It’s about time, don’t you think?

[VMF115]

I think it’s high time that Admiral Toys shows us pictures of their SBD.

[MG-42]

* It's about time , it's about space , now it's time to smack your face ! *


........... that's up to Jason to decide that , huh ? ... Jah !


Mitch v MG

[chunks]

* It's about time , it's about space , now it's time to smack your face ! *


........... that's up to Jason to decide that , huh ? ... Jah !


Mitch v MG

Holy Cow, Batman. Imogene Coca, Heck, a whole buncha of the great stand up folks!! Astronaughts find themselves back in time and have to learn to live among cavemen!! Great stuff!!!!

[VMF115]

* It's about time , it's about space , now it's time to smack your face ! *


........... that's up to Jason to decide that , huh ? ... Jah !


Mitch v MG

I am not asking for what their product line up will be for the next 2 years.

it's been what,,,,over a year since they announced it. It’s no big secret that Admiral toys is making the SBD in fact it’s wayyyyyy over due I think if 21st was to make one they would have announced it already…

[vmf214]

Yeah, I was under the impression Admiral set the bar for product updates...

[CW4USARMY]

I sure hope this isnt going to turn into Admiral bashing. I think many will agree that Admiral comes in first place when it comes to communicating with us directly at this board.

Jason gave us an update about 6 weeks ago. He stated , "The SBD had a major full body lift while I was in China, pun intended. We revisited the SBD after discussions on this board brought to our attention the squatty stance of our model. You will be happy to know that this has been remedied. We liked the stance of the original, but you buy them so we fix them. It took a full wing, strut, wheel and tire retooling. So if you do not like how it stands now… I give up! No, I do not have photos of the new SBD; this was all done on computer and is now in final tooling. I will not speculate on a date of delivery. Sooner then later is my hopes and expectations."

Members spoke, Admiral listened, and so they tweaked or remolded some of the SBD. Admiral is listening and providing as much info as possible about the status.

I'm comfident that this is going to be a great piece!

[Sabrefan]

I would love to see a picture of the Admiral SBD Dauntless. With all the work Jason and his crew are putting into it, I know it will be a beauty!

[Threetoughtrucks]

You guys have heard my rant before.

I am not upset with Admiral or their products. I have three 1/18 planes, two of them are Admiral. My rant has been about the etailer selling the SBD. They demanded a full price pre-order deposit in January 2007. Like a dope, when other etailers are taking a $5 or $10 pre-order deposits for much more expensive 1/6 toys or dollies, I gave the full price to them. Now, it's a year later and still no SBD is in sight.

Sure I don't want an SBD that doesn't look "right"......... but jeeeeez, I feel like a dope "buying" something I don't have a full year ago and can't even see a pic... are they that far down in the production line, that not even a pic is available?

OK, OK... truth be told, I have recently given a pre-order deposit that was alot more than $10.... but that was a 1/6 item costing twenty times the price of the SBD and it is a limited production item, which better unpack itself and keep all my other toys in line (and take out the garbage and then make me a cup of tea and bring me my pipe and jacket with the elbow patches to my chair in the corner surrounded by me toys and dollies). All I want the SBD is to sit on my shelf

End of rant.

TTT

[MG-42]

* Why don't you just PM Jason and ask him kindly to post a pic on it.

* In due time , , in due time , * ! ! !

Mitch v MG

[mountian-man]

I have to admit, I am really eager to see pictures too.

[General Blasto]

Well .......
Planes are one thing, but armour brings a whole 'nother thing
Hope you guys get your pictures. I hope to see pic.s of new armour Be even nicer to see new KTs in my hands. Then I can replay the battle of battle of Arden Also be intresting to see my tanks lined up in formation, guess I'll have to do it outdoors due to lack of floor space Da General

[tko211]

I didn't think that anyone was "bashing" here. I think it was just a hope to see where the project was and as sabre fan point out, perhaps just give us a taste of what we can expect to see with all the changes that have been made. -Thats what I got out of it. I for one, would also like to see the current state of the Dauntless. Not out of any intent to stir a pot but because I would welcome it's release!

The progress reports are good and helpful, and each company goes about that process in the ways that it makes the most sense to them. 21st chooses to feed information / photos via AREA-21 and at present, myself. Admiral chooses to come right on the boards and give us verbal updates with occasional pictures when they can. BBI just releases stuff at random and without any warning or communication!

So no matter how we get the information it's just simply a request to see if there is any new stuff to look at. Anyhow, that was what I took from it.

[VMF115]

I just want to see pictures of the SBD

[CW4USARMY]

I didn't think that anyone was "bashing" here. I think it was just a hope to see where the project was and as sabre fan point out, perhaps just give us a taste of what we can expect to see with all the changes that have been made. -Thats what I got out of it. I for one, would also like to see the current state of the Dauntless. Not out of any intent to stir a pot but because I would welcome it's release!

