Review: Upcoming kit reviews. Meng Dr-1 with MVR bust, and Tamiya P-38H Limited Edition kits
Several weeks ago I received these kits from Sprue Brothers. I was able to get my hands on these two thanks to my loving wife (for putting up with me) and an available balance on a credit card. I also want to thank Paul Nash, @white4freak
for letting me know well in advance that this kit was going to be available in the future. That future time has now arrived... so MANY thanks Paul !
I am planning on doing a very thorough kit review on both of these magnificent kits in the near future.
I'm giving you the choice ... Pick which one you would rather see first. After three days I will tally the votes and then get busy with posting the articles. I typically have to write two separate articles to cover all the parts.
The Meng 1/32 scale Fokker Dr-1 is the one that Wingnut Wings was working on just before they closed the doors. When it became available I knew that I had to get one. Now it's available and it includes parts to build up the original F-1 machines and the early versions of the Dr-1 as well. This one also includes a 1/10 scale resin bust of Manfred Von Richthofen. I can see myself getting one or possibly two more of these.
The 1/48 Tamiya P-38H is a limited edition too. It includes the parts that will allow you to build a very authentic P-38H. This kit is presented in a plain white box. Once it's gone, it's gone for good, as Tamiya has indicated that it will not be released again.
Tamiya has taken Eduard's lunch money and tossed them in a locker with their old outdated P-38. The Eduard P-38 was basically the Academy plastic in a new box with some extra Eduard resin and PE parts added to help make it better.
The Tamiya P-38H is based off their excellent 1/48 scale “new tool“ P-38F/G version, but it includes a new plastic tree that contains the parts that are needed to build a P-38H.
I have a nice set of decals that I will use for this one that will allow me to build up plane that was used by the US Army based in Orlando FL, as part of the Air Combat school during the War.
Please let me know what kit you want me to review first.
I have a strong feeling that they will be hitting the bench very soon.
As always, comments are encouraged.
Why not both?
I've got the P-38H and the Dr1 is almost here. I know one kit is really easy to build (already built the P-38F) and the other should be pretty easy to build for a WW1 subject based on my experience with the 1/48 Eduard Dr1 thanks to limited rigging (landing gear and rudder/aileron wires.)
Thanks Dan, @dbdlee
I will be doing both. I’m giving you the choice to see which one you would rather see first. I agree that the Dr-1 should be an enjoyable build with limited rigging. It’s almost like building a Fokker D-VII... but it has an additional wing !
My friend Louis,my vote is for the P-38!
All the best!
Marcus @mvtb
Thanks for the vote. One for the 38 is now recorded. You have been posting up some wonderful builds over the past few days. It looks like you have been busy !
Wow! what a score! Would love to see the triplane...is that the WNW mold?
Jim, @jimh
It's great to hear from you !
Yes it is the Wingnut Wings kit. I'm going to be cracking it open to check the contents as I have heard some parts may be warped, or possibly broken. I watched the video that Brett Green did on his. He had a part broken on the center wing where it joins the fuselage. His didn't look to be too much of a problem to fix however.
The detail looks to be outstanding. Let's hope the other problems are not present on my example.
I'd love to see that little Fokker ...
Neil, @neil-foster
Maybe I'll title the article "Meet the Fokker"... 🙂
Yup, the Gardner factory keeps rolling on and on. Looking forward to the reports...
Hello Gary, @gwskat
You might actually see this pair getting built in the near future. I have four US Navy planes on the workbench that have to be completed by a deadline. Once they're done, the bets are off as to which one(s) get completed next. Here's how I want to finish the P-38H in the white box. The 38 in this next picture is the one from Orlando I mentioned. It's #923, and is a P-38H
A while back Brett Green did a review on Hyperscale on the "Xtradecal" X48215 decal set that had the exact markings for this very plane in it. I grabbed a screen shot with my phone. The main reason I ordered the decals was for the "Phoebe" plane and I wanted to do both of the 38's that were initially credited with downing Admiral Yamamoto. Then when Tamiya announced it was doing a dedicated H model Lightning, I knew I had to get one... so I could use these decals and build the 38 from the Orlando airfield.
