Beginnings of my 1:144 aircraft fleet

[Epap]

It took me the better part of 18 years to build up this collection and my current practice is far more selective when it comes to buying new items. At the outset, I thought nothing of purchasing 4-5 examples of many of the Corgi, Matchbox, Dragon and, later, the IXO pieces, and lots of my early models were repaints. Now, I go in for diecasts that give me "unusual subjects" rather than yet another P-51.

[JollyRoger]

WHOLLY MACKEREL! I thought we had a lot. We bow to a master. Very nice collection and great looking showcases.

[The_Helicopter_Pilot]

I'm speechless....

[Dauntless]

That's quite the collection Epap.

Didn't know you also had quite an impressive collection of 1:144 aircraft too.

[Epap]

That's quite the collection Epap.

Didn't know you also had quite an impressive collection of 1:144 aircraft too.

Thanks, D. Yep, I have about 100 of them, mostly Atlas, IXO and Corgi. If we count those that are pretty close----like some of the Hachette, DeAgostini and Model Power items, the number goes up to about 125 or so.

[Dauntless]

The IXO Cant Z 1007 and Fiat BR.20 are pretty good models. The problem is that the factory didn't carry the white fuselage band all the way around---easily fixed---and the little blotches on the upper surface are far too pointy/sharp. To fix this I took red brown and olive green ( light Olive ) and dabbed it over the corresponding colors of the original camouflage, thereby softening the look. The Cant Z 506 sea plane is also a good buy. The picture, below, shows how the IXO Fiat and Cant ( middle of the picture ) look after such treatment:

Is the Deagostini Cant Z 1007 (on the far right rear) the new co-beligerant one, and been repainted mottled green, with axis decals?

Like the added brown mottle on the IXO Fiat and Cant.

I've looked at the Cafereo SM79's Aferg, they look nicely detailed with a top gunner, but if as you say the colors are off.
How about the secret/ special German version SM79 torpedo bomber?
Might just get the IXO/ Altaya version (in Epaps pic top upper right) but want a torpedo version.

Still have to get the night Wellington first before any Coastal Command. I'd seen someone over at Kamfgroupe re-painted grey and green on a CC Halifax a while back when I was looking for reviews.

[Epap]

The IXO Cant Z 1007 and Fiat BR.20 are pretty good models. The problem is that the factory didn't carry the white fuselage band all the way around---easily fixed---and the little blotches on the upper surface are far too pointy/sharp. To fix this I took red brown and olive green ( light Olive ) and dabbed it over the corresponding colors of the original camouflage, thereby softening the look. The Cant Z 506 sea plane is also a good buy. The picture, below, shows how the IXO Fiat and Cant ( middle of the picture ) look after such treatment:

Is the Deagostini Cant Z 1007 (on the far right rear) the new co-beligerant one, and been repainted mottled green, with axis decals?

Like the added brown mottle on the IXO Fiat and Cant.

I've looked at the Cafereo SM79's Aferg, they look nicely detailed with a top gunner, but if as you say the colors are off.
How about the secret/ special German version SM79 torpedo bomber?
Might just get the IXO/ Altaya version (in Epaps pic top upper right) but want a torpedo version.

Still have to get the night Wellington first before any Coastal Command. I'd seen someone over at Kamfgroupe re-painted grey and green on a CC Halifax a while back when I was looking for reviews.

Yes, the Cant with the twin tails is the Atlas model with an antenna added and a total repaint using a green and brown blotch motif on its upper surfaces. The SM-79 you refer to is a GE-Fabbri/LeoModel rendition that has been completely redone. Right in front of it is a Fiat BR.20 from the same series, with some of its upper surface colors softened a tad. Right in front of that is a Cant from the same line---also with its topside colors softened.

[jlspec]

I just palced an order from Radjapan for some F-toys. They also had a company, Algernon, listed that i had not heard of before. Did Algernon take over for Cafereo?

[aferguson]

yes Algernon took over Cafereo, but now it seems they too have gone out of the 1/144 business as nothing has been heard from them for well over a year now.

[aferguson]

i just bought some Deagostini Russian jet fighters. I've seen them on ebay before but sellers usually want around $45 shipped for them. But i found a new seller and i was able to snag 3, a mig 25, mig 31 and su 34 for $25 each with combined shipping.

They're 1/150 scale not 1/144 but i find that little of a difference in scale is virtually un-noticable in this small scale. It's less than the difference between 1/72 and 1/76 and harder to spot because of the small scale.

