Short review of the J-10A kit from Trumpeter in 1/72

Went to an hobby shop today. The Bronco Models site, at
http://www.bronco-model.com/
doesn’t seem to show them yet, but as the “Aircraft” pic in
http://www.bronco-model.com/en/main.asp
proves, this company makes some model kits of J-10 (single- and double-seat versions) and JF-17.

Elsewhere, Kinetic Model Kits, at
http://www.kineticmodel.com/
makes some (duh) model kits of F-16s of East Asian air forces, such as ROCAF and RSAF.

http://www.kineticmodel.com/scale.aspx?item_no=KI-K48011

“1/48 F-16A/B Block 20 ROCAF”

The decals seem to cover both the high-vis and low-vis markings.

http://www.kineticmodel.com/scale.aspx?item_no=KI-K48007

“1/48 RSAF F-16D Block 52 with dorsal spine”

(More S/Ns to check.)

http://www.bronco-model.com/showpro.asp?ArticleID=728

The modern PLA have some ugly rifles, IMO.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2010-07/22/content_13897667.htm
to
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2010-07/22/content_13897667_19.htm

Photos of J-10 prototype details.

While checking some Gundam toys for a friend last weekend, saw these at local model shops.

http://www.actoys.net/bbs/read.php?tid-395496.html
http://www.thepmw.com/phorum/read.php?f=3&i=10978&t=10978

Not-to-scale J-10Q model kit made by Emotion Motion.

http://www.imodeltime.com/tags.php?/J-10/
http://www.ishop2go.com/productUR_026_PR_0000569_Prt_en.html

1:48 J-10A and J-10B model kits made by Trumpeter.

HIya

having built the kit, it goes together nicely, sort of reminds me of Academy Aircraft models. the nose is a little undersized for the fuselauge, but can correct with some putty. Small amounts of putty needed form the wingroot aft. Sadly the cockpit decals dont fit Verry well either.

Wierd to hear peopel cant find them in australia. I found it verry easy to get hold of them in NZ, and in my times in sydney Ive seen tons of trumpeter mdels around!

I build mostly cars, so if any of you guys could help me locate a model I would appreciate it. I have been looking for years for a Revell AG VW Corrado in 1/24 scale. They wrere not imported much here to the States, and seem to be made of Unobtainium. If any of you find one in a model shop around you, please PM me, and I’ll try to arrange something, as I would really love to get one of them.

As for the J-10, I may have to grab one of those to put next to my F-8Us….

Where you guys get the J-10 models? Tell where can I found them in HK?

(Disclaimer to the mods: I’m not allied with the below shops, and I’m just posting the contact details as one military aviation fan assisting another fellow military aviation fan.)

WRT the real world, as I said before, two shops in Hong Kong that AFAIK sell the J-10 model kit are:

– CIC Model, or Chung Fung in Cantonese Chinese.
94 Queen’s Road East (near the Hopewell Centre, one of the tallest buildings in Hong Kong), in Wan Chai, Hong Kong Island.
Tel: +852-2529-6763

– Continental Model, or Hong Tin in Cantonese Chinese.
G/F, Wing On Kowloon Centre, 345 Nathan Road, in Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon Peninsula.
Tel: +852-2385-0623
Fax: +852-2780-1668

Other shops in Hong Kong that sell military vehicles model kits, but AFAIK don’t sell the J-10 model kit, include: any UML, the several shops near the Gwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei, the two shops in Sham Shui Po, and the two shops near the Mong Kok train station.
(I’ll not name these other shops, to avoid unnecessary advertisement, but Hongkongers who are into compressed air guns, or military model kits, would know where and which I’m implying.)

WRT the Web, I’m not familiar with on-line shops that sell military model kits, so other Netters reading this thread may recommend some reliable sites of good reputation?

Where you guys get the J-10 models? I went in HK everywhere and couldn’t find them. But when I was in Beijing, I found ready big and heavy ones but cost a fortunate.

I’m in Australia, and there’s definitely none. Tell where can I found them in HK?

On the other paw, I’m surprised the Chinese company that makes the J-10 model kits hasn’t been arrested and closed down by the (IMO paranoid) Chinese national security ministry for disclosing national military secrets.)

I went to Hong Tin in Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon Peninsula, a couple weeks ago, and the J-10 model kits were gone.

In Hong Kong, another good source for model kits made by Chinese model makers is: CIC Model (or Chung Fung in Cantonese Chinese), at 94 Queen’s Road East (near the Hopewell Centre, one of the tallest buildings in Hong Kong), in Wan Chai, Hong Kong Island.
CIC has a few of the J-10 model kits for HKD 59 (USD 7.56). IMO, CIC is better stocked than, for instance, the two model shops in Sham Shui Po. 1:700 model kits of modern warships (Manchester, Sovremenny, &c), made by the Chinese model maker S.MARS, are for only HKD 20 (USD 2.56).

