[Epapazian]

Originally Posted by Andrew

Isn't the gap supposed to be so that it will look good with the canopy open?

Perhaps. But Celtic is right. In two out of three Dragon Zeros I purchased the gap is not only too large, it is angled slightly downward towards the front. I obviously hadn't refreshed my memory on these planes which I acquired five or six years ago. Aside from the canopy gap, however, I still feel that the Dragon Zeros are very realistically done. Now I've got to see if there's a way to adjust their canopy frames to obtain a better fit. So much to do, so little time. Sigh.

[Celtic]

Originally Posted by Andrew

Isn't the gap supposed to be so that it will look good with the canopy open?

It is there to allow the canopy to slide. Tabs on the sliding part fit in the groove...problem is, there is no way a thick plastic canopy piece that is supposed to slide like the real thing can also be to scale. Even HM had problems making the non-sliding open part of the SBD canopy fit properly in the open position. There is only so far any maker of mass-produced 1/72 can go to create realistic moving parts, and to me Dragon overreached with the Zero. They were much more successfull with the 190A and D, because the canopy could be made to slide directly back without being lifted over the back of a birdcage frame. Another successful open canopy was on the Dragon 109G, which is either open or closed (same as the HM MiG-21), so on the model the canopy doesn't have the complication of having to be hinged. The Witty 190A sliding canopy is okay also, though it is a bit bulky at the top and has too long a "tail".

Anyway, didn't mean to carry on about this. The subject of animated model parts always gets me a bit animated!

[F-104 Paul]

Originally Posted by Epapazian

Perhaps. But Celtic is right. In two out of three Dragon Zeros I purchased the gap is not only too large, it is angled slightly downward towards the front. I obviously hadn't refreshed my memory on these planes which I acquired five or six years ago. Aside from the canopy gap, however, I still feel that the Dragon Zeros are very realistically done. Now I've got to see if there's a way to adjust their canopy frames to obtain a better fit. So much to do, so little time. Sigh.

So little time :-) I know how you feel I am about to attempt to dismember a Witty Wings F-104 PAF and see what super detail parts (From the world of plastic and photo etched parts!) I can get....
At the least I want to replace the cockpit including the 4 ft tall pilot

[Epapazian]

Originally Posted by F-104 Paul

So little time :-) I know how you feel I am about to attempt to dismember a Witty Wings F-104 PAF and see what super detail parts (From the world of plastic and photo etched parts!) I can get....
At the least I want to replace the cockpit including the 4 ft tall pilot

It looks like your chances of success with the Witty F-104 are better than mine with Dragon's Zero. Good luck.

[skysurfer808]

Witty's Jets are okay, with their F-15 probably the best of the lineup, though it does have canopy shape issues. The Su-27 comes in second, it also has canopy issues. The F-16s are also pretty good. I'd stay away from their F-14s, the stabilators on those things can't even stay put. The F/A-18E/Fs are okay, though Dragon's do look better in a side by side comparison now that they fixed the speedbreak issue. Still, if you can get them for a decent price, I'd recommend the aforementioned aircraft. As for Witty's props, the only ones I still have are their Sea Furies (Korean War Striped and the Blue Roo Aussie) and their Israeli silver spit. The rest just don't do anything for me, although their Fw 190 does look okay.

Skysurfer808

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by F-104 Paul

So little time :-) I know how you feel I am about to attempt to dismember a Witty Wings F-104 PAF and see what super detail parts (From the world of plastic and photo etched parts!) I can get....
At the least I want to replace the cockpit including the 4 ft tall pilot

might as well build one from scratch or wait for HM's Pakistani one coming out