Flawless :)

Sabrefan · Post by **Sabrefan** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 9:34 pm

I will be the first to talk about quality concerns on some 21st Century models, but tonight I picked up a beauty. I got a "Seemann" version of the BF-109, and I tell ya this this is beautiful. The parts are put together great, and the finish is perfect. This model has the best overall finish of any of my 21st Century planes. And the best part, I got it for 15 bucks at Walmart. The top of the box was coated with dust, and it had been there for some time. I just keep looking at it, it is a beauty!

immeww2 · Post by **immeww2** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 9:36 pm

Great deal! Motto is "the more dusty the box the cheaper they come!".

Rowsdower · Post by **Rowsdower** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 10:17 pm

My F-86 Mitch's Squitch and my BBI Hurry Home Honey are flawless and the best aircraft quality wise of any I have from either company.

VMF115 · Post by **VMF115** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 11:36 pm

I can never find or get anything that cheap.

GooglyDoogly · Post by **GooglyDoogly** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 1:22 am

I found some Smoke II and the Atlantic Avenger for 15.99.

And yes, 21st has done a GREAT job on the mottling paint job of their recent german birds.

normandy · Post by **normandy** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 5:56 am

I got a "Hackl" 109 some time ago and it is of the highest quality. In my AO all XD and 32X are always full price.

Website · Post by **Teamski** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 7:18 am

It's definately a case of "good factory-bad factory" when it comes to quality. Several factories are used in production, so you get a mixed bag on how well they are put together and painted. On one hand you have the issues we had with the P-47 and other times you have the pristine jobs like the 109. Generally speaking, the paint job quality on the planes have really improved since the first planes came out in 2000. With the exception of the missing plugs on the Avenger, the same goes for quality. Thank god!!

-Ski

pickelhaube · Post by **pickelhaube** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 8:37 am

I have a gotten a couple of black Me-109 from Toy Fedreration when they first came out. These were not perfection.

They were sent back and the boys at T F made good and sent me some nice ones.

When I buy at Wal-mart I always try to get the best looking box to my dismay when I get it home. I open it up and find paint touch ups all of the time. I have taken SOME back but I am usually to lazy to do it.

Rowsdower · Post by **Rowsdower** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:06 am

Whenever I buy an XD or BBI vehicle/aircraft I will stand there for a long time scrutinizing every inch that I can see through the plastic, looking for broken parts or flawed paint. I was doing that Friday with the Night Stalker Littlebird at TRU. Trying to peek through the plastic and stacking up all the other birds to compare and see which had the least silver "weathering" brush-work.

I think the employees think I'm nuts! But I'm just coocoo for 1:18!

FieroDude · Post by **FieroDude** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:37 am

I always try to find the best piece of the lot, but it's an ongoing challenge that most of the time, there is only one example of a given piece to start with. I will say, though: I have the Seeman Bf-109 as well, and it is probably the single best piece I have from 21st, both for paint and build quality. No smears or splotches, and no gaps or other fit issues.

MightyMustang · Post by **MightyMustang** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:42 am

I have to say that 21st is getting alot better with quality. On my 21st Mustangs Ridge Runner and Tender Terror the paint jobs are fantastic. My Ike Kepford Corsair has some paint blotches here and there but nothing bad. BBI is also been great with their quality. Paint jobs have been very good. Now if you want to talk about the quality of plastic both companies use I would have to give the edge to BBI. For some reason my BBI planes are more tougher and can handle more punishment. And thats not saying I bang them around alot because I dont but they seem to be more robust and heavier where as 21st seems to use a lighter plastic in their models which for me has lead to folding wings cracking at the hinge joints and so fourth, as in my old Bunker Hill Corsair

. Now my WDK Spitfire seems to be built very solidly along with my ME-109. I know this may all seem not to be a big deal but I think 21st should start using a tougher plastic for those "moments that do happen where planes tend to get roughed up by accident or not". Otherwise they along with BBI are doing a great job. I cant say anything for Admiral as of yet because I have yet to get a 1/18th plane of theirs until the Dauntless comes out.

