discussion An Odd Thing...............

[Dave Ward]

I was browsing on ebay, last night, looking at 1/48 aircraft models, when it struck me that there was a distinct lack of Japanese fighters, specifically the Mitsubishi A6M Zero. I have done a bit of digging - and according to Scalemates, the latest tooling dates back to the early 80's! - Tamiya & Hasegawa are the main producers - I lost count of how many times the Hasegawa kit has been re-boxed!
I just find it odd that the most well-known Japanese plane has not yet been produced in a state-of-the-art tooling. ( I'm talking about 1/48 models ), in fact the whole WWII Japanese aircraft range seems to be dormant!
I suppose that the market isn't there, but I would have thought someone would have given it a whirl!
Dave

 

[Guest]

I suppose the main market for these is Japan (they’re pretty patriotic in their modelling there, I have the impression), and Tamiya and Hasegawa appear to have that sewn up between them. Maybe the existing kits still sell well enough that they don’t see the need the invest in making an entirely new one?

 

[Tim Marlow]

It’s an issue with Japanese figures as well. I tried to get a 1/35 officer for a group build on my previous site and couldn’t find anything at all that I could use. What is the situation in 1/32 Japanese aircraft? Perhaps that’s the preferred scale for the Japanese home market?

 

[Dave Ward]

Further to my above post - I've visited my normal online model shops, and guess what? Hens'teeth! There are one or two models available, but all at a high price for a 1/48 single engine fighter ( at least in my mind! ). It's a matter of ebay browsing & patience - prices there aren't particularly low! :sad:
It looks like there is a worldwide shortage of 1/48 Japanese aircraft - plenty in catalogues, but none in stock...............
Dave

 

[BarryW]

It’s an issue with Japanese figures as well. I tried to get a 1/35 officer for a group build on my previous site and couldn’t find anything at all that I could use. What is the situation in 1/32 Japanese aircraft? Perhaps that’s the preferred scale for the Japanese home market?

Tamiya have their 1/32 Zero and it is truly a superb tooling, right up to the same standard as the other WW2 1/32 ‘super kits’. They also produced, not long ago, a series of 1/72 Zeros so perhaps a 1/48 tooling from them is due.

There are some other great newish 1/32 Japanese subjects, the Raiden from ZM (and Hasegawa not so long ago) also ZM recently produced their superb Ki45 in two versions. ZM also have their Shinden in 1/32.

Not quite as new but Hasegawa do some great Japanese subjects such as a Frank but availability is not the best.

 

[BarryW]

I did a little research myself and I found that Tamiya do have a fairly newish 1/48 Zero and it is a superb kit.

http://www.hyperscale.com/2008/reviews/kits/tamiya61103reviewbg_1.htm

It is available, a Google will help. Sadly it seems John has sold out but he does have a Tamiya Betty in 1/48 that I find tempting given my coming 1/48 bomber project.

 

[Lee Drennen]

Same with Armor and Softskins

 

[Dave Ward]

I did a little research myself and I found that Tamiya do have a fairly newish 1/48 Zero and it is a superb kit.

http://www.hyperscale.com/2008/reviews/kits/tamiya61103reviewbg_1.htm

It is available, a Google will help. Sadly it seems John has sold out but he does have a Tamiya Betty in 1/48 that I find tempting given my coming 1/48 bomber project.

Barry,
OOPs, I missed that one! - but after a search I can only find one in stock in the UK! I'm keeping an eye on a couple on ebay, but they'd have to be at a price I like!!! I'm not going to pay £30+ for a 1/48 single engined fighter! - that would ruin my enjoyment! :smiling:
Dave

 

[Guest]

It’s an issue with Japanese figures as well. I tried to get a 1/35 officer for a group build on my previous site and couldn’t find anything at all that I could use.

I had much the same problem. For the “what if” 90-mm Sherman I built recently, to convey it was supposed to be a tank from the invasion of Japan (that never took place IRL), I was looking for a figure of a Japanese soldier to pose on it, as if examining a captured American tank. The amount of them you can find is almost ridiculously small, and most that do appear to exist, are either out of production or so old they’re pretty crude by current standards.

 

[Gern]

I've got these in the stash:

A6M2 Rufe
Ki-46 Dinah
Kyofu Type 11
M6A1 Seiran

All by Tamiya in 1/48 and all except the Kyofu have Eduard mask sets. They are all complete and unstarted as far as I can see and in good condition - I will check and confirm if there are any issues. All four for £65 plus P&P. If anyone's interested in just one or two, send me a PM and I'll work out some prices.

PS Maybe this should be in the 'For Sale' section. I just thought it would be easier to keep it with the other posts. Could one of the mods move it if necessary please?

 

[Del640]

Gern,

Any pics?

Ta,

Del

 

[Gern]

Gern,

Any pics?

Ta,

Del

Sorry Del, 'fraid not. My hands shake too much to use a camera. I could get the kit reference numbers so you could find images if you think that would help?

Dave

 

[Del640]

Sorry Del, 'fraid not. My hands shake too much to use a camera. I could get the kit reference numbers so you could find images if you think that would help?

Dave

No problems Dave, I have the same!

Any links or references will be fine!

Del

 

[Guest]

My hands shake too much to use a camera.

A tripod might help? Or if you take pictures with a smartphone, search for “smartphone camera tripod adapter” or similar.

