I built the old LS kit years ago but wondering if there are better options out there now. Nothing against LS but I assume there are more detailed/accurate options now as I think I built mine in 88’ or so.
TIA, Steve
The A-10 is definitely one we could use a new tooling of in 1/144
Dragon recently reissued theirs in a 2 kit pack.
Revell had one several years ago but I have no idea of it’s origins, pretty sure it wasn’t their own as I don’t think they were tooling their own 1/144 at that time
The Dragon kit is a fair representation of the type in 1/144, but looks a tad odd from some angles. The old Revell one looked quite toy like.
I really hope Revell of Germany adds a new tooled A-10 to their 1/144 line some time. I think theirs are some of the best 1/144 going right now.
agreed on the Revell Germany kits. I am working on their Puma helo right now and have been pretty impressed. The thing has a full interior with cable and hook for payload! I like the Dragon 2 fer kits. I just bought the Harrier set and it is like getting a weapons set in the same box. You could outfit 4 planes with all the loadout.
You have to be a bit careful with Dragon 1/144 kits though.
For a while, they were the name in the scale, however some of their kits have not stood up to time well.
The Harrier you mentioned is actually a case in point. Even at 1/144 there are some funny things going on dimensionally in their Harriers. The Revell Germany Harrier series is much better all around.
When Revell Germany started putting out the 1/144 kits, they borrowed some Dragon kits. Notable in this regard is the early releases of the Panavia Tornado. The first few boxings were reissues of the Dragon kit before Revell tooled their own much better kit. Incidentally, the old Dragon Tornado can also be found lurking in Italeri boxes.
Dragon’s “1/144” Su-27 Flanker kit and derivitives of it are certainly to be avaoided as they are severely underscale in all directions.
Revell also has Dragon beat cold on F/A-18 Hornets. The Dragon Hornets were never that bad, but they just do not match the Revell ones at all.
The problem with Revell Germany’s 1/144 line up is that, while there are some real gems in it, there are also some old clunkers in the bunch. Ones to be avoided if you see them:
F-4E Phantom II (box art shows one in SEA camo)
(Not sure of it’s origins, but I built it back in the 80s when Revell put out some 1/144 kits and it is really basic and looks very wrong around the forward fuselage)
F-15 Eagle (box art shows it in 1976 bicentennial scheme)
(Same as for the Phantom)
F-14A Tomcat (box art shows VF-14 Tophatters A/C)
(Be VERY carefull with Revell Germany’s Tomcat kits. They have two A kits and a D kit. The one above was their first Tomcat release in the scale and it is very basic and unconvincing, no idea where the tooling came from for it bt I suspect it’s quite old. Their D kit was a full new tooling and is a stunner; they then tooled a new sprue with bits for an A and reissued their D kit with it. The second A kit features the VX-4 Black Bunny A/C and it’s the kit to get if you want a solid A version Tomcat in the scale)
F-117 Nighthawk
(This tooling goes back to when the F-117 was so classified that they wouldn’t let anyone get close to the back end of it to see what the exhausts looked like. this fact is reflected in the boxart itself.)
MiG-29 Fulcrum
(Pretty sure this is a Dragon molding and was tooled before the Iron Curtain came down. Its shaped like a Fulcrum but the weapons aren’t at all useful.)
Eurofighter Typhoon
(Revell has just, or is just about to, release a new 1/144 kit of the Typhoon that represents an actual production A/C. There has been a kit under their label for a number of years that represents an early prototype or perhaps even mock up of the aircraft and it is best avoided)
Any thoughts on this kit?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150471607786&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
I see what you are talking about with the older Dragon kits. I have several that I bought years ago including a Blue Angle and Thunderbird kit and it looks like the only salvageable part are the decals. I would rather build a Revell or new Dragon kit and use these decals. I just grabbed the Dragon 1+1 kit with the Tomcat and A-6 refueler and it doesn’t look all that hot but their Super hornets look good. Looks like pretty good cockpit detail too. I had to compare them to my old LS kits and that was sad. At one time I thought these were pretty cool but now I am considering just junking them or put them up on Ebay. The new stuff is just so superior.
I’m not sure what to tell you about the kit in the ebay link you posted as I’ve never seen that boxing. If Dragon only has one set of molds for the A-10 and didn’t update them, then my initial comments about their A-10 kits earlier in this thread would hold for it. Not a perfect, but certainly fair representation of the A/C for the scale.
With your comment obout F-16s, you reminded me that that is another aircraft that really needs a fresh tooling in 1/144. To my knowledge, the only decent F-16 kit in the scale is, ironically, the old LS F-16XL which has been reissued by Airfix. Any 1/144 standard production F-16 kit I’ve seen is garbage.