The progress reports are good and helpful, and each company goes about that process in the ways that it makes the most sense to them. 21st chooses to feed information / photos via AREA-21 and at present, myself. Admiral chooses to come right on the boards and give us verbal updates with occasional pictures when they can. BBI just releases stuff at random and without any warning or communication!

So no matter how we get the information it's just simply a request to see if there is any new stuff to look at. Anyhow, that was what I took from it.

Good points, Admiral's news about the Dauntless is 6 weeks old. Can we get any pics or progress from 21st about the F-4, Mig-21 or B-25 seeing how that information is 10 months old?

[Birddog]

I'm definitely sure we will see pictures in due time and hopefully of a painted one. We have to remember what Jason told us about the revising they did concerning certain areas and then think about how those revisions will affect other areas on the SBD as well. I'm sure a ton of spin off work has gone into making just the height changes to the stance of the SBD. Think about what all has to be changed in other areas with just extending the length of the landing gear struts.....

The wait will be worth it in my opinion...

[mkxiv]

Threetoughtrucks Wrote

I am not upset with Admiral or their products. I have three 1/18 planes, two of them are Admiral. My rant has been about the etailer selling the SBD. They demanded a full price pre-order deposit in January 2007. Like a dope, when other etailers are taking a $5 or $10 pre-order deposits for much more expensive 1/6 toys or dollies, I gave the full price to them. Now, it's a year later and still no SBD is in sight.

Threetoughtrucks,

We do not demand or even recommend that someone pay for a pre-order. The only way you will be charged for a pre-order would be if you chose to pay by Paypal or requested to have your Credit Card charged. On the SBD pre-order it clearly states in red text to not use Paypal. If some has mistakenly used paypal and has been charged we gladly refund the payment. You can always give us a call if you have a problem with us. You will find that we are only interested in making you happy!

Isaiah
www.MilitaryToyShop.com
937-320-1428

[Jason of Admiral Toys]

I wanted to give you a little look into how we made this aircraft and to show you why at times it takes a little longer then you expect to have a completed model.

One of the largest obstacles is to satisfy the demands from the collectors that expect the most accurate aircraft possible for a cheap price. This is not the easiest process. There are no less then 300 parts to each one of our aircrafts. Having these parts come together to form a accurate model takes some time.

You may ask how I design these aircrafts. What sources we use to produce a model. Well here are just a couple of the photos from my personal files that were used to make the SBD. These are just 5 or 6 photos of no less then 1000 photos and materials used in the design of the SBD. It takes a while for China to grasp the concept of a project. Funny story as an interlude: I was in China looking at the ME 262 a couple of years ago and did not like the gaps on the engines where they met up with the wings. I explained the problem and their response was. “We have to have this gap to get the bombs off the wing.” I went on to explain that those were engines and they were to be permanently affixed to the aircraft… So you see. We have people making these models that have never been on an airplane, and no doubt had never seen a 262 or SBD in their lives. It takes some time to get on the same page. Asking our master modelers to change one panel line takes about 5 pages of drawings, photos and explanation from me, 9,000 miles away.

This being said, here is some examples of the notes we send back and forth and a look at a model in its early stages.



This is a photo of the SBD 3 variant propeller. You may notice in the background a photo of the real thing. We use a lot of photos to produce these models. Many companies simple send a 1:32 scale model and say copy… yes this is easier, but you get the mistakes in those models that the original company incorporated. We prefer to use photos and drawings of the actual subject. I think this makes our models kind of special. We truly make a SBD from nothing.

If you can read Chinese then you have an insight into what the revisions were.



Here is a photo of the SBD 5 variant propeller that will come out soon after the 3. Again, notice in the background the photo of the original. Walk around books are a life saver in this industry.


Preliminary photo of the bombs for the SBD

No you may say that was easy. What else can come from this photo and file? Well let me explain. We have a pretty good example from this photo. I was happy with it, but I did have them narrow down the thickness of the fins, and changed the shape of the propeller on the bomb. Then we have to make decisions. How are we going to attach this bomb to the aircraft? The hard points, should we have them removable? We decided that they will be permanently attached at the factory on this model. Then we have to decide how to attach the bomb to the hard points. Do we use the peg and hole design? No, my BBI F-16 told me that this will not work. Do we use a post and notch design, like on our F-86? No, after several production runs those things seem to move, expand, contract and just flat out frustrate us. So we decided to use a fastener that allows for the bomb to clamp onto the hard point. This allows for a very realistic design that works well. But now we have a problem. We can not clip ABS plastic to ABS plastic. Therefore one piece has to be ABS and the other PVC, or soft plastic. This allows for a Squeeze, Grasping Clamping Type Attachment Point, I coined that name. You may not use it without my expressed consent. So you can see that there are a lot of decisions that must go into a simple little part. Imagine the discussions 21st had regarding the folding mechanism on their beautiful Avenger…


In this photo I am explaining that the thickness of the cowling wall must be thinner. If it was already tooled we would be in trouble at this point. But at this stage the master modeler simply takes a file and shaves off the wall to the desired thickness. Every millimeter of this aircraft is looked over for the smallest modifications. Get them done while you can because these things are pretty much written in stone (steal) once they are tooled.


