foolish enough to unpack it without being careful to recall what sprues went where.  Thus far, I've only removed one box, and 2 sprues, and I put them back in the same place they came from pretty quickly, to avoid the mess of not being able to get 'em back into the box.  My mother didn't raise no dummy 😊

Edited by Curt B
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Anyone who pre-ordered through indiegogo got any updates?

Not a word. Zipp, zilch, nada, bagel. 

 

We paid upfront with the pre-order, so sending a payment has been done. Indiegogo has a feature that allows the Crowdfunder to send out an email to all the funders at the same time. Easy peasy, but  . . . :sleeping:

 

I've emailed them directly AND through Indiegogo. In August was told the kit was shipping out at the end of August. I followed up since then and got zero comms.

 

On AMK's main Facebook page (not the one for secret members) someone who ordered the kit just 5 weeks ago from MegaHobby received theirs already.:dontknow:

 

I'd like to get the kit. I took a risk, as many others did, on helping get it made and ordered it many years ago. I'd like to see with my own eyes how it is (Yes, I have a red pen.:can-of-worms: ) and maybe build it. I'm just glad I only ordered one.:popcorn:

 

From what I've seen of the kit online I want to confirm my suspicion that the top of the main fuselage is too high which causes the bladders to rise up from tail to nose and a gap between the wing glove and the wings. But that's a discussion for a later date.

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