by hasegawa » Sun Apr 19, 2020 10:20 am
Carl... First is Tamiya. I like Finemold, Hasegawa and Fujimi, but they are a bit outiside of my wallet. Sometimes moulds are exchanged and Revell buys those from Hasegawa. So you can get good kits quite cheap if you know where the moulds come from. Therefore I also read model building magazines from time to time and ask my dealer. But after many usual kits of Spitfires, Mustangs, Messerschmidt Bf 109 I now build the exotics. There are some companies from the Czech Republic and Russia that you should look at on a case-by-case basis.
Examples:
AML from the Czech Republic
The most beautiful Fiat G. 50 and G. 50bis Frecia, the first monoplane fighter of the Italian Regia Aeronautica (Mussolini Air Force), 1938, tested in the Spanish Civil War
The Mitsubishi A6M-2K, the training double seater of the Mitsubishi A6M2 Modell 21 (Zero) 1944
Nakajima Ki 43-III-Ko Hayabusa, last Series of this type 1944/45
Messerschmitt Bf 109D, used in Spain by the Legion Condor and also in Switzerland, 1938
Curtiss H75A-4 "Mohawk" IV Export Version of the P-36, used by the RAF in Burma 1942-44
RS Models
Nakajima Ki 27 3 different Versions and the Manshu Ki 79-Trainer, Chalchin Gol Conflict with the USSR, Mai 1939, later in China and by the Royal Thai Air Force under the Japanese 1941/43, Trainer used in Manchuko and as Kamikaze
Bell P-39 Airacobra D/E/F, Bell P-400/Aircobra Mk I, Bell P-39l/N,and P-39Q, best P-39 in 1:72
MPM Cech Republik
Meanwhile acceptable.
Boulton Paul "Defiant" Mk. I
Seversky P-35
Curtiss Hawk III, flown by the Chinese Kuomintang Air Force against the Japanese.
Curtiss-Wright CW-21B "Demon", Fighter aircraft used by the Netherlands East India Air Force 1941/42
Curtiss P-40F-5 "Warhawk" one off the lesser known Variants wiith Packard Merlin (build under License from Rolls-Royce) in the United States, Flown by USAAF, RAF and the Free French Air Force in North Africa.
I.A.R. 80A, a nice little Fighter build in Romania, 1941
Sword Czech Republic
Vultee P-66 Vanguard, used in China, by the RCAF and USAAF in small numbers. 144 build
A typical Hurricane of the first delivery series, with fixed 2-blade propeller and wings made of wood with fabric covering.used by the RAF in France, Mai 1940
Messerschmitt Bf 109T-0 Proptotyp, TK+HM used for trials mit Hook-landings.
Toko/Russia
3 different Bell-63 "Kingcobra" Bell P3A used in Russia 1944/45, Bell P-63C Free French Air Force, later used in the Indochina WAr, Bell-P39G "Flying Pinball" used as Target-Trainer for B-17-Crews.
Amodel/Russia
Messerschmidt Bf 109T-1 Fighter for the german Aircraft Carrier "Graf Zeppelin" 68 build by Fieseler and used in Norway and Germany 1941-1945. The Graf Zeppelin was stopped to build 1943.
Polikarpov I-17, Prototyp. Exibited in Mailand, 1936
Hope Some ideas...