Small Scale Military Headquarters

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... =1168&rd=1 hmmm...

Very interesting! Is this a 1:16 Trumpeter model or something??

-Ski

Didn't aferg buy almost something exactly like this not to long ago???

I think he did

yes i bought one a few weeks ago. It's nice...a bit crude. I plan to drench it in lots of mud to cover up some of the crudeness.

Scale-wise it's pretty good in length. Width and height-wise it's too big but that's because of the tracks which are far too wide and far too thick. If you can put narrower, thinner tracks on it will be pretty close to 1/18.

Trouble is the tracks are metal and are really on hard. I dont know if i can get them off without breaking the running gear.


I may just sink it in a muddy base to make it sit lower and live with the fact it is way too wide...

I paid about $40 for mine.......i'm pleased with it, given the the fact it's something we're not likely to ever see in this scale. Only moving part is the turret rotates.

Aferg,

hiow well is it made? Aside from the scale isues is it pretty good? I was a little confused by your use of the word "crude"

~Jay

well, it's a bit crude.

meaning close up it looks like it's hand made out of bits of metal.....certainly not of XD quality. But from a few feet away it looks good. As i said i'm going to be generous with mud to cover some of the crudeness up, which is noticable on some panel gaps, corners etc. I may replace a few bits too eg gun barrel. I may repaint it too..

The hull is actually too wide so even replacing the tracks (if you can) will not fully resolve the width issues.

It depends on how picky you are i guess. It's an approximately 1/18 scale Renault tank, scratch built from metal, by someone of average skills. Given that the only other way one is likely to be able to get an FT17 in their collection is by making it themselves or via a paper model, this is a pretty good alternative in my books.

Thanks for the clarification on that one. It just wasnt clickin in my brain how to take that one. i guess im a little slow at times. I remember Cole Palen's Renault from bein a kid and goin to Rheinbeck (and goin when not a kid anymore) so it peaked my interest.

~Jay

The Renault brings up an interesting question. Is there a market for XD scale WWI planes, tanks, and figs? It certainly perks my interest but is there a big enough market for it? I tend to think so but I was curoius as to what you guys thought.

There was discussion at the Toy Fair about doing 1:18 WWI aircraft. There is always that possibility. I definately would be interested! Could you imagine the re-paint potential of just the DRI alone?

-Ski

size wise they are a good choice for this scale but personally i doubt we'll see them. WWI model aircraft kits are not overly popular, and i dont think most people would be forking over money at WM for WWI fighters....just not enough pizzaz for the average joe.

Personally i think WWI flyers were incredibly brave, going up in flimsy aircraft, almost never wearing a parachute and i find the era fascinating.

Sadly there is only one of me (from a buying power perspective)..

I suspect we might see a Red Baron down the line. Plenty of recognition worldwide, and as Aferg said a good size for this scale. Eventually, the companies will have to stop making Mustangs & Corsairs.

yes that's true....but i fear when they stop making 'Mustangs and Corsairs' they'll stop making planes in this scale altogether...

Yes the Red Baron's plane is a great choice....trouble is then what? Repaints of other Fokker Triplanes will not be very recognizable and planes in this scale really depend on repaints. Even BBI does lots of repaints on their planes...they're just usually in the form of exclusives.

aferguson wrote:yes that's true....but i fear when they stop making 'Mustangs and Corsairs' they'll stop making planes in this scale altogether...

Whatever happened to: "maybe a couple of aircraft and one new piece of armor a year but this will continue on for many years."?

If they do any WWI plane and don't do the Red Baron it would be senseless. The most famous fighter pilot ever? Hmmm...something tells me that would be a good one to make....

i HOPE they keep making one or two airplanes a year and maybe a piece of armour and this will continue on for many years..

i FEAR that after the super well known planes are covered, like the Mustang and the Corsair etc, that production will cease..

I really can't ever imagine seeing anywhere near the variety in aircraft types that are present in other scales like 1/32 and 1/48. The poor sales performance of the 190D pretty much demonstrates that.

However, hope springs eternal..