OK, so I finally started my long planned P-38J 1/48 kit, and I’ve decided to build the night fighter version for lack of Yippee decals. Last night as I was happily filing away, I happened to notice that it says “COPYRIGHT 1964 REVELL” on the underside of the wing! Now, I did a quick check on the details, and, sure enough they look like crap, especially the bucket seat. What do I do!? I’m really angry at Revell now for boxing up a 40 year old kit and selling it as a new one. Couldn’t they put a sign that says “Nostalgic Collection” or something on the box!?
Well thats the problem you have with old companies like Revell and Airfix…
You should always check internet when you want to buy a kit of them. To ckeck if it is a decent kit…
Revell re-releases lots of old Matchbox kits, like their Wellington, Swordfish, …
They have lots of nice kits, often ex Hasegawa, but you should always check before buying a Revell kit…
Cheers,
Jürgen
It is actually the Mongram kit from the 60’s. For its time is a good kit. I have built several, in fact I have the M version finished on my shelf. You will find that a lot of the 1/48 Revell kits are Mongram reboxes. In fact the Revell B-52D that I received for Christmas is a Monogram kit from 1968. I bet that you did not pay more that $10-$15 bucks for the P-38. That should have been a clue that it was probably an older kit. Enjoy it though.
Ya, the 1/32 Fw-190F-8 I have is an originally from Hasegawa. The molds for my P-61,B-25J,and MiG-15 are all older than I am (just hit the quarter century mark).
now matt90 come on stop complaining and show us how you can turn that rock into a jewel[:)][;)]
we know you can[:D][tup]
In fact it lists for $19.95 at Hobby Lobby which is presently having a 50% off plastic kits sale, so you can get another for under $10.00. Now if you wish to get a Trumpter kit, then you will pay near $100 easy. In this one, the Arkansas Traveller decals are very nice.
So for starting out in 1/32, I would prefer the Revell kit since it is simpler, like their F4U Corsair, which I enjoyed very much, since I didn’t sweat the folded wings (I glued them extended since I built the USMC Jolly Rogers version which was land-based).
In a kit review I read, a major plus in this kit is that the nose is hollow so you can weight it to rest on the nose gear, unlike those that include the detailed guns.
So like MKelley, I fail to see a real problem here.
Also, as a point of trivia, 'YIPEE" was the origional nick-name for the P-38 before it was known as the “Lightning” as it official designation in prototype was “YP-38”[:)]
Tom [C):-)]
You were “happily filing away” until you saw the date?
Don
I am building the Revellogram P-38 right now. I was also thinking about doing the YIPPEE paintscheme, hehe. Ill probably wind up doing it as a factory fresh plane.
I wont complain about the details of the kit. In my opinion it is a “cheap and easy” build.
This actually is a decent kit, inspite of the fact it’s a bear to assemble. It includes parts for the P-38J, P-38L, P-38M, P-38J Pathfinder and parts for the F-5G. The F-5 isn’t shown in the instructions, but the parts are there. The only real problem is the fact that the L didn’t have the underwing landing lights. I cut mine in and made a proper L out of it. Also the “Christmas Tree Rocket Launcher” was an L version option only. The rear cockpit of the M is also a bear to do as you have to cut the corresponding area out of upper wing/fuselage and glue the fairing into place. If you’re careful and take your time it looks pretty good, otherwise you’ll have a lot of filling and sanding to do.Other “problems” are the lack of wheel well interior detail (typical of a 60s kit), the lack of any interior detail for the pathfinder, and lack of detail in the radar operators area. Any decent modeler with any scratchbuilding abilities at all should be able to overcome these problems. If you do the F-5 and want the camera bay open, you’ll have to scratchbuild the entire camera bay.
I agree with roadkill it can be made in to a nice bird here is how mine turned out with a little work http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/Char-88/IMG_0697.jpg
lol, well, I only paid $5 for it, and I was happily filing away until I saw the date…maybe I’ll stop griping and actually build it. Oh, and the P-38M night fighter is hard to do (I am a newbie)? I guess I’ll just build Marge, or Yippee, or maybe the night fighter when I feel ambitous.
Yes it’s an old kit, but it isn’t bad. The Academy and Hasegawa kits are nicer, but they also cost a lot more. The RM kit is a good one to practice with.
