[hworth18]

William,
Moving parts (or lack of) also suit me just fine. The only moveable parts I prefer are wheels and props. To me, making rudders and flaps move only increase the chance of breakage and overly bulky mechanisms for working parts. As for canopies, I would rather have sectioned parts rather than sliding canopies that, in the case of the MkXIV Spitfire, by making the canopy move made the canopy an oversized eyesore for such a pretty plane.

Sometimes, less is more.

[STARMAN 352ND]

Originally Posted by hworth18

As for canopies, I would rather have sectioned parts rather than sliding canopies.

I agree about the canopies..That's why i like their SBD's & T-6's so much because it gives you a choice.
JP

[Folgore]

Originally Posted by hworth18

William,
The Kate looks GREAT!
Thank you for all your info regarding the Kate and other upcoming models. It is much appreciated! Your posting of the pre-pro pics and taking in the collectors input to produce the most accurate model possible is a huge plus!

Originally Posted by hworth18

William,
Moving parts (or lack of) also suit me just fine. The only moveable parts I prefer are wheels and props. To me, making rudders and flaps move only increase the chance of breakage and overly bulky mechanisms for working parts. As for canopies, I would rather have sectioned parts rather than sliding canopies that, in the case of the MkXIV Spitfire, by making the canopy move made the canopy an oversized eyesore for such a pretty plane.

Sometimes, less is more.

Ditto to both of these posts!

[William]

Originally Posted by Folgore

Ditto to both of these posts!

Yes, I totally agree that priority should always go to accuracy over things like moving parts. The Spitfire is a good example to teach our engineers.

[William]

Today I received additional materials from Japan side. It seems that the general opinion in Japan is still the INJ Gray.

In fact, our factory has painted all the under surface IJN Gray. I feel much regret on those support the other color on this.

William

[lanslide]

Thanks for again trying William. It's a shame that you are forced to paint a model the way artists decide to paint their aircraft models and profiles (apparently by using a lot of "artistic license") rather than using actual evidence and years of research conducted by well known historians. Please don't base your decisions on how a famous modeler or aircraft profile artist paints a plane. Believe me, you have access to a source of information here that is truly rare. But that's just my opinion. I would be very surprised to see the evidence that more serious Japanese collectors believe that the model should be IJN Gray rather than pale olive gray. I wonder how the market research is being conducted. Many serious Japanese historians use my father as a research source too. I hope they won't be disappointed by the incorrect IJN Gray choice. Does the "Japan side" have anything to support their claims other than artist's renderings? Is your source well known?

[Cruver Collecter]

Other than canopies, props and landing gear, not to big on the moving part issue. Sometimes the moving part feature can be pulled off, but it some cases hinge work can be a distracter. My preference would be for focus on detail and less on moving features.

[Ara1]

I am in the J-aircraft.com camp regarding colors. They are extremely thorough in their examinations of artifacts and paint hues.

[Cruver Collecter]

Originally Posted by Ara1

I am in the J-aircraft.com camp regarding colors. They are extremely thorough in their examinations of artifacts and paint hues.

I am kind of curious as to what all is published on this subject. I like the J-aircraft.com site, wish they would consider getting all their information bound up and published, good sofa reading.

[hworth18]

Honestly, the light gray is the generally accepted color on the lower portions of IJN aircraft, so I am not that disappointed and it certainly won't keep me from buying one.