raptor22 Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 Was the Italeri/Tamiya/Testors YF-23 1/72 a repop of the old Dragon offering? (or vice versa) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mandrake Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 Yes. http://www.72scale.com/aircraft/Northrop/YF-23.htm Quote Link to post Share on other sites
J.C. Bahr Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 Yes.http://www.72scale.com/aircraft/Northrop/YF-23.htm I'm not necessarily sure I agree. I was working in my local shop at the time those kits (YF-22 & YF-23) came out and the later releases from Italeri/Testors had weapons bays that the DML/Dragon kits did not. The word I got back from customers that bought both, were that they were two different mouldings that although similar due to the fairly basic nature of the airframes, were still completely different nonetheless. Now maybe Italeri/Testors did go back and re-engineer the DML/Dragon, but that's news to me at this moment as I've always heard otherwise up to this point. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 Pretty sure they are two different sets of molds. I have both kits but they are in storage right now so I can't confirm. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
David Hingtgen Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 They're different. There's Italeri/Testors, and Dragon/Tamiya. (Yes, if you buy a Tamiya YF-23 you get the Dragon mold) I'm pretty most people lean towards the Italeri as the better of the two molds, but the Testor's boxing of it has better decals. (There's not enough tail markings to do both sides of the stabs in the Italeri release) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LanceB Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 They're different. There's Italeri/Testors, and Dragon/Tamiya. (Yes, if you buy a Tamiya YF-23 you get the Dragon mold) Sorry, that is incorrect. There is Italeri/Testors/Tamiya, and there is Dragon. Tamiya has never, and, barring a major change in the way Dragon and Tamiya do business, will never rebox a Dragon kit. Dragon associates itself with Hasegawa (so you will find, for example, Dragon 1/48 190s in Hasegawa boxes), markets Hasegawa kits outside Japan and has its kits marketed within Japan by Hasegawa. Tamiya has a relationship with Italeri, reboxes some Italeri kits for its Warbird series, and imports Italeri kits for the Japanese market. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
David Hingtgen Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 Hmmn. The photo on the Tamiya box always really looked like the Dragon kit to me. However a quick googling shows that it is in fact the Italeri like you said. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ijozic Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 Dragon associates itself with Hasegawa (so you will find, for example, Dragon 1/48 190s in Hasegawa boxes), Weren't those actually made by TriMaster? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LanceB Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Weren't those actually made by TriMaster? The sordid tale of 1/48 190s: Once upon a time, there was a company called Trimaster. They made these fantastically-detailed but trick-to-assemble multi-media kits - plastic main parts, white-metal parts for things like the landing gear, seat and other details and photoetch. Perhaps a length of wire as well (I seem to recall the 190D had wire in it for detailing). However, Trimaster died an early death. Before they did so, they worked with DML for marketing their kits, so sometimes you see a box labeled "DML/Trimaster". These contain, or at least all the ones I have seen (not many, they're pretty rare) contain, the metal and photoetched parts. After Trimaster died, Dragon got ahold of the molds, and boxes of 190s came out labelled "DML/Dragon". The biggest change was that all the white-metal parts were replaced with injection plastic parts. The photoetched parts were sometimes reduced somewhat in number. The Trimaster Ta152H, for example, contained working photoetched hinges for the engine cowl. Subsequent releases have not. When Dragon entered the picture, the range was expanded a lot over what Trimaster had offered with new weapons, tropical filters, drop tanks etc. for releases ranging from A-3 to A-8 as well as G-3 and some Fs. All sorts of options showed up from BT series bombs to twin MG151 packs to Mk103 pods. At some later point, Dragon established a relationship with Hasegawa, and Dragon plastic was put in Hasegawa boxes, usually with the Dragon logo visible on the side of the box. Dragon also built relations with Revell (possibly using Hasegawa as the middle man, since Hasegawa had a long relationship with Monogram, which was later bought by Revell) and thus the ProModeler D-12, German Revell Me163 etc. Somewhere along the line D-9 plastic (sans engine parts) was sold to Italeri as well. Now Hasegawa has modified the Dragon A-3 molds to ease assembly and correct some problems with that kit (like the rake of the landing gear). This "new" kit does not carry the Dragon name on the box, but the origins are unmistakable. I would not be surprised at all to someday see this kit in a Dragon box. As an aside, though, I am not sure how many radial 190s were actually ever released by Trimaster before they folded. I can recall seeing Trimaster 190Ds and Ta152s, but I'm trying to recall if I have ever seen a pure Trimaster 190A. The DML/Dragon/Hasegawa A,G and Fs definitely have their origin with Trimaster, but it wasn't until Dragon took over the molds that the radial 190 series really took off. