Any comments on Collect-Aire Models?
Swampfox
I am considering buying a Collect_Aire Model kit. Any comments about the
quality of their kits. They are somewhat expensive ( at least the one I am
considering, W/R B-57F), and just want to get some idea what I am getting
for my $$$.
I am an experienced builder but have never delt with any of their kits.
Any info. would be appreciated.
Thanks,
AGSanchez
OXMORON1
>I am considering buying a Collect_Aire Model kit. Any comments about the
>quality of their kits. They are somewhat expensive ( at least the one I am
>considering, W/R B-57F), and just want to get some idea what I am getting
Not meant to be a wiseass answer, but use a search engine and look at the
commentson RMS.
I have experiences on both sides of the happy medium. $189.00 is a lot of hobby
money to layout on one model. The AJ Savage was warp city, the F-86D/K/L was a
decent kit. The XB-51 was a bear.
Oxmoron1
MFE
vipe...@my-deja.com
impressions where not that enthused.
After checking out his F-107, X-15's, and Vigillante (One which I
really consided shelling out the bucks for)The resin quality is not
worth the asking price by no means! I expected alot more precison,
acceptable fit, and sharper detailing in the cockpit and smaller peices
of resin.
If you possivetively have to have a particular subject in your
collection, then probably go for it, but don't expect Black Box or
Cutting Edge quality resin!
I can wait.
Viper 359
Sent via Deja.com
http://www.deja.com/
bw
doing now. Ask before you buy. Each one is different.
The X-20 kit was generally shaped right but the scribing around the cockpit
was off, I got half way through working on the kit and shelved it.
His Skywarrior, well lets not go there.
The F-86H was a real gem.
The X-26 was, without a doubt, one of the best resin kits I've ever seen or
purchased.
The X-2 lacked the crispness needed to pull off the overall effect. The
lines just were not sharp enough.
As to the RA-5C, it went back. Full of really large bubbles, poor mold
making technique that resulted in damage if you looked cross eyed at it. If
you aren't vacuum casting today, you don't know what your doing. The RA-5C
was an open pour kit. I can wait for a good RA-5C.
The only way I buy a Collect-Aire kit is if I see it first, or get the
skinny of someone I trust or a lot of comments that tend to go one way or
the other.
There are two fundamental problems with Collect-Aire, first by calling it
collectable and charging astronomical prices, you tend to be more likely to
accept an inferior product.
Second, he uses a large number of subs to make the masters, and he
apparently will not send a master back if it's not good enough. I've dealt
with several of the Cottage Industry folks and several of them just refuse
to issue a kit or conversion set that is not up to par. If you make a
business decision to not accept bad masters, the quality of your product
line goes up.
If this was a kit by Meteor Productions I suspect there would not be the
need to ask questions. Other venders are equally as good.
Do they make mistakes, yes. Do they fix them, some do. Others, once they
issue the kits, don't. I got into a discussion once with one of the
Monogram Execs about the seat in the F-8. They just packaged the wrong
plans with the kit package when the molds were cut in Singapore.
Unfortunately a major vender like Monogram is pretty much stuck with the
tooling when the kit is cut. They won't go back and fit it. To them it's
just a toy. To the Cottage Industry, it is some thing else all together.
I would wait until several folks in the group got the RB-57 before buying
one. He makes a production run of only 200, but they don't all sell in the
first several months or years.
In the final analysis it's not entirely about the money. I've paid well
over $300 for a resin car kit, if the value is there, I don't mind.
On the other hand, my wife's view on the subject is a bit different...
I hope the RB-57 is a good one, its a neat plane. If you can solve the
problem of wing sag with the resin.
Bryan Wilburn
"Swampfox" <swam...@home.com> wrote in message
news:4RS16.75170$x6.34...@news2.rdc2.tx.home.com...
Eric R. Engstrom Sr
sedrial number 133. I have only taken a cursory look at the parts and the
first thing I noticed is that the wings are not one piece from wing root to
tip, but two. That gets you around the sag problem. The trailling edges
are beautifully thin and sharp, and that's good, except that I have two
large chunks that were broken off the trailing edge of one wing. More patch
work required there.
Drop me a line in the next couple of days, when I get a chance to go over
the thing in detail I'll give yo the blow by blow. I have built the F3D
Skyknight from Collectaire and had to do considerable work to get it built,
but it was alot better than scratchbuilding it. The RA5C I have not yet
started, but it looked okay in the box. Then again so did the Skyknight.
