Luft expert at it again

pickelhaube · Post by **pickelhaube** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 7:35 pm

http://cgi.ebay.com/1-18-1-16-Ultimate- ... 286.c0.m14

Another squiggly masterpiece

[CAT]CplSlade · Post by **[CAT]CplSlade** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 7:52 pm

Never having customized a model I ask out of ignorance - should I be able to tell the kill markings under the canopy on the right-hand side are a decal? Isn't there a solution one can apply to decals to help them adhere and blend better with the plastic and paint?

I mean, for $250 I would think so.

His stuff always looks like a model to me. Even when I squint. Other folk's stuff (such as our own Cabe) look more realistic, at least to me.

Post by **aferguson** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 7:52 pm

and again with the enormous bids.

kduck · Post by **kduck** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 4:14 am

[CAT]CplSlade wrote:Never having customized a model I ask out of ignorance - should I be able to tell the kill markings under the canopy on the right-hand side are a decal? Isn't there a solution one can apply to decals to help them adhere and blend better with the plastic and paint?

It's called Solvaset and it works quite well if used properly.

You have to give this guy credit though. His stuff might not be that accurate and he's obviously more of a BS expert than he is a Luftwaffe expert but he knows his target audience quite well considering the enormous sums he sells his customs for. He even rapes them on the shipping but they seem to come back for more.

BTW he probably has actually had work published in FSM. You don't have to be an expert modeller to get a picture published in the reader gallery

. Also for what it's worth I had a tip published in the Tips section of the magazine about 20 years ago. Of course I don't go around telling people I've been published in FSM magazine

Post by **aferguson** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 5:29 am

if you look through his feedback he has a couple of buyers who have bought many, many of his customs. So he's either lucked out with some wealthy, non-discriminating customers or they are shills.

Whatever, while imaginative, his customs are not worth half what he seems to get for them.

RAD 2112 · Post by **RAD 2112** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 9:12 am

It looks like he drew the squiggle camo with a paint pen.

GooglyDoogly · Post by **GooglyDoogly** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:53 am

[CAT]CplSlade wrote:Never having customized a model I ask out of ignorance - should I be able to tell the kill markings under the canopy on the right-hand side are a decal? Isn't there a solution one can apply to decals to help them adhere and blend better with the plastic and paint?

First, spray the area where you're going to put the decal with high gloss coat. Decals adhere to glossy surface better, and will prevent slivering.

You can also use stuff like microsol, so the decal would adhere to uneven surface better.

GooglyDoogly · Post by **GooglyDoogly** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:55 am

I want to email him and ask him if he could make a Luftwaffe bird with a different camo pattern for a change!

Jackson · Post by **Jackson** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 12:22 pm

vmf214 · Post by **vmf214** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 1:41 pm

He's not too much of a professional but plays one on ebay... Not too concerned about ebay's keyword spamming policy is he.. What a chucklehead.

pickelhaube · Post by **pickelhaube** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 3:53 pm

He states in the text that the 190 D was experamental. I can't find proof of this. But I do know that there would no kill markings. Experament does not meen that it saw combat.

Cabe · Post by **Cabe** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 5:55 pm

hey thanks for the unsolicited compliment on my modeling skills!
now i am going to go look at the monster plane you link of.

Cabe · Post by **Cabe** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 6:02 pm

Ok I went and looked at it and it seems to me that it looks exactly like his last but not a 109.
Help me understand something here. his guy can whip out his mini paint roller he is so proud of that he cannot seem to avoid using for all camo applications and throws it up on ebay and immediately gets a bid on his $200+ custom,
but i can spend a month on my tiger tank recently put up for sale, weathering, apply layers and filters and washes and pigments, apply decals using future micro sol and micro set. Custom the begeezjus out of it without actually getting into altering it and I throw it on ebay and with a $100 opening bid and a $200 buy it now I get zip zero nada, and after 3 tries I give up and owe ebay for the listings.

I need to go buy a small paint roller.

ChairmanMilo · Post by **ChairmanMilo** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 11:23 pm

That's because you're not shill bidding mate

I doubt there are many collectors out there silly enough to bid on this nonsense.

ostketten · Post by **ostketten** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 5:36 am

I need to go buy a small paint roller.

Don't get discouraged, I think the timing may have just not been right for your Tiger, and under other circumstances I could see it fetching $200. You might consider waiting a little while (say a month or so) and relisting it at the lowest opening bid you'd be willing to accept, then just wait and see where the bidding takes you, but I would avoid a BIN option, at least give that a try, you couldn't do any worse. As for this bird, the camo pattern is kind of eye catching, but I personally think it would look much better if it had been airbrushed instead of hand painted (rollered) or whatever similar method he used.

