Keep in mind this isn’t the first 1/144 scale battleship put into development. Soar Art and Glow2B both are doing 1/144 Bismarcks. They run 174cm, so they have the AZ and the 1/200 Yamato beaten by a fair margin. The Glow2B is expected to arrive Aug. '10, not sure on SA’s at least not off the top of my head. Then Soar Art’s IJN Yamato should measure out at about 1.826 m, so AZ would come in a #3 on the longest 1/144 ship list. That I know of. I’m not missing anything am I? Anybody got anything I’ve missed? I’m always watching out for 1/144.
I’m fairly certain you’re right about the those being the wrong guns, but I don’t think they are pilfered from the Fletcher. I’ve been doing some pretty intense studying of the Fletcher kits and the AM available for it for the site and as hints for Santa, and they don’t look like what I’ve been seeing. Wouldn’t swear to it without a better pic but from what I have…Those aren’t Revell’s.
They are also doing a 1/32 F-35 Lightning II, but had a 1/16 scale balsa model on display, scaled up from one of the existing X-35 plastic kits. They are suposed to be working with Lockheed on the actual kit to make it accurate to the production version, something the mockup is not.
It looks like this is just how their marketing people are working at the moment, have something for people to look at, not some vague drawings as some companies do.
Maybe their Arizona will be a joke, maybe it will knock your socks off. I can’t see getting to worked up over it yet though. Sending helpful comments / corrections can’t hurt. As far as the modelers comments, I see the same stuff here with peoples builds, some accept constructive criticism, some want only praise. If you just spent 400 hours building a model you might get pretty defensive too, particularly if the comments are as caustic as some of the earlier I-53 ones were.
Just an update for the masses; a couple of us who have detailed knowledge of Arizona have made contact with them… I can’t say any more than that and cannot promise anything, but hopefully we’ll be able to help them turn out a better kit.
Even if the Arizona turns out to be a dog, Lindberg is sure getting one thing out of all the hooplah - a ton of publicity. Which will probably ultimately transplate into selling a few more kits. Which, for them, is THE name of the game. Nothing else really matters, from their perspective.
I recall seeing those pics of the Soar Art Bismarck. I believe the rumored price a couple years ago was in excess of $1200 which took me out of the running.
Hopefully their new Bismarck, as well as any other injection plastic kits they release, will be an improvement of the existing 1/144 resin display models.
A friend has the Yamato & its certainly not worth the price of what they’re asking:
An update regarding the Arizona kit. Ernie Petit; the CEO, was bought out and retired a couple of months ago. I have not been able to contact anyone at Lindberg to see if they will continue with the project, so it may very well be dead.
That may well do it - depends on who did the buying out. If it’s bean counters, then yeah, anything that is not a “sure thing” before the first kit is popped out is dead; if it’s hobbyists, then there’s still a chance.
Not that I was interested anyway, I have no SPACE for a monster of that size.
Hmmmm, this just begs the questions: Was the Master Modeler bought out or dismissed also? What part, if any, did the debacle over the first Japanese submarine release have to do with this developement? What about the second Japanese sub that was due to be released (I-20?)? Or their Graf Zeppelin? Is Lindberg going to continue to try to win over the Scale Modeler groups as opposed to the RC group they have catered to in the past? Or are they giving up and returning to their roots of large, if inaccurate, RC Models and oversized toys? I guess only time will tell! [:(]
Hmmmm, this just begs the questions: Was the Master Modeler bought out or dismissed also? What part, if any, did the debacle over the first Japanese submarine release have to do with this developement? What about the second Japanese sub that was due to be released (I-20?)? Or their Graf Zeppelin? Is Lindberg going to continue to try to win over the Scale Modeler groups as opposed to the RC group they have catered to in the past? Or are they giving up and returning to their roots of large, if inaccurate, RC Models and oversized toys? I guess only time will tell! [:(]
Hmmmm, this just begs the questions: Was the Master Modeler bought out or dismissed also? What part, if any, did the debacle over the first Japanese submarine release have to do with this developement? What about the second Japanese sub that was due to be released (I-20?)? Or their Graf Zeppelin? Is Lindberg going to continue to try to win over the Scale Modeler groups as opposed to the RC group they have catered to in the past? Or are they giving up and returning to their roots of large, if inaccurate, RC Models and oversized toys? I guess only time will tell! [:(]
Agreed! I don’t know how my last post got tripled… I only pressed Post once. The Forum Gremlin strikes again! [^o)]
I looked at Lindberg’s website. They show the I-20 and the Graf Zeppelin as available with no indication of them as still pending. Has anyone seen one yet? There is no sign of an Arizona anywhere on the website that I saw.
I have read ALL this particular thread and there is a few points,however taken, I must make.As many of you know I am and have been for quite some years a proffessional model maker to attorneys and companies.This is NOT the CAT,S MEOW you all think ,or seem to think it is.You are held to agreed deadlines and GOD forbid if they(the client) changes anything!! The other thing Except for our own, and very astute TRACY WHITE ,you sound like the same people I ran across at the lastIPMS show I went to.Not everyone is so all fired interested in ACCURACY!! The average first or second time modeler doesn,t have the skills or knowledge we do,by our years in the hobby and the knowledge of the subject being discussed. The average modeler out there probably couldn,t afford the ARIZONA in that scale anyway!!.As for me,I have a seven and a half foot ARIZONA hull rigged for R.C. BUT,I have had a terrible time getting pictures of the ARIZONA before she was refitted PRIOR toPEARL HARBOR!!Now, that ERNIE is out of the picture A era has passed and the beanies are all arrayed to send offshore all the molds they do have,mark my words!! Don,t hold your collective breath.I really don,t expect the 1/144 ARIZONA now.I would hope we all stick to our guns though,and,when something is totally unfixable at the scale or price,we need to couch our language in such a way that the reps will listen.I railled on REVELL a while back and I have seen some improvement in cars anyway,so maybe they want to listen ,but don,t want confrontation,TRACY has the right of it,talk and write but don,t get them angry.They will shut us off!! Tankerbuilder
thank you tankerbuilder, well said. i’m all for accuracy in a subject, but holly cow. when you show anyone (except the most educated) your latest project, they cant tell that the whiget on the right side of the hull is 1 scale foot to high or to low. they just see a fine representation of an actual ship. if you want to be a bolt counter, be my guest. but please dont kill a potential kit based on speculation.O.K. now i’ll climb off my soap box