Revell have issued 1/144 series in the past. In the early 80s, they had a series called “Squadron 144” most of which were reissues of old Crown kits from the 70s. If you see a kit in the “Squadron 144” boxing, steer well clear of it. The F-15 I mentioned in an earlier post being part of the current Revell Germany line was also in that series
Today, many of the Crown 1/144 molds are appearing in Minicraft boxes. If you see a Minicraft box with a B-24, B-25, B-26, B-29, P-38, Harrier Gr.1/AV-8A, Sea Harrier FRS.1 or smooth nosed B-52H inside it, I can assure you those are all old Crown kits that go back to the 70s. Revell reissued them all in the 80s. Stay WELL AWAY from the P-38, it drove me away from the scale for a long time.
Revell did reissue Crown’s B-52H in the early 80s and I have fond memories of it. It’s an easy build and has a nice selection of period weapons including SRAMs, Hound Dogs, Skybolts and even a Quail decoy missile. It’s not at all related to Revell’s later B-52 kits which are Revell’s own tooling and represent the B-52 with all the sensors on the nose and modern weapons. Of course Revell’s own B-52s are heads and shoulders above the old Crown kit, but the Crown kit is likely the only chance any of us will ever have for a smooth nosed BUFF in 1/144.
Revell dipped into 1/144 again in the late 80s and issued a set of kits that included, among others, a RA-5C Vigilante, F-111C Aardvark ,Mirage F.1 and the F-4E I mentioned earlier. I belive those kits came from old LS or Arii molds. The Vigilante and F.1 were OK for the scale and time period, but the Aardvark and Phantom should both be given a miss, both of them have serious shape issues that can’t be hidden even in such small scale. Revell marketed the F-111 as an Australian C model, which made matters even worse for the kit as it didn’t have the long span wings of the C anyway.
Also steer clear of Revell’s E-3 Sentry in “1/144” as it’s usually marketed to be. it is not 1/144 and has it’s origins in an old box scale KC-135 kit.
If memory serves, Revell did also have a MiG-21 in 1/144 several years ago (may even have been in their "Squadron 144 run). If you want a 1/144 MiG-21, the only serious option is the series from Attack Model. Attack makes several 1/144 kits, but their MiG-21 and Sukhoi Su-7 series are particular stunners.
How about this Revell kit? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=400131591924&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT Looks new enough by the box art to be from the German built kits?
I built the Dragon ( I think-box and instructions are long gone) years ago, and it looks fairly good, though the landing gear looks a bit “leggy” to me and a bit tall. Gear bays are barely recessed into the airframe. Something, as someone said, a bit odd about its look. I also have the Revell, but have yet to split the bag inside open. From what I have seen, panel lines seem thick. My choice would be the Dragon. I think it is difficult to create accuracy in this scale. The best kit I have made in 1/144th was Trumpeters F-22 Raptor, though it did have a few issues.
Anybody seen this kit? I wanted to get an E model of the F-15.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230508774514&ssPageName=ADME:B:WNARL:US:1123
I never built the E myself, but if Dragon’s F-15C is anything to go by, it should be OK.
How about the Heller A-10? Ho old is it? I see the Revell kit gets mixed reviews.
I was not aware that Heller had an A-10 in the scale.
I did see Heller’s 1/144 E-2 Hawkeye and thought it would be a rebox of Revell’s lovely kit, but it certainly wasn’t even close to the Revell kit in quality and was quite different in parts breakdown.
Not Sure where they got the E-2 tooling from, but if they didn’t use Revell’s toolings for that, they probably didn’t use Revell’s toolings for their A-10 either.
Here it is. http://www.megahobby.com/a-10thunderboltiiaircraft1-144scale.aspx
Might just pick it up and check it out. FYI I just got a bunch of the Goffey detail sets for the F-14 and tornado. Pretty nice stuff except that 7 out of 8 phoenix missiles had broken fins. really good detail in the cockpit tubs and seats.
How about Micro Ace kits. I see they come 3 to a box? Anyone have experience with these?
Looks like they must be ARII.
At least some of the Micro Ace/Arii kits are reboxes of LS originals from about mid-80’s vintage. The LS kits weren’t bad for their time but again, like everything else, it depends on the individual kit.
If you compare the F-14 kits (which are of LS origin) with Dragon’s, they have comparable surface detail (both having engraved panel lines). The LS kits didn’t have the “blob men” of the Dragon kit simply by virtue of having no cockpit interior at all - just empty holes. The LS kit only contains AIM-7’s whereas the Dragon kit has AIM-54’s.
Any experience with the Revell Tiger meet F-15 kit?