Moth · Post by **Moth** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:42 am

My Seeman BF-109 is perfect too

I got a really bad Sabre though, too many issues to count

Most visible one is on the right wing, there are 2 spots of dark gray, and huge 4-1/2in scratches on top of that. It looks like in injection problem, like it left a little stub, and they then sanded it off.

I cant exchange it because I ordered on-line.

vmf214 · Post by **vmf214** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 2:24 pm

I just got a Laven 104 from Bad Cat and would have to put it into the "flawless" category, very nice.

tmanthegreat · Post by **tmanthegreat** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 3:58 pm

It is hit or miss with 21c. I will agree that nearly every 1:18 Bf-109G that I saw was pretty much flawless, with no serious defects or paint smudges. The same would lagely go for the F-104s, F-86s and Mig-15s I've seen both at small retailers and at Wal Mart. The Avengers on the other hand have had a less-than-perfect record, which is a shame for such a big, beautiful, & expensive aircraft.

The Avengers are perahps too large and wrongly packaged in the window box with so few twist ties (21c should have made use of a box similar to the P-38's, or at least run a few more ties through the plane, like BBI does). It is the record of the Avenger that scares me about the 21c B-25 and F-4. These will be even larger, heavier, and more complicated - especially in the case of the B-25. Having the best detail and most ambitious projects in the market is great, but when the product arrives broken or defective, such detail doesn't matter...

I am a little more dubious of the claim that 21c has improved their quality control since the early TRU days. To me it would seem to be about the same with some pristine examples and many not-so-pristine. The detail and accuracy of the paintschemes and weathering have changed for the better, however!

Again, sorry about the rant and I hope that I'm not coming off as (God forbid) anti-21c, just that I want to voice the practical opinion since the world of XD isn't always perfect

Sabrefan · Post by **Sabrefan** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 5:22 pm

You are right on about the Avenger. I like mine now, but I don't display it with the wings extended. The gap on one side with the big sag in the wing is just to much. What makes it worse is my Atlantic Avenger did not have the problem with the wing. Problems with my Flight 19 make for a long list.

MG-42 · Post by **MG-42** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 5:45 pm

I 2nd. that "tman". ... I have to say that my yellow nose "scotty dog" Stuka and "Haleakala II" both MIB are the only 2 "pristine and flawless" examples in my collection so far,.. and from what I could see through the window box of the Stuka and looked at the P-38 just after being pulled from it's outer shell (box) ,.. they are. ... I'll have to see what my newly and recent purchase of BBi's "Old Crow" (w/ vexillarius decal) from "der Vogelfånger" ,.. will look like.

CW4USARMY · Post by **CW4USARMY** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 6:06 pm

I third that Tman. Hopefully 21st will listen!

MG-42 · Post by **MG-42** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 7:58 pm

I've got another one here for ya': ... Just like a box of chocolates , "ya' never know what yer' gonna' git". ... There is an exception to this rule though however: ... Would you pay more for one or buy a duplicate of ,.. just because it's flawless + pristine = PERFECT ? ... I have. Only because I've seen what I was buying. On-line buyers don't have this luxury. ... I'm not the only one on here who "SEEKS PERFECTION".

MightyMustang · Post by **MightyMustang** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 8:48 pm

I agree with you tman. I have to say that so far there are only 3 examples I have of flawless aircraft. They are Marines Dream, Tender Terror and Hurry Home Honey. On these 3 aircraft the paint job is flawless and perfect while my other aircraft do have paint blotches and so fourth. I think 21st is getting better and I hope Old Crow and BBD dont have paint blotch problems because I'll be not to happy. But before I buy them I will study them through that "Window" in the box just to make sure nothing is broke and so fourth. I am also hoping the BBI F6F is flawless too because I have waited a LONG time to see that "Cat" in 1/18th scale.

tkjaer21 · Post by **tkjaer21** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:06 am

Sabrefan, I agree with you on the Seemann. It is very nice. You got it at such a great deal too.

Sabrefan · Post by **Sabrefan** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:32 am

My Russian 21st Century MIG-15 also has a really nice paint job. The silver paint almost looks like metal.

buzzard · Post by **buzzard** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 2:09 am

BTW guys, any word if & when the Seemann Bf-109 will appear in 1/32? Thanks!

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Flawless :)

Flawless :)

Flawless !

Flawless !