Bill
I’ve built it, it can be done and Revell has done far worse things in plastic than to reissue older Monogram stuff. Take your time and you should get something decent out of it.
Thing to remember with older kits is that you can’t come at them with the current Hasegawa or Tamiya build state of mind. They don’t build themselves and if you approach them as if they did, you won’t get much for your efforts out of them.
If it makes you feel better, Revell isn’t the only one guilty of such things. In fact most manufacturers have reissued someone else’s older stuff. In the 70s. Hasegawa had a deal with the now defunct Frog company and they commonly issued each other’s kits (Hasegawa didn’t get much respect as a company back then as I understand it). If you’re not careful, you can still find an old Frog ghost or two in Hasegawa boxing (1/72 BAC Lightning and RF-101C Voodoo are two examples)
Heller kits can often be found in Airfix or Smer boxing. Airfix recently put a SAAB 29 into their range, though it is the old Heller mould. If you see a Smer box that contains a French subject, you can bet its an old Heller mold.
Reissuing is a common practice and it does serve a purpose in keeping costs down. If the companies had to make their catalogs out of all new moldings, modeling would be a millionaire’s hobby. The planning and cutting of a new mold is a very expensive procedure and I don’t think there’s a manufacturer in existence today that doesn’t flesh its catalog out with reissues to keep in business.
As said before, do your research before you buy. The internet has certainly made it easier to find out exactly what you’re getting.
I built that kit as “YIPPEE” a few years ago. As I remember, it went together with no fit problems and took no putty at all. On the downside, there is no wheel well detail and you can see right through the radiators on the booms.
Ray
Where did you get your Yippee decals? I know Superscale used to make them in 1/48 but I can’t find a set anywhere. A piece of plastic in the booms will stop the hollow look.
I think the decals were made by microscale and bought at D&J Hobbies in San Jose. As for the vermillion color, If I remember right, I used Model Master Insignia red and added a tiny amountof chrome yellow. In short, I used the TLAR (That Looks About Right) method…
Ray
Hasegawa has had arrangements with a number of other kti makers. Back int he 1980s they released a number of Momogram kits in their boxes with Hasegawa decals. Few made their way out of Japan. They have continued the practice. I’ve seen the RM PBY in a Hasegawa box.
Heller and Airfix are both subsidiaries of Humbrol these days. If you look at most Airfix boxes made in the last ten years, they will say “Made in France”. Heller’s plant is where most production for both labels is done. I don’t know what the connection is with Smer.
Keeping track of who has deals with whom and which companies have combined operations can be a full time job. The model world picture is very complex these days. The modeling market today is tiny compared to 30 or 40 years ago. A kit that sells 10,000 over it’s lifetime is a huge seller. 40 years ago, that was paltry. The old AMT Star Trek Enterprise kit sold over 1 million during its lifetime.
The people who are building are more avid, and more wealthy, so we don’t notice. The kits are better designed, and cost more, but a good chunk of the price is the cost of bringing the kit to market. The kit makers have to spread the cost of making it over a smaller number of kits, so the cost per kit is higher.
Kit makers reissue their older molds in an attempt to generate revenue to make new molds. The profit margin on selling the old Monogram P-38 is much larger than for a new mold kit because the molds were paid for 30 years ago.
Even companies with all newer molds like Accurate Miniatures reissue their older kits with different decals or slightly different plastic in an attempt to sell a few more copies and bring in some revenue.
Bill
That’s the key reason I took my Revellogram P-38 half-built and pitched it across the room. I then turned around and bought a Hasegawa P-38 and it looks much nicer. The P-40 Tiger Shark is another example of reboxing an ancient kit as “new”. Hated that one, too. 
i have seen heck we all have seen on this forum at one time or other these models (photos) and they look great they just take work
many modelers here have sanded them smooth rescribed the panel lines etc.
i think it says more of a modelers skills to turn these into a great build than to use the shake and bakes like hasegawa ,and tamiya
Knight667, your comments made me chuckle…I just bought the P-40 Tiger shark kit last night! Lol.
Hey for $8.00 it makes me happy! Its one of my favorite kits. (Ive finished 7 or 8 of them, with a few more waiting their turns).
I am working on my Revellogram P-38 now.