White Wolf Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Link: http://www.modelkasten.com/magazine/mg/f14tomcat.html Announcement from Model Graphix magazine in May edition, parts for a 1/72 F-14D will be included with July, August, September issues. New tool by Fine Molds? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LanceB Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 (edited) Magazine is out today in Japan. This is a new tool from Fine Molds. Kit is spread over three issues of Model Graphix Magazine: the July, August and September issues (on sale late May, June and July respectively). Price per issue will be 2,130 yen (publisher's list). Kit will have over 200 parts. Edited March 25, 2015 by LanceB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Boyer Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Huh. Do we really NEED a new 1/72 F-14 kit? And STILL no FJ-3 Fury (yeah, I know, a broken record . . . if you're old enough to know what that means)! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
White Wolf Posted March 25, 2015 Author Share Posted March 25, 2015 Huh. Do we really NEED a new 1/72 F-14 kit? Always good to have more choices available as technology progresses. I'd be interested to see if it can match the much vaunted accuracy of the Hasegawa while being easier to build. By the way, I've noticed that companies that come out with one-off prototypes (F-16XL, F-20) get blasted for not choosing popular subjects. Then when someone comes out with a kit of a popular subject like the Tomcat, they now get hammered either way for choosing something that's been done to death. I guess you just can't win! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VFA-103guy Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Huh. Do we really NEED a new 1/72 F-14 kit? I'm not a 72nd scale builder, however I couldn't agree more. Hasegawa's 1/72 F-14D is a great representation of the tomcat already...not sure another one is really needed...same with 1/48th. Hobby Boss's attempt at the F-14 was chocked full of errors and while easy to build, still (to me) doesn't trump the Hasegawa F-14 by any standards. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Always good to have more choices available as technology progresses. Even with so-called "modern molding technology" (which hasn't really changed at all...), it would be *really* hard to beat the Fujimi 1/72 F-14. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tom G Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Do I understand this correctly, they are including part of the kit with each issue of the magazine and you need to buy three issues to get the entire ki? If so, I would hope they would issue a whole kit at some point later. I would assume so. I do like the F-14 and a Fine Molds version of it would probably be very good. Everything else I have build or seen built from them has been really nice. Tom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mizar Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Always good to have more choices available as technology progresses. I'd be interested to see if it can match the much vaunted accuracy of the Hasegawa while being easier to build. By the way, I've noticed that companies that come out with one-off prototypes (F-16XL, F-20) get blasted for not choosing popular subjects. Then when someone comes out with a kit of a popular subject like the Tomcat, they now get hammered either way for choosing something that's been done to death. I guess you just can't win! :rofl:/> Sometimes those one-off are effin expensive for what they offer,sometimes are in the wrong scale and sometimes well would be better if they ignored it completely Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chris the cabbie Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Even with so-called "modern molding technology" (which hasn't really changed at all...), it would be *really* hard to beat the Fujimi 1/72 F-14. Couldn't agree more with you on this one. Say what you will about the Hasegawa kit, but for that kinda money to be forced to buy 70's tooling missle sets to arm your Cat is total BS! I have 18 mixed between the two companies and doubt I'd buy another unless it has something extra over these and kinda doubt it will. Regards, Chris the cabbie Quote Link to post Share on other sites
172flogger Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 from HLJ facebook: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VFA-103guy Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 That's gotta be the Hobby Boss kit..the gun vent panels give it away...save your pennies Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mizar Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Hobby Boss sprue layout is different and why FM should use a chinese kit? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
White Wolf Posted March 25, 2015 Author Share Posted March 25, 2015 HB sprue layout: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LanceB Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 That's gotta be the Hobby Boss kit..the gun vent panels give it away...save your pennies Errr... No. As stated above, and as printed in the magazine (in Japanese for those who can read it), FINE MOLDS. NEW TOOL. That is all. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LanceB Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Do I understand this correctly, they are including part of the kit with each issue of the magazine and you need to buy three issues to get the entire kit? That is correct. If so, I would hope they would issue a whole kit at some point later. Won't happen I don't think, for the same reason you don't see Fine Molds Zeros in Fine Molds boxes - they made the molds under contract to Model Graphix, and can't box the kit under their own brand. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LanceB Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Even with so-called "modern molding technology" (which hasn't really changed at all...), it would be *really* hard to beat the Fujimi 1/72 F-14. Not that hard. The Fujimi kit is nice and all, as long as you are building an A model (their F110 exhausts are a joke, and no NACES, no correct cockpit panels), preferably with intake covers as the Fujimi kit lacks the variable intake ramps which were always drooped down to some degree on every Tomcat I ever saw. It is easier to assemble than Hasegawa, and is shaped correctly, but it is nowhere near as nice a kit overall as Hasegawa is. Even given that pilot figures and weapons are included. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