Early photo of the interior

Notice a little surprise that has not been mentioned by me? Someone find the special touch that is apparent from this photo.


Further along in the process you can see more of the detail has been added. Yes there will be gun handles in the aircraft. Those are separate pieces that are added later.


Here is a photo of a cowling in mid modification. The vents were not correct so I had them change the thickness and shape. Notice all the modelers clay that is used to fill, shape and modify the parts. This is sanded off to the desired shapes and design.


Here is the same cowling as above in a mid modified form. Even after all that sanding and talks about shape of the vents I am not satisfied with this photo. You can see that a panel line is not completed, and the length of the cowling protuberance is not correct. It has been modified. Sorry, it was done on computer and I do not have a photo to show you. But you can see from the above photo, it looks pretty good without the modifications.


Paint master for the Military Toy Shop's SBD. It is a great aircraft with a historical past. This is a pretty cool plane.


Pretty nice 1:1 display of the SBD, well A-24 Banshee. I used a lot of photos from this aircraft to assist the factory in some of the fine details of the SBD. Notice its short stance. And this is a museum piece with no fuel and no live bombs. Not a very tall aircraft.

So you can see that a lot of work goes into the model. It has taken longer then expected and we are disappointed in that fact. But this board has a lot to do with the delay. As stated in my quote in an above post, we redesigned the tires, wheels, struts, wheel wells, and wings to give it a better stance, per your request. If you think it takes a lot of steps to determine how to attach a little bomb, imagine the discussions on an entire underside overhaul! But it is well worth it. We want to give you a model that you like and appreciate.

I am sorry that this is not exactly what you wanted from this post, but I wanted to give you at least a glimpse into the SBD and its development. It is underway and will be out when it is ready. Can I give you a date, no. But I promise you that we are working on it as fast a possible without sacrificing quality. It will be ready for T1 injection soon. After that you will start to see more information and final examples of the aircraft. T1 is a technical injection to see how the molds are taking the plastic.

Now in defense of Military Toys Shop, they are a great group of guys and they put up a lot of money out of their own pockets to fund the initial project. This is a very expensive project and with their assistance, together, we are making the SBD a possibility in 1:18. I understand your frustration with pre-orders, but I promise you that it is no where near the frustration The Military Toys Shop is experiencing. They just want to give you a great model. However the ball is in Admiral Toys' court. Blame me for your frustrations. I will work as hard as possible to remedy the delays.

P.S.
It took me a long time to write this post so I missed out on what Isaiah said in response to this thread. See I told you they are a great group of guys to deal with! Great customer feed back Isaiah. Keep up the good work over there. Your model is coming as soon as possible.

Regards,
Jason

[GooglyDoogly]

Niceeeeeee..........

I don't mind the delays, especially when I know the delays was because the manufacturer actually listen to us collectors and use our input to make the products that we will buy better.

What I don't like is questionable delays then the product we get is the same product that was shown to us previously, with no signs of improvement.

Thanks for the glimpse, Jason. I know that these are merely "toys", but you are definitely pushing the envelope in terms of accuracy and details.

[digger]

WOW - Great insight Jason. Thanks for taking the time. Man that plane looks so ready to be the 1:18 crown jewel. That is, until the A-1 arrives.

Great stuff!

[Birddog]

Thanks as always Jason!!.....

[Killerf6]

Jason, thanks for the insight, as always you go above and beyond.

Some people don't have any patience, and expect instant gratification. They then are the first to complain that the subject is not perfect to the full scale example, or it cost too much.

Admiral toys could be like some of the other manufacturers and not say anything at all until the toy is released, or promise something that is nothing more than smoke and mirrors. Fortunatly Jason, and Admiral toys is not like that.

I am confident that when the dauntless is released it will be an amazing model. I am anxiously looking forward to it's release.

[Threetoughtrucks]

When you make a mistake, you make a mistake.

If the mistake is corrected and you don't acknowledge it you are a dope.

TTT is hardheaded, subject to brain farts, a great looking guy but is no dope. Just ask me and if you don't believe me, ask my Grandcrumsnacher.

Within minutes of reading Jason and Isaiah's (MTS) post. I called MTS, and not only did MTS refund my deposit, but Isaiah said he would keep me on the list when the SBD comes out. A gentleman. Thank you.

I am a happy camper and it sure is nice having such nice people in our hobby.

TTT

[MG-42]

* * * AMEN TO THAT ! ! ! * * *


Mitch v MG

[VMF115]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU JASON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[olifant]

To parrot everyone else, thank you Jason. I will continue to support AT future releases in no small part to your always honest and forthcoming communication with us here.