Once you get over the price, Len's kits are not too bad, and one must
remember that much of his business is done with folks both in the US and
overseas that have $$$ and do not mind spending large amounts of it to get a
1/48 kit that nobody else makes. Still better and easier than
scratchbuilding!
Best Regards,
Eric
Rama Lama Inda Berkshire Hills
Temple of Built-ups No One Will Touch
Temple Custodian and Model
--
Best Regards,
Eric
Rama lama Inda Berkshire Hills
Temple of Built Ups No One Will Touch
Temple Custodian and Model Duster
Swampfox wrote in message
<4RS16.75170$x6.34...@news2.rdc2.tx.home.com>...
Mike J. Idacavage
have. I have managed to pick up most of the space and experimental
aircraft from Lou. Like a few other posts have noted, it is a bit
pricey, but I am able to get a model that is not available elsewhere.
And to me, it DOES beat scratch building! I've completed the X-20 and
was happy with the finished model.
One kit that I am looking forward to is the 1/32 T-38. I have another
resin kit made by the same people who are making the T-38 masters, and
I am satisfied with the quality. This should be a great kit!
Mike
On Tue, 26 Dec 2000 01:52:00 GMT, "Swampfox" <swam...@home.com>
wrote:
Fotios Rouch
It is all a case by case basis. Sometimes there are variations even on
the same model depending on the batch. Point in case the Vigilante,
Skyknight, Demon and Mohawk. I had bought copies when they first came
out and the resin quality was not all that great. I bought them again
recently and there is a big difference. These kits are done in Eastern
Europe and they are still not vacuum cast. However the quality has gone
up quite a bit.
I have all of the CA kits (except the early space program planes), many
I have doubles of.
The ones that are poured in the states (by a well known resin company)
are very nice indeed. Rarely do I find air bubbles and the resin is
practically shiny. They are hollow cast and therefore very light and
they are as close as you can get to an injection model in look and feel.
The fj-3, a-12, f-94c, t2v-1, guardian, tracker, super crusader,
penetrator and the upcoming Skywarrior (not the old solid resin one from
the past) come to mind.
Now the WB-57F story.
This one is done in Eastern Europe. It is not a bad kit and it certainly
looks like it will make a very impressive model. It is based on their
earlier B-57.
Mine had no major resin defects or deformities. The huge wing pieces
(with a properly molded dihedral) were not warped in my sample.
I have taken snapshots of the kit parts and I can send them to you if
you are interested.
The WB-57F will be a lot of work but it will make for a most unique
subject.
Regards,
Fotios
Fotios Rouch
Some other prices first as found at the GreatModels website
HML Hand Made Limited Kits
Heinkel he.177 Greif $238.00
Me.323 E-1 Gigant $595.00
Focke Wulf Fw 200C-4 $297.50
(similar resin quality to many of Collect-Aire's kits).
Cutting Edge Modelworks
XB-70 Resin Full Kit $100.00 (not a very big kit and its quality is
not much different from some of the american molded Collect-Aire kits).
Look how much a set of flaps costs for the F-111 or B-50 from Paragon.
Can you imagine, proportionately speaking, how much the whole F-111
would be if Paragon were making one?!
I am not saying that there is no room for improvements on Collect-Aire's
part but I do think their prices are were they should be for them to
stay in the business. They have been bringing models to us for a while
now. They are models that probably no big injection companies would
consider anyway.
I think the hobby is just getting to be expensive. It is all a matter
of priorities and perceived "needs".
just some thoughts,
Fotios
Eric R. Engstrom Sr
offer what would otherwise be an unreasonable product at at least a
justifyable price. I have never seen a Collectaire kit buit up that was not
impressive.
--
Best Regards,
Eric
Rama lama Inda Berkshire Hills
Temple of Built Ups No One Will Touch
Temple Custodian and Model Duster
Fotios Rouch wrote in message <3A48DF62...@ephibian.com>...
SVanaken
>impressive.
Probably because most of them are so horrible as to either be in the trash or
not shown to the public. :o)
(please note the smiley face denoting a joke or humor of some sort)
Cheers,
Scott
Dominique Durocher
Engstrom Sr" <engs...@prodigy.net> wrote:
> Here here Fotios!! Collect-Aire is not the devil incarnate, and they do
> offer what would otherwise be an unreasonable product at at least a
> justifyable price. I have never seen a Collectaire kit buit up that was not
> impressive.
My only experience with Collect-Aire is their X-15, which I find quite
good an a reasonable price, if at the high end of the range I consider
reasonable. Then again, Pend Oreille also did an X-15 for a little over
half the CE price. I got both as they are different variants, and find the
Po kit slightly inferior on the large parts, slightly superior on the more
delicate and detailed ones.
