sweier Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 The shape of the nose on the Cyber Hobby kit is of an inaccurate shape and this is where it falls down. The rest of the kit looks OK but the dodgy nose is enough to make sure many won't buy it. If it was an accurate kit, the Airfix kit probably wouldn't have come along. LD. I doubt if that would have made the slightest difference to Airfix. Hornby are busy replacing their high selling old mould kits with greatly improved ones. The CH kit makes them no money at all; the new mould kit will help retain their edge in their prime market, and pick up new enthusiasts from elsewhere Shane Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smeders Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 rivets in 1/72 scale would be nigh on invisible !! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Winnie Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 A perspective from aircrew here... With regards to rivets anyway, you simply can't see the dang things when you are a few meters away, even on my 212 which is festooned with them. The rivet heads sticks out maybe 3 mm and is approximately 5mm wide.. I get that it adds 'flavor' but still it makes it complicated and more expensive. Airfix has done a very good job of making an extremely shitty kit (their HAR 3/3A) into a brand new kit. The Revell kit has its flaws too... The sponsons are VERY small, and the seats are completely made up. The interior only works for certain MK's of the aircraft. Anyway, I haven't gotten my HC.4 in hand yet, I will though, and I will build them. Is it perfect, no, is it good enough for me? yes, and at the pricepoint, I can afford several.. Cheers H. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
troschi Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 LD, comprehensive and good analysis! Reflects my points very well. I received my Airfix HC4 a while ago and I've had a chance to compare it with the Revell kit. Neither kit is perfect but in my opinion the Revell kit just edges it when it comes to the question of which kit is the best. Internal detail. The Revell kit has raised detail on the instrument panels in the cockpit and rear cabin while the Airfix kit uses decals for the IP detail. We will have to wait for the Airfix HAR.3 to see if they include a console for the radar operator in the main cabin and how they portray the console detail. Neither kit has side-wall detail. The main cabin floor on both kits have surface detail and the Airfix detail is quite nice.The Airfix kit has nice detail inside the forward crew door area given that the door can be opened. The cabin seats in the Airfix kit are nicer than the Revell ones. The Revell bulkhead behind the cockpit has nice surface detail. There is very little to choose between the two kits internally but Revell edge it here with their raised detail on the instrument panel. External detail. The Airfix kit has no rivet detail but does have recessed panel lines and various lumps and bumps. Revell has nicely restrained rivets and all the other lumps and bumps too. The landing gear sponsons in the Revell kit are undersized and need to be replaced (Whirlybird do a replacement set) while presumably the sponsons on the new Airfix HAR.3 will be the correct size. Some of the antennae in the Revell kit have been produced with a little more finesse than the same antennae in the Airfix kit. The tail-wheel is very similar in both kits. The Airfix kit has weighted main wheels while Revell have standard wheels. The main rotor appears to sit a fraction too high on both kits but Revell has better main and tail rotor hub detail. The engine air intake filter box has no surface detail in the Airfix kit with the grilles portrayed by decal. The decals portray the grilles over a grey background when it would have been better to simply print the black grille design onto clear decal. The Revell intake has nice raised grille detail. Overall, the Revell kit just beats the Airfix kit. Clear parts. The Revell windsheild comes in one piece with raised detail on the overhead panel and rivet detail on the window framing while the Airfix windscreen comes in three parts with no surface detail. The Airfix windows in the rear cabin are fitted from the inside and fit into large recesses which should allow everyone to fit the windows with no glue smudges. The main door and crew door in the Airfix kit are moulded in clear plastic and will look good when masked and painted. The new Airfix approach to clear parts is to be welcomed and applauded. It will make things easier for us non-pro modellers. Decals. Both kits have nice decals that do the job nicely. The Airfix kit has some nice decals for things like the small grilles around the side of the engine housing. Conclusion. I think both companies adopted a different philosophy when it came to producing their respective kits. Revell were uncompromising in their kit when it came to adding detail and given that the kit was produced in 1998, it is still a fine kit at a good price. It is the best starting point for a HAS.5 or HAR.5 model. It looks like Airfix decided they wanted a kit that they could sell at a certain price (£15) and then sacrificed detail in certain areas to hit their desired price mark. That might explain the lack of rivets. I would guess that every detail that is either left out or simplified (rotor hub detail) allows for lower production costs and thus lower retail prices. Certainly the Airfix kit is the best starting point for an HC4 Commando. Eduard has etched brass sets for both kits and the Airfix kit would be nicely upgraded with these sets. It is possible to convert the Revell kit into a HAR.3 so we will have to wait until the new Airfix HAR.3 kit is released and we can then compare the two kits properly. LD. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stakor Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Are there any good drawings with rivets? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted February 25, 2016 Author Share Posted February 25, 2016 None that I've ever found. And just for the record, 99.999% of drawings with rivets are nothing but some artist's interpretation of where he thinks the rivets go. I've never seen any kind of factory drawing, other than perhaps a drawing of an individual part or subassembly, that shows rivets. Give it your best guess and it's just as good as anyone else's. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stakor Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 None that I've ever found. And just for the record, 99.999% of drawings with rivets are nothing but some artist's interpretation of where he thinks the rivets go. I've never seen any kind of factory drawing, other than perhaps a drawing of an individual part or subassembly, that shows rivets. Give it your best guess and it's just as good as anyone else's. And what about scale drawings in Warpaint/98 ? Is it any good? http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234952257-westland-sea-king/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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