Jump to content

Recommended Posts

The Hasegawa kits are from the 80s and 90s despite being reboxed several dozen times, some perhaps with a few upgraded/updated parts. Same goes for 1/72 scale. But I don't know (does anyone?) whether Tamiya will expand the line to other Phantom variants the way Hasegawa did. It would make sense to do so, but Tamiya has made only one version of the Wildcat since its debut several decades ago, so . . . .🤔

Link to post
Share on other sites

Historically, Tamiya only does two or three variant boxings of a particular kit.  They don’t do a bunch of versions like Hasegawa.  Based on what’s in the box, I’d expect Tamiya to release a C or D version for sure, but anything after that would be gravy.  I don’t expect any gun nosed, slatted wing, or recon versions from Tamiya.

Link to post
Share on other sites
3 minutes ago, Alternative 4 said:

Some of the Hasegawa kits have raised panel lines, their F-4B being one example. That automatically makes the Tamiya kit the winner in my book.


Same for the C/D kit.  Like the B/N kits, it was never redone with recessed panel lines.  The very first release of the Hasegawa -J also had raised panel lines, but it was later reissued with recessed panel lines.  Even with that, some of the sprues that contain common parts, like pylons, still have raised panel lines.  The more appropriate comparison for the Tamiya kit is the Academy -B, and other than Tamiya not providing and A-G ordnance, the Academy kit isn’t as good (but it is better than the old Hasegawa kit).

Link to post
Share on other sites
8 hours ago, Janissary said:

When Tamiya puts out all the other versions besides the B, I cannot see a single reason for going with Hasegawa (other than nostalgia). Really. Not a single reason. 

 

In my case, because I have a lot of aftermarket for the Hasegawa's' ones (I got the J and waiting for a re-release of the E), but nostalgia will be my excuse.

 

😁

Link to post
Share on other sites

I always prefered the Monogram F-4D to the Hasegawa F-4D. When Revell rereleased it a few years back it was a god send and it sold out into many a stash. 

 

An F-16D could happen

An F-14B could happen

An F-4C or D could happen

 

With Tamiya they are not about quantity of models they can screw from a mould like Dragon do.

 

When Tamiya make tooling they make it the best way they can to make in this instance an F-4B.

 

Tamiya might look at it and say... Well as we have this can we use any of it to make something else by adding some new parts to it?

As opposed to... well Dragon and Kinetic for instance who will design tooling from the outset to be adaptable.

 

As Dave Williams said above we wont see a long nose or slatted wing version from the tooling.

Building every version of a particular type isnt really a thing of Tamiya, they only make a couple if youre lucky, but they do it really well.

Link to post
Share on other sites
5 hours ago, Studneru said:

and what about Academy vs Tamiya? Academy's kit was regarded to be best F-4B on a market and, considering twice the price difference, is it twice as bad?

Tamiya’s is better than the already very good Academy F-4B, which is far better than the Hasegawa F-4B. Not so much better that I’m going to bin my built Academy F-4B and build another Jolly Rogers jet, but better enough to tempt me to do it. 🤔  If Tamiya produces an F-4C/D, it will surely be a bit better than the beautiful Zoukei-Mura short-nose F-4s (because of their minor aft fuselage shape issues) as well as the Academy F-4C/D.
 

The Academy F-4s have some accuracy issues with the stabilators, the ACS intakes on the sides of the nose, and a minor size issue with the center and front canopy sections. They still build into a good-looking F-4B or C/D. The Academy F-4J doesn’t take into account the slightly different  the lower aft fuselage of the F-4s with the long afterburner nozzles (but would be perfect for a Blue Angels jet with the short nozzles), but that’s beyond the scope of this thread.


I think I’d take the Monogram F-4C/D over the old Hasegawa C/D kit, too. The Hasegawa fits better, but Monogram’s has a better cockpit and is supposed to have captured the jet’s shape better. Too bad the Monogram kit costs so much on eBay right now. I could use a couple. Remember when you could pick the up all day for ten bucks?
 

Ben

Link to post
Share on other sites
5 hours ago, Studneru said:

and what about Academy vs Tamiya? Academy's kit was regarded to be best F-4B on a market and, considering twice the price difference, is it twice as bad?

 

As nice as the Academy kit is, there's just something a bit 'off' about the nose area that I just can't put my finger on.  I don't know if it's just my imagination or just a 'feeling' at the back of my brain.  The Tamiya kit just has more of that "Phantom-ness" about it. 

 

And I agree with ElectroSoldier about the Monogram C/D. Even in 1/72 scale, it just has that bit more "Phantom-ness" to it.  And the raised panel lines make it better for building 'Nam era birds because you can lightly sand away the main camo to reveal the primer below...gives it that weathered, sun-worn, look. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I was about to ask my next question but Ben already provided the answer even before I was able to type my first letter - If Tamiya produces an F-4C/D, it will surely be a bit better than the beautiful Zoukei-Mura short-nose F-4s (because of their minor aft fuselage shape issues) as well as the Academy F-4C/D.
 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'll likely pick up a Tamiya F-4B, as I wish to build the VF-111 jet they include. In all honesty, however,  Hasegawa's kits are perfectly acceptable to me (raised panel lines or not) for what I want to accomplish.  I don't typically open canopies, so I don't really care if every switch and dial is correct in the cockpit, and once on the shelf, you can't see if all the wheel well detail is there or not.  

