POST BBI ZERO DISCUSSION HERE

[digger]

You know, the sad thing I now notice is the rise in prices. BCT's base price (other than their $49 preorder) is now $52. Well, that sucks. What used to be $45 just a year ago is now up to $52...... .

-Ski

....what was 45 last year? The P-51 when it first came out? Just wondering your point of reference.

The new bbi birds are BCA exclusive paint schemes, so a little more coin is justified (hell, that clown is getting 150 for one on ebay.... ).

We want more & more detail, which is good, but we have to expect with great detail and 30 inch wingspans the prices will rise. That is what is so great about WM and even TRU now - the birds are 40 bucks. Yea, this, that...WM sucks....but the birds are 40 bucks (and often less).

Maybe not cause for alarm yet - but I think you are onto something with price as an issue. I don't want to wake up one day and have the markup we see on Dragon models .....this will no longer be a hobby for me. I will pay a lot for a high end line of 1:18 military, but not if the level of detail is just an evolution and not a revolution!

[rmoore456]

Extra Zeros are now available on Badcats site.

Ray

[Folkwulfe]

Beat me to it...but I ordered mine just a few minutes ago. A friend received his yesterday and brought it in to my office for a look-see. Yup...the balance horns are on backwards...and a few other noteables (forgive me if they've been mentioned before). There is a brace between the aft main wing junction that was installed wrong (held by four screws) and hidden when the fuse is attached to the main wings. But because it was installed wrong, the wing profile has been flattened and does not lineup very well with the fuse...resulting in a very noticeable gap. I can fix that. The tailwheel does not lock down and will nearly snap off if you try too hard. I solved that with a bent paperclip and five minutes worth of cursing (it's technical, but it works!). Unfortunately, I'm afraid popping the tailwheel back in will jam the downlock too far in again...and another five minutes cursing to get it back down! Do NOT lower the main gear by pulling on the doors. The attachment is very weak. Instead, open the small well cover near the tank and expose the main wheel. Then use that same bent paperclip to pop the wheel clear of the well and the gear will come down and lock. The paint job is an eye popper...my friend's was immaculate and very crisp. However, it appears that warning decals were applied to the underside of the stab trim tabs....? The underside? Oh well...small price(sic) to pay. Now I'm giddy for the green version!

[JimBob55]

I do know these are marketed as toys. But I wouldn't mind paying some extra when a particularly complex bird is produced. Or extra attention to detail. It seems that the quality of all the makers is going up gradually. Perhaps it is the competition between 2 and now 3 manufacturers. From what I can tell from the advance photos and information, the upcoming Avenger is definitely in the attention to detail and extra complexity category. I could really see the Avenger priced like the F-18, because of size and detail (and the TBM really is even more complex than the F-18)

Just my 2 cents

JimBob

[digger]

Funny we say these are toys (which they are) and also that you need to use a paper clip to get the wheel down
Rather than a removable cockpit I would prefer crisp construction, accurately applied printing and no major QC issues. Already there are 4 or 5 "problems" with the Zero.

[JOC]

I put mine together yesterday and didn't seem to have too much trouble getting the tail wheel to lock. I sure won't try to retract it either. I noticed that the Kanji on the rear stabilizer tabs were on the underside, so I gently removed the tabs and reversed them. Looks OK now. Other than the obvious mistakes, this is One Darn Good Plane.

[Sentinel]

Lots of good info on this new one. Mine should arrive any day.

For anyone who has already received theirs, is the BBI "glass" still acceptable? I remember 21st changing to a somewhat thinner material, at least for the FW190D.

And does the new Zero have it's proper dihedral?

Thanks!

[tracer]

I'm sure you are ok to call. BCT is now over the work hump and if I were you, I would be on the horn!!

-Ski

Thanks Ski,
I called and they said it shipped out yesterday and I should have it on the 26th.

Brian

[tmanthegreat]

The glass seems fine to me. Perhaps a little thicker than the glass on the 21c FW-190 canopy, but not overly thick. Again, it looks fine!

I think the dihedral may be a little off, but it doesn't bother me! Now, having two left stabilizers did. BCA has said they will send me a new right stabilizer, but in the mean time I shaved off part of the peg so that the stabilizer fit in the slot. Its not a perfect fit and the dihedral is way off, but its better than none!

[Teamski]

I haven't got mine yet, but I agree on the dihedral. It's a tad too flat. At least is has some dihedral at all! Never forget the S-1 Mustang!

-Ski

[toyktdlgh]

I just got mine today. I love it. Overall it’s a great plane. I am having trouble with the wing to fuselage fit. It leaves a bit of a gap. Anyone else see this yet? Also noticed the figure is very rubbery. This might have been mentioned before. Still, he is pliable enough to fit in the cockpit very well. The landing gear is nice but the tail gear took a bit of effort to lock in. The cockpit is awesome in detail. One of the best yet. I do think that this removable cockpit is aiding in the bad fit for the wing. I hope this is an isolated issue. The Zero is finally here!

[CW4USARMY]

Yes, I had the same problem with the fuselage/wing fit. I kept pushing the cockpit up higher until it finally seemed to snap further into place and the fuselage and wings fit better now, but there is still a bit of a gap, but not as bad as before. You may want to try and keep pushing the cockpit up until you cant see the bottom of cockpit from a side angle view without wings on.

[aferguson]

When you put the cockpit in you need to push the machine guns forward. This does two things....it will make the guns protrude the right amount from the cowl and it will help to position the cockpit correctly in the plane. The wings on my plane fit like a glove with no gap of any significance but i really reefed on the cockpit to push it up and into the fuselage as much as i could. Don't push so hard that you break anything, obviously...