172flogger Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Price per issue will be 2,130 yen (publisher's list). Where is a price announced? Magazine with their Zero cost about 2x 1500 JPY and Claude about 1x 2500 JPY Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LanceB Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Where is a price announced? On the page in Model Graphix' May issue that HLJ put on their facebook page. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
-Neu- Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 (edited) So, I'm a 1/72 modeller, and I really like to build new and classic highly regarded kits. I've built several F-14s, including the Fujimi and Hasegawa kits. Hasegawa Fujimi I've also built two Model Graphix/Fine Molds zeros, as well as the Tamiya and Hasegawa Zeroes. (The closest is Tamiya, furthest right is Fine Molds, the left and furthest back are Hasegawa) So this morning when I saw this thread, I immediately sent off a few emails to see if I can get one or two (I even have an unbuilt Hasegawa of VF-31, which is what the FM kit seems to offer). Why? Because the Fine Molds Zeroes are hands down, the best 1/72 kit I've ever made. Its even better than the Tamiya Zero, which is probably the second best 1/72 kit I've ever made. They fit fantastically well, with amazing details and features. The other kits in the Model Graphix series are just as good. Another really nice thing is the magazine itself. They are generally chock full of really useful information and techniques, even in Japanese. Anyway, I'm super excited and pumped... hopefully I can get a few. I think if you are a fan of F-14s and/or great kits, I really think you should be too. Edited March 26, 2015 by -Neu- Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gb_madcat_sl Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 That's gotta be the Hobby Boss kit..the gun vent panels give it away...save your pennies Nope. The NLG doors are molded separately in this one so definitely not the HB kit. Mark Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Thadeus Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 shweeeeeet, I hope it will be released as a normal boxed kit in near future. These sprues look awesome! Guess I'll be drooling over this for the next few days... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChippyWho Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 (edited) That is correct. Won't happen I don't think, for the same reason you don't see Fine Molds Zeros in Fine Molds boxes - they made the molds under contract to Model Graphix, and can't box the kit under their own brand. Can't even begin to argue with that, but it does seem a little surprising that FM can make any commercial sense out of tooling an all-new F-14 for a magazine 3-parter... They must know what they're doing! Nope. The NLG doors are molded separately in this one so definitely not the HB kit. Mark Neither does the HB kit have front fuselage panel openings as clearly visible on the sprues shown (at least, not on the 1/72 one). Actually I'd love one of these, but it will probably cost a fortune if I can even find one. (I can't even find the darn thing on HLJ's Facebook page -they mock me, they MOCK me!) Edited March 26, 2015 by ChippyWho Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LanceB Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Can't even begin to argue with that, but it does seem a little surprising that FM can make any commercial sense out of tooling an all-new F-14 for a magazine 3-parter... :dontknow:/> They must know what they're doing! When Suzuki-san was developing the first 1/72 Zero, and was showing folks at our company a test-shot, he said he was facing a dilemma. In order to make a Zero the way he wanted, he was facing making a lot of molds, which cost a lot of money, and he estimated if he boxed the Zero himself and tried to sell 5000 to make his money back he'd have a kit more than twice as expensive as anything else on the market. That would impact sales. So he recalculated at 3000 and all that did was force his selling price up. Vicious circle. So he sold the kit to a magazine company, with a monthly circulation of a many thousands of copies. Then did it again with the Zero 32, 22 and 52. Then he sold thousands of all those same kits again through a different publisher (Kodansha) when they did their "Weekly Eternal Zero" series of 20 volumes, each of which had 2-3 sprues of one of Fine Molds Zeros, or the Hasegawa refueling truck, or some diorama bits. Suzuki-san knows what he's doing - he makes kits that sell tens of thousands of copies, only he isn't the one selling them. But everyone knows they are his, he gets wonderful advertising, makes a healthy profit, and ends up with zero worries about marketing the kits. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VFA-103guy Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Errr... No. As stated above, and as printed in the magazine (in Japanese for those who can read it), FINE MOLDS. NEW TOOL. That is all. Interesting..The fwd fuselage breakdown looks just like the HB kit..I'm not up to par with my Japanese these days I'm afraid.. In that case, it'll be interesting to see what the outcome of the kit is. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mizar Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 guess I'm going to order one even if I'm stocked up with the Delta model Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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