Link to post
Share on other sites

Before I was aware that Tamiya was doing a 1/48 F-4 Phantom, I got a Zoukei Mura F-4C and F-4S, and decided to hold off on the ZM F-4E early, hoping that ZM will come out with an F-4E later version with slatted wings.  I now have the new Tamiya F-4B which I've not yet touched, other than opening the box, but by the reports from everyone, and based on the spectacular 1/48 Tamiya P-38F/G, I've got to believe that the F-4B is everything that's been said about it.  Now, I'm wondering what I should do, if certain things happen.  I fully expect ZM to come out with a late F-4E, but if that happens, should I get that, or wait for a possible, but how likely...Tamiya F-4E.  Plus, how detailed, in terms of posable control surfaces, would a Tamiya F-4E be?  I know this is off topic from what the OP was asking about...but kind of related.  But maybe there is reason to believe that Tamiya is considering certain details that they may not have, previously, given the new F-14A with posable flaps that is reportedly going to be coming out this fall.  I hope that's an indicator of Tamiya, despite making incredible kits, is going to go in the hoped for (by me, at least) direction of more details and maybe more variants.  

Link to post
Share on other sites

Who knows for sure (other than Tamiya), but in 1/32 scale, it took Tamiya 7 years to make a F-4E and then 2 more years after that to make the F-4EJ, so 9 years total wait for getting the Japanese F-4 after the first release.  I don’t think the “home market” really influences Tamiya’s kit decisions that much, at least with regard to aircraft.

Link to post
Share on other sites
7 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

Who knows for sure (other than Tamiya), but in 1/32 scale, it took Tamiya 7 years to make a F-4E and then 2 more years after that to make the F-4EJ, so 9 years total wait for getting the Japanese F-4 after the first release.  I don’t think the “home market” really influences Tamiya’s kit decisions that much, at least with regard to aircraft.

Just shows how successful the E was if they felt they could take on another project after just 2 years

Link to post
Share on other sites

In order of what I think is best, your mileage may vary 😉

 

Z-M (fewest warts, Hypersonic has a correction for the fuselage if that bothers you)

Academy (nice after a little aftermarket help: stabilators, intakes, ACS intakes, seats)

Hasegawa (the newer version with recessed panel lines, needs cockpit, intakes, and afterburners)

Monogram 

Hasegawa (original version with raised panel lines)

 

Ben

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites
On 8/7/2021 at 10:18 AM, Curt B said:

I fully expect ZM to come out with a late F-4E, but if that happens, should I get that, or wait for a possible, but how likely...Tamiya F-4E.  

 

ZM has made it known they will, in fact,  issue a late E. See this Old Man blog entry in which he says:

 

[quote]  For the long-nose versions, SWS has selected to recreate seven types: E (early and late production), EJ/EJ-Kai, F/F ICE, and G.  [/quote]

 

Why wait for a somewhat maybe perhaps possibility when a sure thing excellent ZM kit will be available in the near (?) future? :hmmm: 


Gene K

Link to post
Share on other sites
On 8/6/2021 at 1:57 AM, Janissary said:

When Tamiya puts out all the other versions besides the B, I cannot see a single reason for going with Hasegawa (other than nostalgia). Really. Not a single reason. 

Hasegawa $40 Tamiya $150.

Mmmm.

On 8/8/2021 at 12:20 PM, ElectroSoldier said:

I think you missed the point.
They felt confident that they could do it and it would sell..


Based on that we will just like 32nd never see a late F-4E in 48th.

Its taken 5 years to get a late F-14A.

P-38J/L anyone?

2 seater F-16’s anyone?

A bird in hand…

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Actually, considering theid 1/32 range, I'm surprised Tamiya did not go the F-4EJ / E route the first place. That would make more sense with the C/D/J requiring fuselage.  Now the EJ/E nedds both the new fuselage and wings. Still, I much prefer the F-4B.

 

And with all that, Hasegawa is re-re-re-re-releasing their F-4J.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...

The words "make sense" and Tamiya's marketing strategy seldom belong in the same sentence. Mr Tamiya builds what Mr. Tamiya wants most of the time.

 

Here's the thing... there are a million 1/48 F-4 kits on the market (or at least, easy to find). None of them are outright terrible... the minimal-detailed esci/italeri kit, which still nails the shape of the C/D very well... the testors F-4S misses a few details,  but again, very accurately captures the shape. Those are generally hailed as the worst two in the scale.

 

Some of these kits require a little more elbow grease, but I wouldn't term *any* of them as difficult builds, and all can turn out a nicely detailed and accurate build with minimal effort.... 

 

So then, is it gonna be a huge deal if Tamiya doesn't do a long-nose? Someone's probably hard at work on a conversion kit either way.

 

This isn't a "we don't need another kit of "X" complaint, more of a "is what we've already got *really* that bad?" Everybody thinks that now that Tamiya has a phantom or two under its belt that they're obligated to finish the run... Tamiya can do (or not do) whatever the hell they want.... and they frequently do. Don't get lumped in with the guys holding out hope for a F-16D. It's probably not gonna happen.

Edited by Skull Leader
Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...