Oh, and you may want to paint the back of the propeller blades black. This was done on the real planes to prevent glare from the sun blinding the pilot when reflecting off the bare metal surface.

[Teamski]

Wow Andrew! I didn't know you ordered one too! You lucky dog, you got yours before I did!

-Ski

[pokeyjtc]

Got my Zero today. I was definitely having the same problem with getting the cockpit in. My problem was that I couldn't get the cockpit in exactly straight. The back of the machine guns were hitting the bottom tab on the front windscreen. Pushed it around and I finally got it to fit. Also having a problem with getting the tailwheel to lock in the down position. I don't want to break it, but it won't lock. My pilot is also very rubbery. Can't get the knee joints to bend without popping off the boots.

Overall, I am very happy with the plane, it looks great and I'm glad to finally have a Zero.

[supersonicfifi]

After readinng the subject AVENGER near ?

check this model builder !!!!!!!!!! i guess the price range is high

http://www.hph.cz/news.php?lang=en please brows to the bottom of this page !

there is an incredible 1:18 ZERO !!!!!

[aferguson]

HPH have been discussed on the board off and on for the past five years or so. Exquisite stuff.....very expensive. The small fighters are around $1400 US with the bigger twin engines and jets well over 2k, plus several hundred dollars shipping from eastern europe.

Here's a list of the full range they make in 1/18.

http://ww2.esn.net/kleber/warbirds.htm

I've been tempted off and on to get the Me-410 but i calculated that by the time i paid shipping, exchange and import taxes it would be about $3,500 Canadian. So i will continue to be tempted..

Oh, and check the gallery of the HPH site for pics of an eye popping 1/18 scale Arado 196.

[aferguson]

i emailed HPH and got a quick response. Delivery time is about 1 year from order. I've listed sample prices below. They didn't mention shipping costs.


They also sent me a complete price list. As an example of prices: Wildcat is 1910 EURO, Horten Ho 229 is 1890 EURO, Me 262 is 2246 EURO, Me-410 is 2480 EURO, He-219 is 2198 EURO, Mirage 2000 is 2950 EURO, and the F-14 is a mere 7610 EURO.......yes, i said 7610.

Someday i will get the Me-410 and He-219. This i vow.

So....there you go.

[jhogan]

I put my Zero together this morning. I followed other members suggestions on the cockpit installation and turning the elevators around. The cockpit installation showed just how simple the real Zero was built.

Hats off to BBi for a very nice airplane. Since airspace is a premium in my room, I'm going to replace my 21C Kepfort Corsair with the Zero. I already have the BBi Corsair sitting on a shelve with wings folded. The 21C Avenger (If it ever shows up) will sit next to the Corsair with wings folded also. I still have some room so I'd like to fill it with a F6F Hellcat and Me262.

[KAGNEW]

still waiting for my Zeros
maybe tomorrow
does Fedex ground deliver on saturdays? anyone no?

[Teamski]

Tora!!! Tora!!! Tora!!! I came home tonight to find my Zeros waiting for me. Wow, what pleasant Friday!!

I REALLY like this plane. It is such a fresh breath of air in the 1:18 line. The cockpit is simply amazing. As mentioned above, it really teaches a lesson about the plane. You can see that there is definately NO armor for the pilot. Mitsubishi even provided holes in the seat for the bullets, hehehehe.....

The aileron counterweights were reversed as usual, but looking through my books, the A6M2's did have them as standard. The counterweights were removed on later models. That explains a lot. Great job on the weathering as well.

Looking at the gear, I initially thought that they should have some positive rake on them, but looking in my books, they do stick straight out like that. The wings are definately missing a degree or two of dihedral, but who am I to complain!! A solid, solid addition to the line. The flight controls are tabbed as usual, with the same sort of fiddlyness of the other planes but nowhere near the nightmare of the Corsair. Well done bbi!!

-Ski

[Teamski]

Talking about soft figures like the Zero pilot: is this a bad thing? Is it a subversive attempt to save money in production?

My concern is the condition of rubbery plastic over time. This sort of thing reminds me of the old 12" GI Goe scuba suits that crystalized over the years. It's neat to have that flexability, but is it at a cost? I know the Nambu pistol, being rubbery as well, go pretty distorted.

I might be looking too deep into it. What do you think?

-Ski

[JimBob55]

I received my Zero today and promptly celebrated with some sushi and a bottle of Sapporo (YUM! )

The model is fantastic, IMHO one of the best yet by any of the manufacturers. ...Detail and historic background. The cockpit was a bear to install, but the wings were easy. The flaps open easily in the correct position (unlike the BBI Corsair)

Kudos to BBI and BCA!

JimBob

[digger]

Talking about soft figures like the Zero pilot: is this a bad thing? Is it a subversive attempt to save money in production?

My concern is the condition of rubbery plastic over time. This sort of thing reminds me of the old 12" GI Goe scuba suits that crystalized over the years. It's neat to have that flexability, but is it at a cost? I know the Nambu pistol, being rubbery as well, go pretty distorted.

I might be looking too deep into it. What do you think?

-Ski

I think it is to allow the scale pilot to fit in an accurate scale cockpit. As we always say - flesh and clothes smush better than plastic So, for pilots & tankers I don't mind if he's little bendy.

[Teamski]

Yeah, but he doesn't need to be jammed in, though. Just a slight twist sideways and he is good to go......

-Ski