[lanslide]

I have all of IXO's Japanese WWII warbirds except this one. Is it still in production? Was it ever made for IXO also? Is it or was it ever available in the USA? What's the deal on this one?

[hworth18]

Yes, the Jack Raiden was available thru IXO, and went pretty quick..

[lanslide]

Any intel on if it will be available again?

[hworth18]

It is possible since IXO reissued other planes, but its anyones guess...

[lanslide]

hworth - do you have any of these IXO's? What's your opinion of them? I think their Japanese models are acceptable - just behind or equal to Corgi.

[hworth18]

Originally Posted by lanslide

hworth - do you have any of these IXO's? What's your opinion of them? I think their Japanese models are acceptable - just behind or equal to Corgi.

I have all the IXO Japanese A/C except for the Grace, which I don't like because of the overly-heavy painted panel lines..
I don't think the IXO planes are equal to Corgi, but they are good enough to fit into my collection without noticeable differences.. I have always considered IXO to be much like the MRC line, good enough to fill the gaps until better come along..

[lanslide]

I agree but we may never see the day that these will be replaced unfortunately. Do you think HM will get in the game?

[hworth18]

Originally Posted by lanslide

I agree but we may never see the day that these will be replaced unfortunately. Do you think HM will get in the game?

HM (or any major manufacturer) would only get into the Japanese A/C if they feel they can get 6 or more liveries out of each plane.. A pretty tough stretch for a Japanese line.. This is also the same reason for the lack of Russian stuff..

[Epapazian]

Originally Posted by hworth18

HM (or any major manufacturer) would only get into the Japanese A/C if they feel they can get 6 or more liveries out of each plane.. A pretty tough stretch for a Japanese line.. This is also the same reason for the lack of Russian stuff..

Certainly the Oscar qualifies on this count and the Tony and Kate also had many interesting liveries. I think that the real reason that such planes aren't made by reputable diecast makers is their fear that the market is too limited for such models. And they are probably right, I'm sorry to say.

[Epapazian]

Originally Posted by hworth18

I have all the IXO Japanese A/C except for the Grace, which I don't like because of the overly-heavy painted panel lines..
I don't think the IXO planes are equal to Corgi, but they are good enough to fit into my collection without noticeable differences.. I have always considered IXO to be much like the MRC line, good enough to fill the gaps until better come along..

I agree with your assessment, except I would probably not be so charitable regarding many IXO models. I have all of IXO's Japanese planes, which, except for the Grace with those absurd little bombs painted under the wings, aren't too bad. My Jack came with a lump of metal marring the upper wing and they forgot the pitot tube. A little sanding and repainting was all it took to fix this model so I could place it in my display case, but I'm still not happy with that very dark shade of green on the upper surface. As for the question of IXO coming out with reissues of this or other planes, I find this doubtful. Most serious collectors will not be willing to give IXO another chance unless it comes up with new molds and a far better product. In any event, I don't think that IXO is a serious player, anyway. It seems more like an opportunist outfit that tried to pawn off redos of a series of molds designed for a publisher's subscription promotion as equal to Corgi in quality. That's how IXO positioned its product, initially, but as we are all aware, that was a lot of BS.