 

[Gern]

A tripod might help? Or if you take pictures with a smartphone, search for “smartphone camera tripod adapter” or similar.

It's pressing those tiny little buttons for the settings Jakko. I do have a cheapo tripod which I use, but I have to set the timer since it's not strong enough to stop the camera moving when I press the button. I did get a nice camera from Ken which would solve my problem as it's a nice big hefty chunk with a big solid tripod and remote push button. Alas I haven't been able to work out how to use it (See my comment about smartphones)! :upside: :disappointed2:

As for smartphones, I have two main issues with them:

(i) I'm not clever enough to use one.
(ii) The only functions I ever use on a phone are to call people or send a text - and my bog standard phone does both of those for the princely sum of £7.00 per month which is usually unused. (Yes, I could get pay as you go, but my last contract was cancelled as I didn't use it for three months. I didn't know until I needed to use my phone and it wouldn't work) - all the other stuff they may do with pictures, videos, music, internet, email, social media etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. are of no interest to me. (Yeah, OK. So I'm a Philistine :smiling3

 

[Guest]

It's pressing those tiny little buttons for the settings

Ah, yes, that’s harder to solve. But a smartphone or similar device (tablet, iPod touch, etc.) would actually help there: the buttons being on the screen means they’re generally larger than physical ones, and it only had the ones you can actually use now.

(i) I'm not clever enough to use one.

You can use a desktop or laptop computer, I notice. Smartphones are, if anything, easier to use than those. (Though I must say my opinion of Android phones isn’t great in this respect, but that could be due to limited exposure to them.)

So I'm a Philistine :smiling3:

I don’t own a mobile phone, and never have.¹ I do, however, have an iPod touch (that’s basically an iPhone without the phone) and an iPad, both of which can be used to take pictures with just like a mobile phone can.

¹ Well, that’s not entirely true. I have a non-GSM mobile phone from the early 1990s, but that’s because I kind of collect this stuff. Oh, and a handful of display models of smartphones of about a decade ago: the outer shell with nothing inside except a steel plate and a printed picture instead of a screen

 

[Gern]

Ah, yes, that’s harder to solve. But a smartphone or similar device (tablet, iPod touch, etc.) would actually help there: the buttons being on the screen means they’re generally larger than physical ones, and it only had the ones you can actually use now.

Do all smartphones have touch screens? Bigger buttons would certainly help - they do on my house phone - but I've tried using touchscreens and those touchpads on laptops, and shaky fingers usually mean I've touched the wrong part of the screen, touched it multiple times or swiped across it and lost the screen. Any of these means the phone/laptop doesn't do what I want it to. I also usually pick up a smartphone by one or more of the buttons on the side - mind you, I do that a lot with my house phone so nothing new there!

You can use a desktop or laptop computer, I notice. Smartphones are, if anything, easier to use than those. (Though I must say my opinion of Android phones isn’t great in this respect, but that could be due to limited exposure to them.)

I suppose they have fewer functions and so are easier to use, but it's taken me twenty+ years to learn the few bits of computer stuff I know. I don't think I have that long left.

I don’t own a mobile phone, and never have.¹ I do, however, have an iPod touch (that’s basically an iPhone without the phone) and an iPad, both of which can be used to take pictures with just like a mobile phone can.

I tried uploading itunes on to my Windows PC a few years ago so I could copy some tunes into my grandson's iphone. It totally killed my PC (It got 'bluescreened' beyond any repair technique my brother knew and he builds 'puters for a hobby) and I had to buy a new one. It only had a 286 (?) processor so it was about due for replacement anyway, but the moon will turn into green cheese and be totally devoured by Star Mice before I touch another Apple product.

¹ Well, that’s not entirely true. I have a non-GSM mobile phone from the early 1990s, but that’s because I kind of collect this stuff. Oh, and a handful of display models of smartphones of about a decade ago: the outer shell with nothing inside except a steel plate and a printed picture instead of a screen :smiling3:

That's a strange thing to collect - not the working models but the display stuff. However did you get interested in those?

PS Did I mention I was a Philistine? It's a good job we didn't try to have this conversation when I was a kid! We'd have to do it by post and slate is so heavy it would cost me a fortune! Not to mention your problems reading it after all the chalk has fallen off! The first time I used something other than a pencil to write with was when I did my mock 11+ test.

PPS I mentioned the contract on my old mobile was cancelled due to lack of use. (I had to buy another one because that was a 2G phone and my local 'phone shop didn't have any sim cards that would work on such an old system). It was an old model called a Pictor for fairly obvious reasons, but it still took me nearly three months to realise it had a camera!!


PPPS. I'm gonna stop this now, I think I've disrupted Dave's original post quite enough! Sorry Dave!

 

[Dave Ward]

I did manage to get a 1/48 Zero Model, off ebay...................

Hardly state of the art, but clean mouldings in a sealed bag.................
Dave

 

[boatman]

Barry,
OOPs, I missed that one! - but after a search I can only find one in stock in the UK! I'm keeping an eye on a couple on ebay, but they'd have to be at a price I like!!! I'm not going to pay £30+ for a 1/48 single engined fighter! - that would ruin my enjoyment! :smiling:
Dave

SO Dave you like your bargains then
chris

 

[Dave Ward]

SO Dave you like your bargains then
chris

Chris,
Not as cheap as I hoped, but just within my 'happy' zone!
Dave