[tonyzing]

Knowing that I will have so much trouble putting the landing gear on, I don't like to break something new that I just bought.
I vote NO on this one.
Sorry!!!!!!!!

[admin]

If I had to choose, I'd have to say "authenticity over convenience!" every day of the week.

[hawkonevoodoo]

Originally Posted by slammin

I don't think that the landing gear is that bad. However, it would be even better if it was like the dragon f-16 landing gear that comes as a preassembled plug in unit.


Chris

I know what you mean, it is like this on the Hobby Master F-104s. I'm going to suggest Hobby Master consider this for all their models.

[conemaugh]

I was a bit distraught at the strut situation on the Mig -- sort of the same thought about the Dragon folding wing Corsair. A little patience, tweezers, and glue solved the problem in both instances.

On another note -- the missles and fuel tanks on "my" MIG needed to be filed down in order to fit properly. Another session with tweezers and glue.

However, I still think HM does a great job and my wallet is still open for next round of diecast.

[hawkonevoodoo]

I just received a reply from Hobby Master concerning my Mig-21 landing gear inquiry. The reason they make the strut separately is so they can keep it to scale. If they had to make it all part of the main landing gear it would have to be made at least twice as thick as it is to prevent it being broken off and Hobby Master wants to keep it as close as possible to scale. The Mig-21 is relatively small for a jet so these parts aren't going to be as big as the same part on an F-15 or Tornado. If the strut was all one piece and it kept getting broken off then we would have a problem concerning this so I guess it is going with the lesser of two evils.
This is the reason why the strut comes the way it does. I hope this is a satisfactory answer.

[SKUNKY]

Originally Posted by hawkonevoodoo

The reason they make the strut separately is so they can keep it to scale. If they had to make it all part of the main landing gear it would have to be made at least twice as thick as it is to prevent it being broken off and Hobby Master wants to keep it as close as possible to scale.

....and that's good thinking..I can think of one or two other manufacturers who should take a note from HM's page...Don't be so afraid to attach a part here and there, fellers..... "Fiddly bits are our friends"..They can make the difference between a diecast toy and a diecast model.

[bsmith13]

Hey Hawkone,

I'm really glad you are here to fill us in on details. I am periodically frustrated by companies that zero customer service. Thanks for the time and effort you take on our behalf.

[flying tigers]

Already spend enough money to pay for the MIG, don't want to spend more time to fix the landing gear.

[djjeffhall]

Hey there folks,
Let's commend Hobby Master for the choices they have made, and to Hawkvoodooone for the great customer support he has offered. (Okay, Hawk doesn't work for Hobby Master but he is acting, of his own volition, as their voice.)

RE: Hobby Master - Thanks first for deciding that accuracy is the way to go. There are plenty of "rivet counters" out there that seem measure everything down to the micro-millimeter and then vetch if something is this much off.

Hobby Master has clearly taken our fetish to heart. They have excelled at giving us what we want. We want detail and accuracy. We want direct and immediate feedback from the company who respond by offering us planes we are crying for. Not an arrogant and faceless company that will tell us what we should get instead of giving us what we want. (Hobby Master has plans for a ME-110 and P-39 and asked for feedback regarding a possible P-61. No one else has gone as far as even asking our opinion.)

To show how far Hobby Master will go, I seem to recall there being the most minor of issues with their Stuka's cockpit canopy. No one noticed, or cared, except Hobby Master. They realised the error, let Hawkvoodooone know about it, who then told us it would be corrected on "this date for this model". The "rivet counters" missed it, I missed it and everyone else on this list missed it. Hobby Master caught it, went public with it and corrected it. Kudos to Hobby Master.

RE: Fiddly Bits - Come on guys, let's be honest, is it going to kill us to take 15 minutes putting our birds together? Don't we WANT to spend a little more time admiring our planes?

I don't know about you all, but I take at least 15 minutes just getting the bird out of the box. I WANT to take the time to put on the landing gear, take the landing gear off, see how it looks on the stand, off the stand, on this shelf, on that shelf, etc.

