[CLLCTR5]

Brent,

No hurry just get with me when your e-mail is back up.

Regarding the E200...I must say it is the only HE-111 I have ever been able to sell. I see the decaling process on the wings now but I have to state...I never noticed it before! The fact that our customers always chose E200 over the other 2 without one solitary complaint is a strange set of circumstances now that this has happened.

This is a slippery slope singling out one model like this, but I must also state for the record that I hooked up with TFM several years ago because I always loved their product and could not believe that they were offering it at the wholesale level (I think this was back in 1997)...I was absolutely giddy with excitement that our little mom-and-pop store would be able to display it amongst our other established items.

What I'm saying is...how can a model like E200 be so gratefully accepted by so many collectors and then BAM...someone notices the decals on the wing and suddenly all the air comes out of the sails. What I am saying is...yes...I notice the decals now, and it is a valid point...but for over a year I did not notice them...and I am a collector...not just a retailer. I have been collecting aviation items my whole life... in fact my dad one registered a patent for a very specific model aircraft display stand back in the 1960's. How does this happen?

I know I know...I'm just chalking it up to diversity. We all notice some things more than others. I tend to notice things like gun detail and (just for instance) and the difference between the flap hinges on the GMP P-51 and then the GMP P-40. Huge difference to my eye.

I know the design team at TFM very well (especially Joe Sellari) and I bet there is a very good reason (reason, not excuse) that they did not pad print the crosses on E200. I know that doesn't make it look any better but I'm sure there is a reason and when I find out I'll post it here.

Regards,

Randy

[Captain Eddie]

Welcome to the forum, CLLCTR5. It's always good to have a dealer's perspective on the forum, hope to hear from you in the future.

[CLLCTR5]

Thanks Eddie very much.

I understand message board protocol so I like to lend my perspective without making any kind of sales pitches. I work very closely with TFM and several other Preferred Partners mostly in the model automobile division...we even had our own exclusive Corvette 18 months ago and plan on doing more. We would probably already have another exclusive in place if it were not for the (4) monster snowstorms we had starting the week of Christmas (it completely ruined any chance we had at making reinvestment dollars).

We have a very big Armour, Corgi, IXO, GMP, and Hobby Master following at the local level. Ooops forgot Witty Wings. So I try to keep up to speed on that side of the hobby as well.

Thanks again to all this seems like a very nice place to be have a great weekend everybody!

P.S. Without going back over the terms and conditions here...is it ok to put my website address in my signature? Someone just asked me for it via PM so I thought I would ask if it can be visible here instead.

Also, I have a question about Armour boxes. You see...95% of our Armour sales are done locally and our customers have never required us to include that plain vanilla shipping sleeve that contains the Armour window box inside of it so we always throw it away. My question is...do some of you prefer that the item be shipped with that plain vanilla sleeve intact? We are extremely good at packaging items very safely when we do get requests but I thought I would ask some opinions here. Thanks!

[Captain Eddie]

As I would read forum rule #15, I believe you can post your web address as your signature, CLLCTR5.

[hworth18]

Originally Posted by CLLCTR5

P.S. Without going back over the terms and conditions here...is it ok to put my website address in my signature? Someone just asked me for it via PM so I thought I would ask if it can be visible here instead.

CLLCTR5, You can put your website address in your signature bar as long as it doesn't link to a direct sale page..

[mikeb1958]

Yes, I would love to see pics for this when you have time please. Thanks!

[Elmer]

Originally Posted by CLLCTR5

This is a slippery slope singling out one model like this... What I'm saying is...how can a model like E200 be so gratefully accepted by so many collectors and then BAM...someone notices the decals on the wing and suddenly all the air comes out of the sails. What I am saying is...yes...I notice the decals now, and it is a valid point...but for over a year I did not notice them...and I am a collector...not just a retailer. How does this happen?... I know the design team at TFM very well (especially Joe Sellari) and I bet there is a very good reason (reason, not excuse) that they did not pad print the crosses on E200. I know that doesn't make it look any better but I'm sure there is a reason and when I find out I'll post it here.

Regards,

Randy

I don't know how this happens... perhaps I am overly picky or "anal" about detail. I'll admit, I am kind of a detail oriented guy. I started collecting Dragon, EI, C1, then moved to HM, GA (a few Corgi), before taking a stab at FM. Perhaps I come at the FM/A stuff from a different perspective because I didn't start off collecting them... simply because I could see decaling, detailing, and fit problems on the stuff I inspected at my local hobby shop. I don't have a decaled diecast model from any other company (only my own plastic builds). So it is hard for me to understand how FM passes this off as high quality. Again, the model is beautiful with a unique livery. But what is the point if those huge decals cover up much of the wing surface detail (and one of the first models from FM I have seen with this level of surface detail)?

