So I made the 160 mile roundtrip to my LHS (as in closest) to pick up some much needed paint. As I am walking up to the store I meet a Guy with a box of models. I say “Hey your suppose to build them not return them”. He repplied back he was cleaning up an estate and was looking to sell. So I buy this box of Kits and here is what was within - Nichimo Spitfire MK.IX 1/48 ,North American P-51D Mustang 1/48, Nakajima Ki43-1 1/48, Messerschmitt ME 109E 1/48, Japanese Army Type 99 Recon Plane 1/48, next brand - Hawk Lysander 1/4 scale, Chrome Grumman Bearcat 1/4 scale, P-51D Mustang 1/4 scale, Next Brand -Fujimi Tachikawa Ki-36 & Ki-55, & a Frog Dornier 335, & a Nitto Kagaku B5Nz"Kate" & Last a MPC B-25 Mitch 1/72… All 13 mint unbuilt Kits for $30.00 … [:D]
It sounds like you were at the right place at the right time! Have you selected the first build of your great deal?
Nice Score and well worth your trip!
Nichimo and Fujimi were all over the place 25 years ago and I recall were not bad kits!
Good for you!
Holy Moly!
You must have really good model karma.
Uhh… 1/4 scale?! Do you mean, 1/24th?
A quarter scale model airplane is one fourth the size of the real thing. I’ve seen 1/4 scale F4U Corsairs and P-51Ds that are sport planes… REAL AIRCRAFT, credentialed with FAA certificates.
I think 1/4 scale meant that for every quarter inch on the model equals one foot on the real aircraft.
Trexx I was just reading on the Box - “1/4 Scale - 1” = 4’ ", My brain was not comprehending 1/48 , My mistake for reading and not thinking. Sorry for the confusion. I am still gloating and opening and examining boxes.
STILL A GREAT PRICE! lol [:D]
Nice score! Most of these kits are older and not a detailed as the newer Tamiya or Eduard but still totally buildable, besides $30.00 bucks for all of them! Jesse James used a gun to get deals like that. I hope they give you many hours of building pleasure.
Soulcrusher
I built a Nichimo U-boat kit a few years ago. I wouldn’t call it “top of the line”, but not a bad kit either. Nice moulding.
Dave
I’ve built the Nichimo Kate twice now and it’s a great little kit. Two years ago it took third place in box stock (my Bf-108 too first in the same category). I’ve got another one in the stash just waiting to be built with lots of aftermarket PE to dress it up.
Sounds like your lucky day. Some very nice kits there. I’ve built many of those already and enjoyed every single one.
Nichimo had original moldings, and also licensed–I think they were licensed-copies of other companies’ moldings. For example, in 1/48, the Nichimo SBD, SB2C and Bf-109 are all repops of Monogram’s kits. I think the Nichimo TBF is also Monogram. Nichimo’s P-51, on the other hand, is original. Nichimo also offered the novelty of motorizing those repops, so the SBD, for example, came with a flat piece of decking to replace the cockpit tub, and conceal the motor and battery that would be fitted beneath.
Nichimo also had/has a line of WWII naval vessels, heavy on the IJN, but including the USS Iowa; a line of WWII armor, mostly German, I think; racing cars; and anime mecha models (I-dig-giant robots/You-dig-giant robots/We-dig-giant robots–anyone get the reference, anyone? anyone?)
Their aircraft line also includes Japanese WWII aircraft, in 1/48 and 1/72. I think a lot of modelers today turn their noses up at them, but I have a strong nostaligic streak for kits that I built when I was a kid (the 70’s), and I like them. Nichimo put out a model of the Japanese Army’s Tachikawa Ki-9 “Spruce” biplane trainer, for example, that some may feel is not detailed enough for our times, but it is worth the figures that come with it, if for nothing else. I have one waiting to build.
And these kits can be a steal right now, because there still aren’t too many guys buying them. But I have a permanent search set up in My eBay just for Nichimo kits.
I hope you enjoy them, that’s what it’s all about!
Regards,
Brad
I am working on the Nichimo SBD. What a pain! [banghead]It is a repop of the Monogram kit but nothing comes close to fitting. None of the working features of the Mono kit lline up close enough to pivot or move without falling out, all of the seams will require filling or filingto get any kind of a surface.
The Hawk kits are the real score. [:D]
I have the Nichimo “Spruce” and several other 1/48th WWII Japanese A/C in the stash
as well as their largest (I believe) kit. The 1/200th IJNS Yamato.
Except for a little flash, the Spruce looks like a really nice kit that detail wise will hold up
to today’s standards.
Ray
SCORE
Thanks for the replys and experiences. For me they are a welcome change of pace. I do Like the Newer kits on the market, but a little simplicity is a welcome change. For me they are perfect as I have gotten back to pretty much Building out of the Box. Took me this long to decide which I will build first - The Hawk Westland Mk.II Lystander. [8D]
I built a Matchbox brand, 1/72 Lysander (built in 1996). What a great little model. I wonder how close the Hawk brand is? Mega canopy and lots of framework but it sure lets the crew figures show! Good luck on your build.
Ok, so I already told you about the small box of models. The guy gave me his phone number in case I got back to town. I called him yesterday looking for a Horten Flying Wing. He had no clue. Asked If I wanted to came and look. What the heck , sure I said.
Long story short, I bought over 500 WW I & WWII aircraft models of every brand, every flavor for --------$400.00 Yeeeeeeeeessssssss,
Now I need you stash experts to give me creative ideas on stashing this stuff…
A Different angle of the kits.
Holy Crap! You need to start an Excell spread sheet for that stuff. You are going to have so much fun just sorting throught that stuff and cataloging it.