The decal set arrived from Scott Zwiebeck who is known as Rebelalpha on EBay. Here's a picture of the set I received from him. These are very nicely printed. I will have some left over to use on the various Hasegawa, Revell, and Academy 38's I have in the stash.
So in the near future there just might be a mini Lockheed assembly station in business at the Iron Werkes. This will allow me to finish the Rex Barber and Thomas Lamphier Lightning's as well for the Operation Vengeance build that will be migrating it's way over to the Empire of Japan.
Thanks for the comments. Stay safe buddy.
Well since I have placed an order for Meng’s DR.I some months ago and it’s due to arrive sometime this month I would rather see that one over the P-38 (which I don’t have and possibility will never buy anyway).
There’s alot being written about the Fokker on the web, including some warping on the wings and a snap part due to box contents being over pressure while in transport. How is the plastic in your box Louis? And are you painting that bust? 🙂
Hello Pedro, @holzhamer
I'll record another vote for the Dr-1. Thanks for voting.
I have watched the video that Brett Green did when he opened his kit up. He had a small part of the center wing broken on his kit. I have not seen anything about parts being warped, but that's possible I guess. I don't know how the plastic is inside mine yet, as it is still sealed. I will be opening it up soon however. Once I do this I'll let you know how it is...
As far as me painting the bust... Probably not. I would rather see someone professionally paint it. Someone like Dr. Lane who has been posting his various Wingnut Wings models on here. He has a magnificent set of skills and it would look very lifelike if he (or someone with a similar skill set) would paint it up for me. I could give it a try, and since it is much larger than what I have tried before, it might work out better... I guess I could always wipe the paint off if I botched it up too horribly... I wanted to have it done nicely, so I could pose it between the Fokker Dr-1 and the Albatros D-V I have that will be wearing his markings.
I just received my Meng tripe with the broken piece of cockpit coaming.
As for the bust, I have always liked figures. For me the people are as important as the machines they designed, built and flew. Of course that is now changing with A.I..
Here are a few figures from my Petite Musée de la Guerre.
The baron inspecting his Albatros DV mount in which he achieved the majority of his victories. He pursues a Sopwith Camel, the aircraft that led to his death.
Eddie Rickenbacker standing behind Charles Biddle's SPAD chasing a Fokker DVII that is now on display at the Air Force museum in Dayton Ohio.
Charles Biddle was the great grandson of the first central banker, Nicholas Biddle whose defeat led Andrew Jackson to say "I killed the bank."
Walter Dahl with his FW-190 waiting for the klaxon to sound the defense of the Reich.
Randolph flight instructor riding out to the flight line on his Indian Chief.
Late war, US Army fighter pilot with with friend and foe aircraft.
US Navy ace David McCampbell with Japanese opponent Chief Petty Officer Hiroyoshi Nishizawa and their aircraft
B-17 waist gunners and Navigator with B-17 "Bit o'Lace" and P-51 little friend with German opponents and deadly, 88mm antiaircraft gun at the base of the B-17.
Greg "grandpa" Boyington with his Flying Tiger P-40, a blood chit jacket and a piece of the Ki-43 he shot down. The Tigers were a group of mercenaries that were paid for each aircraft shot down. This is represented by the Chinese coin.
"The AVG signed up 109 pilots and 186 support personnel who sailed for China in the summer of 1941. Most of the pilots were paid $600 a month—double or triple their military pay—plus a bonus of $500 for every Japanese airplane they destroyed. Ground crew members got $150 to $350 a month, with some line and crew chiefs later raised to $400."
The tigers only lasted six months before being adsorbed into USAAC
Air Corps pilot and the "Blue Canoe" link trainer. I actually took some of my instrument instruction in one of these antiques
Guy Gibson and crew board their Lancaster "Dam Buster"
Battle of Britain pilots Franz von Werra and Adolph "Sailor" Malan. Von Werra was the only pilot to escape from North America. He was the subject of the 1957 movie, "The one that got away." He disappeared six months after returning to duty.