Post by **aferguson** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 6:20 am

to my knowledge there were no 190D night fighters, experimental or otherwise but it is possible that there was one. There were earlier model 190 night fighters, so it's possible a D was used too. And germans tested experimental aircraft in combat all the time, and even scored kills with them, so even that is not impossible. It wouldn't be a personal mount for any pilot though, so kill markings are not likely.

But i think in the final analysis this is an obvious piece of nonsense that the seller is trying to pass off as authentically historically accurate. And i'm sure the only people that bid on his items are him, or friends of him.

The thing is it costs him money in listing fees and FV fees every time he does this and i never see his items relisted. So something is up. Maybe it's a little kid making these and the bidders are his dad, who puts the money in his college fund.

Light.Inf.Scout · Post by **Light.Inf.Scout** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 6:28 am

LOL - yeah it seems someone is buying them. I checked for re listings too and there are none that I can find. He must have a few rich, none ww2 expert, friends.

vmf214 · Post by **vmf214** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 11:20 am

The plane has to be correct afterall he is a "professional on the Luftwaffe and WW2"...

If he sells at least one of his masterpieces then he more than makes up for an fees incurred thru ebay. If they are real buyers then they are more concerned for having a "custom" obviously then something historically accurate. The guy is just baffling with bs and his descriptions are humorous. I bet he owns the pistol Hitler shot himself with too, maybe even some saliva drool from the cynide capsule he chomped...

vmf214 · Post by **vmf214** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 11:38 am

Just a point of interest the bidder on this custom appears to be the same bidder on one of the Tender Terrors on ebay. Maybe just coincidence as I know the letters and asterisks used to hide the users true userid are random, the "secret ebay" user id is the same as well as the feedback. Maybe it is some wealthy dude(s) that don't care for accuracy buying everything this guy makes...

kimtheredxd · Post by **kimtheredxd** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 7:10 am

Maybe brujojimbo is a legit buyer. He/She buys a lot of pricey 1/18 custom stuff if you look at the feedback. Even bought a few planes from airstrike toys.

Post by **aferguson** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 7:12 am

well after extensive research i couldn't find any reference to a FW-190D night fighter, experimental or otherwise. Given the late war appearance of the D, there would really be no need to try it out as a night fighter, given there were faster (262) or more capable (He-219) planes already available for night fighting. The A's were needed as night fighters back in 43 because of the RAF's use of Window, which blinded radars for a time, so visual wild boar tactics using day fighters were all that was available.

I did however, find this on the Fw-380 zwillig. Perhaps his next custom?

http://discaircraft.greyfalcon.us/FOCKEWULF%20FW.htm

Grilledcheese · Post by **Grilledcheese** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 11:52 am

I did however, find this on the Fw-380 zwillig. Perhaps his next custom?

http://discaircraft.greyfalcon.us/FOCKEWULF%20FW.htm

Hee-hee, good one. At first I didn't notice the "Fictional Story and Model" bit at the top of that page. Maybe our illustrious Luftwaffe Expert Customizer won't notice it either.

Jeffrey

AirstrikeToys · Post by **AirstrikeToys** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 12:33 pm

kimtheredxd wrote:Maybe brujojimbo is a legit buyer. He/She buys a lot of pricey 1/18 custom stuff if you look at the feedback. Even bought a few planes from airstrike toys.

I don't know much about this customizer but I can tell you that BrujoJimbo is a legit buyer. He has bought a lot of planes from me and one of my best customers.

olifant · Post by **olifant** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 5:29 pm

AirstrikeToys wrote:
kimtheredxd wrote:Maybe brujojimbo is a legit buyer. He/She buys a lot of pricey 1/18 custom stuff if you look at the feedback. Even bought a few planes from airstrike toys.
I don't know much about this customizer but I can tell you that BrujoJimbo is a legit buyer. He has bought a lot of planes from me and one of my best customers.

You better ramp up production. If he is buying these low quality knock-off "customs" because you aren't pumping stuff out fast enough you are leaving money on the table!

AirstrikeToys · Post by **AirstrikeToys** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 11:25 pm

olifant wrote:
AirstrikeToys wrote: I don't know much about this customizer but I can tell you that BrujoJimbo is a legit buyer. He has bought a lot of planes from me and one of my best customers.
You better ramp up production. If he is buying these low quality knock-off "customs" because you aren't pumping stuff out fast enough you are leaving money on the table!

I hear ya! I'm working away. There is A LOT in the pipeline. Right now working on filling all of the orders...