Anyway, here's a link to him. He's jacked up his prices a tad. I was able to get the Su and Mig 31 for $18 each on auction and the mig 25 for $22. He seems to vary his prices depending whether things sell or not, so if you wait a bit you can get them for a little cheaper probably.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/vz.199/m.html?_ ... 1439.l2654

[Epap]

If you want a fairly decent Mig-17 don't touch the DeAgostini version. The Italeri rendition has all of the missing parts----canons, antenna and pitot heads-----and some color it its "scheme". Also, stay away from the DeAgostini IL-4, which has a bad fit where the upper and lower fuselage meet under its "chin";the Atlas model, despite its lousy undercarriage, is better. The DeAgostini PE-2 is, I'm afraid, the only game in town . It's scheme stinks and it's tailplanes are dead flat horizontal when they should slant upwards. I bent those on my example and gave it a new paint job so it now passes muster.

[Dauntless]

The new F-Toys Attack bomber set is starting to show up at auction and a couple places online.



I ordered the Korean War USAF black A-26. Like to get at least one of each of the Jap bombers in this set.

Not sure what the "secret" bomber is?

[aferguson]

my hunch is that the secret bomber is a wwii a-26, since all the others are post war. But that's just a guess.

what's the story behind the black a-26? I don't know much about post war a-26's.

[Dauntless]

Don't know much about the Korean conflict myself, but apparently the A-26 was very successful there. The black ones were obviously for night attack.
http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft ... raft_id=91
These ones have the glass nose, got two of the IXO/ Altaya snub nosed ones from WWII, so thought could at least get one. This one looks quite different from either.


Found a link (courtesy of Kamfgroupe) that shows the secret versions. Doesn't look like a WWII A-26, though it's a Brit version so?
None of the other ones are that thrilling.
http://ameblo.jp/niitakayama/entry-11426985277.html

[aferguson]

yeah a british version, odd choice. There were glass nosed a-26's used in wwii i think.

the Nell with green surrender crosses is interesting. I've seen Betty's with those but never a Nell.

[Dauntless]

After further reading, I guess the Brits were trying out the A-26 in 1945, but they never saw action from what I understand.
Seen the "secret" white Betty available. For some reason not interested in any surrender aircraft, My first choices would be aircraft that saw some action. Would like one of those other Nells, or an IXO/ Altaya if I can get it cheap enough though.

I did order the F-Toys green Betty a couple of days ago. Too bad can't get the one with the Ohka bomb on it. Another secret/ special long gone.

Just got my shipment from Hong Kong today, with an F-Toys Lancaster, Cafereo HE-177 Grief, Emily, and the D-Day C-47.

[jlspec]

I recieved my shipment from England today. Added the Altaya G3M Nell, Ki-49 Helen, and DeAgostini Ki-21 Sally. The Sally was much nicer than I expected after all the negatives about DeAgostini.
These are added to my other diecast acquisitions this year. Altaya PBM mariner, Amercom PBY Catalina, PB2Y Coronado, and H8K Emily.
Also Picked up Cafereo Big Bird Vol 5 PBY Catalina (1b) and H6K5 Mavis (1a). F-Toys Wing Collection 8 - P-51B 2A (Ding Hao) and P-51B Secret.

[Dauntless]

Quite a hall there jlspec. Don't have many of those except the Mariner and Coronado.
A lot of good IXO/ Altaya across the pond if you can get a deal on shipping.

Are you relatively new to the 1:144 scale like me?

How do you like that Nell? I almost want both the new F-Toys in green and an IXO/ Altaya in the camouflage, like I'm doing with the Betty.

[jlspec]

Quite a hall there jlspec. Don't have many of those except the Mariner and Coronado.
A lot of good IXO/ Altaya across the pond if you can get a deal on shipping.

Are you relatively new to the 1:144 scale like me?

How do you like that Nell? I almost want both the new F-Toys in green and an IXO/ Altaya in the camouflage, like I'm doing with the Betty.

I like the Nell also but I expected it to be pretty good. I have not yet compared it to the the F-Toys Nell
I have been collecting 1/144 for several years, mostly the 21st Century, F-toys and Cafereo. I have close to 100 1/144 models. I bought my first 1/144 diecast after the first of the year mostly because of some good prices from Poland and the UK and this thread providing alot of information. I realized my model budget and space goes alot further with 1/144. Plus I really like the variety. I will probably use my budget for the other scales when I see a release I like (The Corgi B-25 later this spring)

[aferguson]

The F Toys Nell comes in camouflage too. In fact it represents a plane that took part in the famous attack on the british battleship Repulse in the early stages of the war.

Dauntless: I know you were thinking of and wishing you'd gotten the He-177 from Altaya, because it has the Fritz X guided bombs. This information may change your mind, it did mine, especially the last sentence:

"The only Luftwaffe unit to deploy the Fritz-X was Gruppe III of Kampfgeschwader 100 Wiking (Viking), designated III./KG 100. This unit employed the medium range Dornier Do 217K-2 bomber on almost all of its attack missions, though in a few cases toward the end of its deployment history, Dornier Do 217K-3 and M-11 variants were also used. Fritz-X had been initially tested with a Heinkel He 111 bomber, although it was never taken into combat by this aircraft. A few special variants of the Heinkel He 177 long-range bomber were equipped with the Kehl transmitter and proper bombracks to carry Fritz-X, but it appears this airframe/ordance combination never saw combat."