General Adolf Galland discusses tactics with one of his pilots. That was before pilots quit smoking.
Stuka and He-111 pilots and their aircraft.
Herman Goering holding models of the two planes that made his reputation.
Luftwaffe aircraft, 1/144.
Aircraft carrier Akagi, 1/144.
And of course, every flyer's co-pilot
DR.1
Got it. Another vote for the Fokker. It’s in the lead. Thanks
Fokker!
You got it Robert. One more vote for the Dr-1. It’s pulling away from the Tamiya 38 !
So far here are the results. This is not the final count.
Fokker Dr-1. Five
Tamiya P-38H. One
Both kits. One
@lgardner Louis, I can almost hear a sigh after you mention the lonesome vote for the P-38 🙂
Do both buddy, we know you want to
Pedro, @holzhamer
You know me too well. 🙂
I really do want to post an article about each one. I will as soon as I get a little spare time.
My vote is for the Fokker. I know WingNut Wings designed and researched all of their kits and then out sourced the mold making to a Chinese company. If Meng is now selling this kit it would infer that they are that company? The chaps who made all of those kit molds?
Perhaps a Lancaster is in the works?
Hello Stephen. @stephen-w-towle
I'll add another vote for the Fokker. It’s in the lead by a mile ! I’d really like to know what company did the molds for WNW. There’s a good chance that it very well could have been Meng to begin with. If that’s the case, then we just might get that big Lanc after all. One can always hope.
Thanks for the comments.
Louis @lgardner, don't know if you saw this https://www.themodellingnews.com/2020/09/review-ptii-mengs-132nd-scale-fokker-dr.html#
He points out a few spots to watch for when building the Fokker.
Hey James ! @jamesb
Thanks for sharing this link with me. Pedro Rocha @holzhamer
also sent me a link to the Meng build article. There’s a lot of great information in that one !
Had I not heard of this article before I definitely would have wanted to see it.
Thanks again buddy. 🙂 I sincerely appreciate the heads up.
Louis @lgardner, When I read your post about the new P-38H and the DR-1, I had to go look up both of them. The DR-1 is on my "Must Build" list. It's the plane that started it all for me. It was the first Model my Dad built to introduce me to scale modeling. I believe it was a Revell 1/28 scale since it was back in the early 60's.
I wasn't in a position to follow your lead completely, but I did score one of the P-38H kits for the stash.
BTW, here is something that would go nice with the DR-1. Follow the link and scroll down a bit...https://www.aviattic.co.uk/news.html
James, @jamesb
Thanks for sharing this link. There's a whole lot of good stuff there ! I can relate to you and your first model. Mine was the 1/32 Revell P-40E "Flying Tigers" kit. My dad helped me get started and then let me figure it out from there. Dad had built several balsa wood "stick and tissue paper" models when I was little. According to his family he build a lot of them when he was a kid too. But when he set me up to build a plastic kit, he didn't realize that he picked up the wrong glue. He brought home a tube of "Ambroid" wood glue for models. This stuff was orange. I used it and held the plastic parts together as they dried, usually 10 minutes or so. It worked great until it was time to attach the wings... Then it kept falling apart ! That's when I realized the glue was made for wooden models. Sometimes I wonder if Dad was trying to teach me something, or was he simply not aware that plastic kits used a different glue from balsa models... We will never know. Fast forward a few months, and Dad came home one evening after work, and he sat his lunch box on the table. He told me to open it up and put things away for him... Inside was a 1/48 Aurora Fokker D-VII, a brand new exacto knife, and a tube of glue. I was shocked and extremely happy to say the least. Dad helped me assemble that Fokker later that night after we had finished eating dinner and the kitchen was cleaned up. This is what was in his lunch box.
I have been a big Fokker fan every since then... Somehow my 1/28 Revell Dr-1, 1/28 Sopwith Camel, and 1/28 SPAD XIII have all survived from my childhood, and I still have then to this very day, with warts and all.
When you decide to start building your Fokker, please let me know. Maybe we can turn it into another "mini" group if you're interested.
Thanks again buddy.