Certainly the Mig's gear is more work then a Corgi effort. (Though I'll offer that Corgi's F-4 gear doors are a bear and a half.) However, it's also accurate, well made and will hold up when it's complete. As much as I love Dragon's planes, I'll take Hobby Master's fiddly bits over Dragon's comparable fiddly bits any day of the week. I surmise that most of you all would as well given the choice. (Can anyone get their Dragon Corsair to stand on their own?)

When a new bird lands I want to be inspired to take the time and see where it fits in the fleet. If all I do is take it out of the box, place it on the shelf and forget about it, well, I'm definitely NOT getting my money's worth.

RE: Hawkvoodooone - You are the king sir. You have spent more time and effort for us poor shmucks than anyone else involved in this forum. (With the excepting of the folks how created and moderate this forum.) I don't think you get enough thanks for your efforts.

Thank you Hobby Master and Hawkvoodooone for making this hobby fun.

[hawkonevoodoo]

Originally Posted by djjeffhall

Hey there folks,
Let's commend Hobby Master for the choices they have made, and to Hawkvoodooone for the great customer support he has offered. (Okay, Hawk doesn't work for Hobby Master but he is acting, of his own volition, as their voice.)

RE: Hobby Master - Thanks first for deciding that accuracy is the way to go. There are plenty of "rivet counters" out there that seem measure everything down to the micro-millimeter and then vetch if something is this much off.

Hobby Master has clearly taken our fetish to heart. They have excelled at giving us what we want. We want detail and accuracy. We want direct and immediate feedback from the company who respond by offering us planes we are crying for. Not an arrogant and faceless company that will tell us what we should get instead of giving us what we want. (Hobby Master has plans for a ME-110 and P-39 and asked for feedback regarding a possible P-61. No one else has gone as far as even asking our opinion.)

To show how far Hobby Master will go, I seem to recall there being the most minor of issues with their Stuka's cockpit canopy. No one noticed, or cared, except Hobby Master. They realised the error, let Hawkvoodooone know about it, who then told us it would be corrected on "this date for this model". The "rivet counters" missed it, I missed it and everyone else on this list missed it. Hobby Master caught it, went public with it and corrected it. Kudos to Hobby Master.

RE: Fiddly Bits - Come on guys, let's be honest, is it going to kill us to take 15 minutes putting our birds together? Don't we WANT to spend a little more time admiring our planes?

I don't know about you all, but I take at least 15 minutes just getting the bird out of the box. I WANT to take the time to put on the landing gear, take the landing gear off, see how it looks on the stand, off the stand, on this shelf, on that shelf, etc.

Certainly the Mig's gear is more work then a Corgi effort. (Though I'll offer that Corgi's F-4 gear doors are a bear and a half.) However, it's also accurate, well made and will hold up when it's complete. As much as I love Dragon's planes, I'll take Hobby Master's fiddly bits over Dragon's comparable fiddly bits any day of the week. I surmise that most of you all would as well given the choice. (Can anyone get their Dragon Corsair to stand on their own?)

When a new bird lands I want to be inspired to take the time and see where it fits in the fleet. If all I do is take it out of the box, place it on the shelf and forget about it, well, I'm definitely NOT getting my money's worth.

RE: Hawkvoodooone - You are the king sir. You have spent more time and effort for us poor shmucks than anyone else involved in this forum. (With the excepting of the folks how created and moderate this forum.) I don't think you get enough thanks for your efforts.

Thank you Hobby Master and Hawkvoodooone for making this hobby fun.

Well, thanks for all the praise but I'm just doing what I love to do and want to do. Much appreciated.

I'd like to take the credit for spotting the Stuka canopy mistake and so would Hobby Master. The truth is a member from the UK forum brought it to my attention for confirmation and I informed Hobby Master of the problem. Hobby Master immediately replied with an apology and a promise to correct the mistake as soon as possible with their future models. The fact that they listened and made the correction based on collector input means a lot to me.
The rest I won't comment on, but thanks.