I will be interested, Randy, to hear FM's reason for the decals on E200. It sure seems to me these large crosses wouldn't have been more significantly difficult to pull off than painted or pad printed invasion stripes that curve around all kinds of wing and tail surfaces (even FM can do this, e.g. P-38 California Cutie).

[CLLCTR5]

Originally Posted by Elmer

I don't know how this happens... perhaps I am overly picky or "anal" about detail. I'll admit, I am kind of a detail oriented guy. I started collecting Dragon, EI, C1, then moved to HM, GA (a few Corgi), before taking a stab at FM. Perhaps I come at the FM/A stuff from a different perspective because I didn't start off collecting them... simply because I could see decaling, detailing, and fit problems on the stuff I inspected at my local hobby shop. I don't have a decaled diecast model from any other company (only my own plastic builds). So it is hard for me to understand how FM passes this off as high quality. Again, the model is beautiful with a unique livery. But what is the point if those huge decals cover up much of the wing surface detail (and one of the first models from FM I have seen with this level of surface detail)?

I will be interested, Randy, to hear FM's reason for the decals on E200. It sure seems to me these large crosses wouldn't have been more significantly difficult to pull off than painted or pad printed invasion stripes that curve around all kinds of wing and tail surfaces (even FM can do this, e.g. P-38 California Cutie).

I can tell you Brent that it is not because you are "too picky". Some of our customers are much more....uhm..."detail oriented" than you have established thus far and most of them prefer TFM over other models like Corgi and GMP. The only difference is that they are "picky" about a completely different set of details...just today about an hour ago I had a guy in here very politely but firmly criticizing Corgi for their panel gap detail. We compared a $40 Corgi with a $60 TFM and he literally said "no comaprison...give me the TFM". It was funny that this happened today after reading your comments.

On a side note having worked with the extremely cordial, hardworking, and motivated (I hope this is not challenged because I have seen it literally 1st hand) people at TFM I can tell you that the way that they have treated me over the years absolutely darkens the way my family and I have been treated by Corgi. I do not judge people in this way but I am only human. If you know what I mean.

P.S. I also carry EI...cannot sell them even at 1/2 price. If there is anything you need send me as list, I might have it.

Best Regards,

Randy

[CLLCTR5]

Ok I just got off the horn with Joe Sellari at TFM. He gave me the bottom line on the oversized crosses on the HE-111 in question E200. First of all in case there is any question as to whether or not the crosses are represented in TOO large of a fashion...rest assured they are not. In cooperation with very astute historians including the great Joe Smith they researched the most displayable liveries. Newly liveried ME-111's beginning in 1939 were very often crossed as large as they could possibly get them to insure that the markings were as easy to see as possible. By this we mean as big as the wing will allow which means that from leading edge to trailing edge they made them as big as that space provided.

As for the decals...because of the very slight curvature of the actual wing which is replicated in scale on the model very closely...pad printing becomes impossble. Try to think of it like trying to put a rubber address stamp on a golf ball (this is an exaggeration to make a point). At some point the stamp cannot completely cover the entire curved surface. TFM decided that instead of not replicating the oversized crossed ME-111...they would decal it. Knowing full well that up close the decals would be visible but from 12"-18" away the display smacks of great history and a very self righteous livery. It's a bit of a tradeoff I know...it is what it is. Personally not only is it still one of my favorite models but I also see why someone might not enjoy the decal no matter what the reason. I get it.

Hope this helps even a little.

Best Regards,

Randy

[Ara1]

Hi Randy,

Thanks for the info. I also enjoy the look of the Polish campaign He 111's.

A comment on 1939 Heinkels (and Luftwaffe combat a/c in general). For the first 8 months of 1939 the RLM required the wing crosses to be as small as possible. These crosses were painted well outboard of the wings, at the very wing tip. After a few weeks of the Polish campaign, friendly fire losses were increasing and the specification changed to the full chord insignia. From what I can surmise this practice lasted roughly from mid-Sept '39 through the year and even into the early 1940 months. The outboard (smaller crosses) were either painted out, or left in conjunction with the new cross.

The next time you speak to Joe Sellari, ask him about the vertical tail and the decision to place the swastika on the front of the fin. A descerning feature of the period was the position of the swastika in a center configuration, half-covering the rudder and the fin. It's a subtle feature but is a characteristic of the period.

Thanks so much for participating in this forum.