Small Scale Military Headquarters

I'm sure this has been covered before but it comes up again now will the great news about the B-25.

It depends really on how you will display the plane. If it is hung from a cieling, do you need any interior at all? Maybe a fixed pilot who doesn't move...but would you pay extra for a detailed interior and crew? if nobody will ever see the detail going into the interior and a full crew.

My idea is a release of a plane like the B-25 or other twin if it's too tale (I hope, I hope) in two versions, one with no interior and one detailed at the increased cost to the manufacturer (and us)., the other version with no interior. Kind of like the few tanks we have with the turret interior. We know it's there but nobody see's it. Would we pay extra for it? I would gladly.

Alot of us will display our plane on a desk, table, wall at eye level, where a full interior and crew would be appreciated and we would gladly pay extra for that version..

Comments? or is this just another rant from the crazy old guy who collects toys and little people.

TTT

I am about the interior. For example with the B-25, I would want at least a detailed cockpit and bombbay. You need some interior details if you are doing a glass nose. And, if you are hanging it in a flying position, you might want to be able to have the bombbay doors open like she was going to lay the eggs.

3T....yes, a detailed interior would be great, and worth the extra dollar outlay/investment (meine Frau would dispute the latter) as far as I'm concerned. I LOVE details. Picture a He-111 with all that glass AND having a super detailed "front office"!!! Man, oh man

Good question and topic,

dV

Yea, I’m about the interior too. On such an aircraft as the B-25 I would almost expect it. The flight deck, navigator’s areas and bomb bay should all be detailed out. The rest of the fuselage doesn’t have to be but those areas are important. I would want to be able to access them as well. I would pay extra for it but I think it can be done with minimal cost. It doesn’t have to be super detailed. If we wanted something like that we could add it ourselves later. Just the basics for a good look.

definitely yes

phil

For the larger planes that people would go straight to and inspect in my 1:18 museum as I call it, then deffinately yes. The smaller ones I have noticed do not get looked over enough and just skimmed by.

Yes I would I also would like to see removable engine cowls.

I think after Jason from AT has seen and bought the Spitfire from Toy Fair, He may incorporate some of those things into their future work.

The Devil is in the details.... I think it is very important and a quality issue.

I think so too, interior is important. I also like the idea of removeable cowl panels, easy enough and shouldn't cost that much extra to provide being radials. Look at the 32x planes like the zero, darn nice engine but you can only see it from the front, I'm building one of the kits and it will have removeable cowling by the time I'm done with it.

I've said many times - leave out the interior if it drops the price. My biggest gripe was the detail of the BBi Zero interior that you can't even see on the assembled model. For something like the B25 that will be ceiling decoration for most, a detailed interior is like buying a car with 400 hp and can do 0-60 in 2 sec to go to the grocery store.

Well if you go by 21st's motto "XD - EXTREME DETAIL", then I think a plane with a detailed interior is a must.

But Morian Miner does bring up a valid point. We as collectors always demand more details, yet I noticed many of us are unwilling or unable to pay for it.

As the 1/18 market evolved, these are becoming less of a toy, and more like display models with their details. Hence, the increased price range.

We really can't have it both ways. You either want these things cheap and toy-like, or want them detailed and be fairly expensive.

I myself don't care for the price one way or another. It all depends on the subject. I wouldn't pay 15.99 for a Starfighter, but I'm willing to fork over 140 for a Phantom II (more for a Phantom in Israeli colors!!!)

I am not worried about the cost of the KT because all I need do is put $2 away each week & I will have money left over when its finally released, so you excited B25 fans can do the same & cost will not be a factor. Lets see Pak 40 halftrack announced August 06 @ $2 a week = until march 07 $64, yea more than enough, might even get two.

I have been wanting 2 versions of each plane since I started the hobby.
I just cant live with the fact that there are no opening engine covers!
Im even thinking of cutting up my Shmitts and Stangs to make my own engines

I for one am NOT interested in a detailed interier. Maybe a modest control panel and minor details. When the pilot is in the cockpit you really don't notice so why have it. Take the TIME and money spent on details and make another plane or tank. If it takes 2 or 3 years to make wings swing or fold back to heck with that noise . Make it simple stupid ,put more stuff out there. Get the outside right ( to scale) put a nice paint job on it and move on !!!!!!

On an aircraft this big, I would expect that it have an interior and that at least the cockpit be well detailed. This is 21st Century Toys, afterall! Now, it doesn't have to be something super-detailed like those professional 1:18 models, but if it was something along the lines of the Avenger's level of detail, I would be happy.

On a "standard" B-25 with glazed nose, detail would be needed in the bombadier compartment, the cockpit and the area just behind, including the turret. The tail gun position would need to be detailed as well as the bomb bay interior. Most of the aft section rear of the bombay would not need that much detail. The glass window pieces over the cockpit and nose would need to be single pieces that are removable so that the interior can be better accessed (like how the canopy comes off on the Avenger). The turret glass and tail gun canopy would also need to be removable. The forward and rear entry hatches would have to open. Waistguns, if included, would need to swivel, as would the tail gun.

Again, I want and expect this plane to have a decent interior. I don't care if I can see all of it, I just like knowing it is there!

Honestly I could take it either way. Mine almost certainly will be hanging from the ceiling with a Me-109 on it's tail. While detail is great, I really like the affordability of our hobby.

Mark

A detailed interior would be great with that greenhouse nose.

Even though most of my birds hang from the ceiling, I still like a pretty decent level of interior detail for visible areas. On a B-25, especially with a glazed nose, this becomes a bit more important. At the same time, do we need every wire, switch and contour? No. But a plain blank panel would be kind of pointlesss too. And details that would not be visible from the exterior seem kind of pointless.

An aircraft as big as the 1:18 are you would expect a fair amount of detail with a bigger static model/toy. I hope to see greater detail in the cockpit, engine bays, removable cowls, gun lockers, and access panels. Do we need every switch in the cockpit to be there? …No I don’t. But I do think we need more detail, and I think the companies are trying to give that to us.

All the extras take more time to develope. Every one would like a 1/18 Merlin or a BMW radial or Pratt and Whitney Wasp. Make those seperate. Offer them as add ons. Don't put them in the models . IT WILL SLOW DOWN PRODUCTION. Is a engine worth a 2 year delay NO !!

To answer your question, yes I would pay for a detailed interior. I would like it even better if they had detailed engines like a Merlin or Pratt and Whitney. Thats one of the big things in my book that are missing from the 1/18th planes. I know BBI was going to have a detailed engine with the F6F where you could remove the engine cowl and so fourth but BBI scapped the idea due to cost. In some ways I can understand that. But to see a Mustang with a removable engine cowl to show a detailed Merlin or an F6F/Corsair with the same feature would have been sweet as hell. But thats just me anyway. I pretty much super detail my favorite planes anyway and stop at the engine because I cant get to them and cant find anyone who will make a 1/18th Merlin or Pratt and Whitney. That being said though I would pay for more detail.

"Is a engine worth a 2 year delay NO !!"

It is for me

I would pay for detailed interiors, engines and landing gears. No problem.
They should make the best aircrafts in two versions : retail and super-detailed for collectors. The super-detailed could be more expensive and limited editions, I'm sure they would sell well.