The only other CE kit I've see was their F-11, which did not seem
impressive at all.
Dom
--
Dominique Durocher | drak...@sympatico.ca
Lair of the Draken | http://www3.sympatico.ca/draken35/index.html
MonSFFA | http://www3.sympatico.ca/draken35/MonSFFA/
Mechanical engineers build weapons. Civil engineers build targets.
MODEL HAWK
you get two hollow molded fuselage halves, vertical and horizontal tail
surfaces, resin canopy frame w/vac canopy, two solid-cast wings. They are
MASSIVE and the WB wings would be almost twice as heavy. You'll definitely
need wing/fuselage reinforcement there). You also get resin ejection seats.
They're OK but I'd replace them with aftermarket unless you want to do a
considerable amount of detailing. The rotating bomb bay door is a separate
piece of resin as is the low-light TV housing (vac lense). The landing gear
are white metal. Those are the major parts. There are a couple bags of resin
and white metal antennae and other fiddley bits in there too.
The fit is pretty good for a cottage industry resin kit. The fuselage halves
will need a little attention to make them fit smoothly but nothing
extraordinary. As mentioned above, the wing to fuselage joint is strictly a
buttjoint and will need reinforcement from brass tubing, screws, or whatever to
keep them from snapping off at first movement of the model. Wheel wells and
cockpit detailing is sparse and would definitely benefit from some extra
detailing.
HTH.........Bill
----------
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot!
------Rudyard Kipling------
My Home Page: http://members.xoom.com/Modelhawk/modelhawk.index.html
jmarc
I have seen a couple of there kits, I saw there F11F+T-2 BUCKEYE and there X-15
..I'n all case the asking price does'nt reflect what is provided .subject are
"GREAT" choices,QUALITY wise they are "FAIR" kits, detail wise "FAIR" kits,
Price wise versus what you get "COST TO MUCH". attitude wise "TERRIBLE" .. You
like to know more on this and see what type of attitude this fellow as .. Look
on my personnal website, here is the URL :
http://pages.infinit.net/jmarcpe/BBBBBBEWAREMFG.htm
Better be AWARE than sorry....
Jmarc
Ron
TomTheAeronut
the letter he sent Jean Marc. I can assure you all, this is Lou on a "good"
day.
Tom Cleaver
Dear J.M.
...This is in reponse to your unfounded, stupid criticism of our Products.
Unfortuanetly, if you had a problem, you and a few worms like
you, are not man enough or professional enough to bring it to our
attention.Our kits are well respected in the modeling community and
that's why wehave and will stay in business for over 15 years.
I suggest you remove that crap from your site right away as your
generalized stupid comments really don't say anything. Little dweebs
like you hide behind the saftey of the net.Unfortunately, you only dream
of producing the rare and intricate subject matter we attempt for our
valued modeling community.
So - wait for Revell or Tamiya to produce what we do. Little creeps like
you are a joke. Learn how to be man. If you were a man and had a problem
with one of our kits - you would have contacted us first.
Now - since I'm not a weasel like you - I won't bad-mouth your company
or site on my well respected site. Little punks like you need to be
grabbed by the throat and shaken.
You are a disgrace to yourself, your family and the modeling community.
Lou Maglio
bw
That's the response I got when I did contact him, directly.
His response is correct in some aspects, he has stayed in business for 15
years because he offers kits that are not available elsewhere.
With out serious competition from other venders, he is the only game in
town. Monopolies have very much the same attitude. Maybe Reno ought to
look in to it.
Ipso Facto, if you want a 1/48 RA-5C, you must get it from him. Or wait
until a mainline company produces one. When you think about it, a major
vender should be coming out with one given the coverage of other subjects.
What else hasn't been done in 1/48 1960's US jets to date. Single or twin
engine jets? A-3, A-5 ser, B-66. What else? Of the 3 I would say the A-5A
or RA-5C would be a natural, followed by a B-66. Any body done an injected
B-57?
As to being "well respected in the modeling community", I would say the
comments in the NG range from dislike to like. What brought the comments
below on?
Bryan Wilburn
bwil...@qwest.net
"TomTheAeronut" <tomthe...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20001231182858...@ng-fr1.aol.com...
MODEL HAWK
>Date: 12/31/00 7:30 PM Eastern Standard Time
>Message-id: <ibQ36.3889$Ls3.4...@news.uswest.net>
>
>Interesting,
>
>That's the response I got when I did contact him, directly.
