hey guys,i just recieved my Special Hobby XF-85 Goblin and so far it looks good,i was just wondering if anyone can tell me about this company,thier fit,detail etc…i’ve never heard of them
Well, lets start off by saying they have the best decals I have ever used! [:O]That includes aftermarket ones too. For a limited run kit, it’s not too bad. They have the same problems as other multi-media kits. You have to work a bit and use your modeling skills. I built their X-15 and with a bit of work, came out just fine. The plastic can be thick, but it’s relatively soft. I would compare it to Clasic Airframes or Czech Model kits as for as a comparison goes. Keep your wits about you and you’ll have no problems.
They are a Division of MPM, often boxing the same kits with different details. They are limited run kits that look great in the box, but require a lot more work than the average main stream kits. Definitely not for beginners, but modelers with intermediate to advanced skills should be able to get excellent results. Just don’t expect everything to fit & fall together… it wont.
Regards, Rick
As mentioned above, they are one of MPM’s banners.
The fit and quality can vary greatly depending on the age of the kit and how much multimedia is involved. Basically, the older the kit is, the more hassles you can expect in its construction.
I currently am working on their recent 1/72 Hawker Tempest MK.II and would have to say for fit all the styrene is coming together with minimal fuss, but mating some of the resin parts to the styrene is taking more work. The main gear well is one of those all resin numbers with the monster of a pour stub on the roof of it that takes a lot of careful cutting and sanding before you can close the wings around it.
To call MPM a “limited run” outfit these days is almost untrue, their styrene quality is meeting, and in some cases exceding what we see in the kits from the mainstream companies and I have noticed that some of their recent kits: 1/72 Lockheed Hudson, Bolton Paul Defiant and F-86H Hog Sabre have no resin or photoetch in them at all, they are full styrene kits. Italeri’s new 1/72 Hudson is a rebox of the MPM kit with some alternate parts to make different versions than the MPM boxing.
MPM has a couple of different labels, I think they are placing the brands in different segments of the market.
I think MPM is becoming their mainstream label, with unlimited run kits that use steel molds, less and less PE and resin.
Special hobby and Azur are their limited run labels, with PE and resin.Azur has a focus on spanish civil war and Freanch aircraft.
HML is their label for very exclusive resin and fibre glass kits.
Both Cooperativa and Condor aren’t very active labels, most new kits are released within the aformentioned label.
They also produce kits for other companies.