So, unless you want to pay $30 for just the Fritz X bombs and then graft them onto a custom Do-217K or M, there's really not a lot of point in getting it.

Oh and i thought this was interesting. Here is a respected modeller who has posted on the internet, his fine example of a He-177 equipped with Fritz X. Now based on the above information, it may be a bit fanciful, but no big deal. However, it's interesting to note, he put the wings on backwards on his Fritz X missiles. They should sweep forward, not backward, as he has them. Just goes to show, even the experts can make major boo-boo's.

http://modelingmadness.com/review/axis/ ... eno177.htm

[Dauntless]

Quite a hall there jlspec. Don't have many of those except the Mariner and Coronado.
A lot of good IXO/ Altaya across the pond if you can get a deal on shipping.

Are you relatively new to the 1:144 scale like me?

How do you like that Nell? I almost want both the new F-Toys in green and an IXO/ Altaya in the camouflage, like I'm doing with the Betty.

I like the Nell also but I expected it to be pretty good. I have not yet compared it to the the F-Toys Nell
I have been collecting 1/144 for several years, mostly the 21st Century, F-toys and Cafereo. I have close to 100 1/144 models. I bought my first 1/144 diecast after the first of the year mostly because of some good prices from Poland and the UK and this thread providing alot of information. I realized my model budget and space goes alot further with 1/144. Plus I really like the variety. I will probably use my budget for the other scales when I see a release I like (The Corgi B-25 later this spring)

Yeah not many people have the new F-Toys Nell I suspect as it just came out.

Sort of like you, but started collecting diecast 1:144 the latter part of last year. Collected 21stC planes since the beginning though, but 1:144 took a back seat to the large scales. I do still have a lot of my 1:144 21stC planes somewhere in a box I can't find.
The Cafereo, F-Toys came after the diecast models after reading the reviews and thirst for better versions and more diversity, and the prices are awesome for current stuff.

Started collecting 1:72 diecast a couple of years ago for the same reasons, but ran out of good stuff to buy or it just got too expensive. Always wanted to get bombers since the beginning and 1:144 seems to be the best for that these days for variety and budget concerns.
I will buy an occasional 1:72 now like the upcoming B-25, BF-109G, or a B-17 if Corgi makes one again.


Interesting info on the HE-177 Aferg. Guess the plane had a lot of problems. I didn't even know it was operational till I started reading up on it. It never got much of a chance to live up to it's full potential I guess.

The Do-217 on the other hand had a long and successful career. Might be cool to do a custom Do-217K with a Fritz-X. Looking for that variant the Deagostini is pretty much it.
Is it worth having, or another crappy Atlas mold?

[aferguson]

well, the problem with using the deagostini 217k is that the Fritz X was only carried by the do-217K-2 version which had wing tips extended by 20 feet. So you'd pretty much have to make whole new wings for it, if you want it to be accurate.

Best bet is to hope somebody makes a do-217k-2 some day and if they do, it will probably come with the Fritz X.

[Dauntless]

Yeah I'd buy one too.
Finding out all kinds of obscure German aircraft I never really did any research on. It's intriguing.

Looked at an IXO/ Altaya JU-188. Odd looking plane that deserves reading up on. Looks like some kind of night fighter.

[Epap]

Yeah I'd buy one too.
Finding out all kinds of obscure German aircraft I never really did any research on. It's intriguing.

Looked at an IXO/ Altaya JU-188. Odd looking plane that deserves reading up on. Looks like some kind of night fighter.

The JU-188 was basically an upgrade of the JU-88 and could perform many of the bomber version's roles. It's small, of course, but not a bad model. Also recommended from the IXO series are the JU-290, HE-115 and DO-24. The latter, in particular, apart from a slight misalignment of the fuselage markings is one of the better and more unusual items included in this series.

[aferguson]

the Ju-188 was basically a development of the Ju-88G, with redesigned nose for better pilot visibility (looks cool too). It was used a lot in the maritime role, for hunting surface ships and as a night bomber. Not sure if there was a night fighter variant or not, offhand.

I'd really like to see Altaya, or somebody, make a Ju-388. It was a high altitude recon. aircraft that came into service in the final weeks of the war and was supposedly untouchable, although a modified spitfire is credited with shooting one down by climbing to max altitude, pointing his nose straight up and firing off all his ammo and hoping for a lucky shot, which he got.


http://www.bushwoodbooks.co.uk/images/b ... 324292.jpg