>
>His response is correct in some aspects, he has stayed in business for 15
>years because he offers kits that are not available elsewhere.
>With out serious competition from other venders, he is the only game in
>town. Monopolies have very much the same attitude. Maybe Reno ought to
>look in to it.
>
If you mean Janet Reno, the Attorney General, she better hurry upo. SDhe only
has 20 days investige, try, and convict or acquit him. Hell, it takes them
more than 20 days to find the key to the restroom! :-)
Best wishes to all for a sakfe, and happy new year.
Cheers.......Bill
René van der Hart
newsgroup. I think it's a personal vendetta or something. His main concern are the
high prices of the kits. If that is his biggest problem, I suggest you take a look
at the prices of his kits for sale. I think that says enough. I don't write this
because I have something against Jmarc, but I think he brought up the matter
enough by now.
René.
Tom
René van der Hart wrote:
> This is not the first time "Jmarc" wrote something about Collectaire on this
> newsgroup. I think it's a personal vendetta or something.
He bitches about alot of things. But thats expected ,he`s French Canadian.
> His main concern are the
> high prices of the kits. If that is his biggest problem, I suggest you take a look
> at the prices of his kits for sale.
So he tries to hit the suckers like a freight train ,nothing wrong with that !!
> I think that says enough. I don't write this
> because I have something against Jmarc,
Rene.....we know you don`t like him. But who does ?
> but I think he brought up the matter
> enough by now.
Thats for dam sure.
>
> René.
vipe...@my-deja.com
that says enough. I don't write this because I have something against
Jmarc, but I think he brought up the matter enough by now.
René.
I have to agree there. I checked out the site and was floored at the
asking prices he had! Geeze, what a rip, and to think some guys
actually take the gouging to get those kits!
Viper 359
f4phantomii
after reading this letter from the owner I would not even entertain the
idea. I also see in their latest advert for the T-38A that the company is
so professional it calls one of the decal options the "Holliman black jet",
I think that a company which uses accuracy as a key feature of it's product
makes itself look very unproffesional when it cannot even spell the name of
a major USAF base correctly. Sloppy ad...........sloppy product. Add to
that a rude and offensive owner who is unable to accept criticsm and I feel
your on to a loser!
I for one will wait for the injection molded kits to appear, and if they
don't, well I have more than enough to keep me going!
Gavin
TomTheAeronut <tomthe...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20001231182858...@ng-fr1.aol.com...
Eric R. Engstrom Sr
Time out here...
I've got nothing bad to say about th WB-57-F yet (Christmas present), except
that the trailing edge on one wing is chipped. Being the solid masochist I
am I will fix it my self and not try and get a replacement part, as I know
that it is most unlikely that they exist. You sould see these wings (big)
but cast in 4 pieces (left/right, inboard/outboard, SWEET! Solid, injection
type locating tabs and slots in the fuselage to locate them. Very smooth
resin.
Lou is not Mr Personality, but neither is he the devil incarnate. And if
you look at the Collect-Aire Advisor (catalog of old kits available thru
Collectaire) you will see that is probably where Jmarc gets his prices from.
This makes anything he says about Lou automatically bad as they are direct
competitors in the field of marketing old kits at outrageous prices.
Lou does have a great website and he does not attack folks thru it. And he
uses his First Amendment freedoms with wild abandon as exhibited in this
PERSONAL letter to someone attacking his character. Not unlike something I
would say to a competitor bad mouthing me in public, although I would keep
my reply private. Note that Lou did not make his letter public knowledge.
Okay, so I used .04 USD. It's before sunrise here on the East Coast, so I'm
allowed!
--
Best Regards,
Eric
Rama lama Inda Berkshire Hills
Temple of Built Ups No One Will Touch
Temple Custodian and Model Duster
f4phantomii wrote in message <3a505...@news2.vip.uk.com>...
MODEL HAWK
problem with the resin canopy rails (they were moderately warped. They were
probably fixable with considerable effort but I figured.......what the heck, my
wife paid considerable money for it. the basic parts should be good to start
with.
I left a message on Lou's answering machine that I needed a replacement part.
About 10 days later, I got a small package in the mail with two resin canopy
rails and a short letter. The letter was not particularly warm and friendly
but it was business-like and addressed my problem.
I've delt with "scratchy" personalities before (there are more than a couple
vendors like that out there). I can get past that as long as they deliver what
is expected. In all honesty, I may be in the minority but I have to say I've
had no real complaints with CollectAire.