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dmanton300 Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 (edited) The Dragon and Italeri YF-23 are completely different tools, and the Italeri is far superior in shape to the Dragon who have missed most of the fuselage shapes by a mile. The YF-23 had a fuselage section behind the canopy that is quite square - not unlike the F-18. Italeri caught this pretty well, Dragon did a straight semi-circular cross section which looks quite wrong. Go for Italeri for a YF-23, with a little work it looks very nice indeed. Must build another some time! Edited January 29, 2006 by Dmanton300 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 I believe Revell also released a boxing of the Italeri molds... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Zactoman Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 (edited) The YF-23 had a fuselage section behind the canopy that is quite square I would describe the section behind the canopy as quite round, almost semi-circular. I am not familiar with the Italeri kit, but the Dragon/DML kit is shaped more like the pointy end of an elipse. The kit is pretty off shaped all the way around, especially around the intakes. From what I've seen, of the kits currently on the market (though I don't have the Trumpeter 1/144), the 1/144 DML kit is closest in shape, though still not right. I would suggest waiting for the 1/32 kit! (I posted a few more pics here: Trumpeter 1/32 Su-27 ..., How long have we wait...). Edited March 8, 2009 by Zactoman Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sweaty Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Sorry to drag up this old thread, But did revell ever make a 1/72 version of this plane and if so anyone here got one? I've seen they do a 1/144 version but no mention here of 1/72. I just built the dragon version, but not as well as i could have plus after seeing the 1/72 tamiya kit build on britmodeller it looked a lot better detail wise, weapons bays, exhausts and overall detail. Just wondering if the revell kits in the same boat detail wise? If not anyone got a 1/72 tamiya YF-23 they would like to sell or swap . All the best Jamie Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bulldog 09 Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 (edited) I can tell you for sure that the DML / Dragon kit is no where near as nice as the Italeri / Testors / Tamiya kit. As Dmanton300 mentioned with a little work it can turn out ok. The kit has some issues but nothing that can't be easily overcome. Let me tell you up front that the easiest way to upgrade the cockpit is to pick up the Eduards zoom set for the Hasegawa F-15C and a Quickboost Aces II seat. All you will need from the Eduards set is the cockpit detail ( front displays, side consoles, and seat detail). To save money on the two demonstrators Northrop / MDD used cockpits out of F-15's for the Black Widows cockpit. Well I hope this helps out anyone looking to purchase and build a YF-23. If ya'll have any other questions please feel free to let me know and I will give you what I have on this outstanding aircraft. Dave Fassett Edited February 19, 2009 by Bulldog 09 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LanceB Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 (edited) It Lives!!!! To add on to what Bulldog said, if you use an Eduard set for the cockpit get one for an F-15E, not a C. The YF-23 cockpit was basically (not 100%, but pretty close to) an F-15E's front pit. You know, looking at the AMRAAM bay (nice job on the kit, BTW), I wonder about that missile trapeze. Did the real thing have attachment points fore and aft on the missile, with the middle section open? The F-22 trapezes hitch on to the rough lengthwise center of the missile body, somehow having the missile clipped on at each end seems to be a bit unstable come launch time. Could just be me, though. Edited February 19, 2009 by LanceB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sweaty Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 @ Bulldog 09, Thats the one, that is one really nice looking build there fella, its what i'm aiming for in my next yf-23 build. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bulldog 09 Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 (edited) Hey LanceB and Sweaty, Thanks for the kind words gentlemen. @ Bulldog 09, Thats the one, that is one really nice looking build there fella, its what i'm aiming for in my next yf-23 build. Sweaty, When you start your next build feel free to contact me and I will give you all the help and research material I have. That goes for anyone else looking to build the YF-23. Thanks again, Dave Fassett Edited February 20, 2009 by Bulldog 09 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mig23 Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Hi Dave, I've just started on a Yf-23 myself - very useful info about the F-15C cockpit parts ! Did you ever find any pictures of the weapons bay ? Cheers, Haydn. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bulldog 09 Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Did you ever find any pictures of the weapons bay ?Cheers, Haydn. Hey Haydn, No Sir I never did. I searched every place I could think of and did every type of web search that came to mind with no results. I even asked Paul Metz the test pilot for the YF-23 and a member of my model club if he had any, which he did not. I know that there has to be some out there some where, the trick is finding them. Dave Fassett Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cueva533 Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 Hi Dave,I've just started on a Yf-23 myself - very useful info about the F-15C cockpit parts ! Did you ever find any pictures of the weapons bay ? Cheers, Haydn. Haydn, Have you finished your YF-23 yet? Lee Cuevas Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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