OTOH, I’m mildly fascinated by the SA-13 Gopher model kit made by an Ukrainian model maker that UML is selling, but discouraged by its price of HKD 176 (USD 22.56), because only a few model makers make model kits of SAMs, such as, for instance, Dragon (Patriot, Scud, Shilka, &c), Trumpeter (Guideline, &c), and some Taiwanese model maker (Chaparral, &c).

] I’ve seen a TV ad by Greer, a major Chinese appliance maker, using J-10 like planes in CG in their ads.

I also remember watching on Chinese TV a commercial that featured a flight of J-10s, but I was busy gawking at the J-10s to memorise the brand name. So, according to a post dated July 2002, such as at
http://mil.fjii.com/2002-07-15/1200.htm
it was a TV commercial for the Da Hong Ying (Big Red Eagle) Group, of Ning Bo City, Zhe Jiang Province, which is into biologics, food, education, and medicines. It has a few sites, such as
http://www.dhyinvest.com/
http://www.nbdhy.com/indexe.htm
but (grumble) I haven’t found a big, clear pic of the CG J-10s, except a small pic at
http://www.cnad.com/hot/10pmad/img/yemaozhong/zhupingmian/0001.jpg

They even divulge to visitors from the US the J-10’s from the FTTC are used in air defense of Beijing.

First time I heard this, Rick!

The fact that in the PRC, they don’t truly hide the plane anymore.

They even divulge to visitors from the US the J-10’s from the FTTC are used in air defense of Beijing.

You can always get around that by slightly altering the dimensions etc,. to be misleading and not actually that of the factual plane. In any case, Trumpeter could have probably cleared the model with the higher powers to be before putting the model in commercial production. The fact that in the PRC, they don’t truly hide the plane anymore. I’ve seen a TV ad by Greer, a major Chinese appliance maker, using J-10 like planes in CG in their ads. What they still try to hide are the actual details about the plane. straight numbers, performance figures, specs, etc,.

My first impression with the model is that it seems nice, but something is not quite right compared with the original.

(On the one paw, I didn’t expect the J-10 or just its model kits to have so many international fans.

On the other paw, I’m surprised the Chinese company that makes the J-10 model kits hasn’t been arrested and closed down by the (IMO paranoid) Chinese national security ministry for disclosing national military secrets.)

Well, it’s a very weird thing. Mainland magazines are allowed to quote foreign publications – Jane’s, AFM, AI – about the J-10. In fact, if you read Chinese news, they always start with “according to English publication Jane’s” or “Hong Kong’s Wen Po” the J-10 is estimated to be “so and so.” The WZ-10 is mentioned in the same way.

So it is not illegal to quote foreign sources about China projects. Trumpeter can very well say they are modeling the J-10 according to descriptions in Western media.

(On the one paw, I didn’t expect the J-10 or just its model kits to have so many international fans.

On the other paw, I’m surprised the Chinese company that makes the J-10 model kits hasn’t been arrested and closed down by the (IMO paranoid) Chinese national security ministry for disclosing national military secrets.)

] the models from China has serious flaws in details and their cover art work is extremely bad. However, Trumpeter seems to be ok

A couple years ago, I was in Shang Hai, and in a department store, I saw in a show case, some pretty assembled military aircraft models, so I bought a 1:72 Ka-50 by LEE, for only RMB 20, or about US$ 2.41, according to the receipt still in the box.
I knew Chinese model makers didn’t usually make such good moulds, so I checked the box and the multi-lingual instruction sheet for the original model maker. Amongst the English text was… Italeri.

Over the years, I also bought some 1:144 models by LEE… (glancing up…) F-4E, F-14, F/A-18, and Mitsubishi F-1. (Yes, I’m more of a Fighter/Attacker Guy. How did you know?)
An IMO interesting aspect about LEE and Trumpeter is they make 1:144 models of PLAAF aircraft, including J-7 and J-8 variants, and my room doesn’t have much leisure space to place bigger 1:72 models.
OTOH, they also make 1:35 and 1:48 models of Chinese, European, and Japanese AFVs and APCs.
WRT ground vehicles, personally, I’m more fascinated by models of mobile AA guns and SAMs, such as the old ZSU-23-4 by Dragon, because they are rare.

Does anyone make the J-10 in 1/48 scale? I used to be big into 1/48 many years ago……..as a matter of fact I have a F-14D Super Tomcat, F/A-18E Super Hornet, Su-27 Flanker, and a Rafale Marine. In my closet collecting dust 🙁 I just have so little time…………………I’ve been thinking about getting a F-35B and making it with JMSDF marking just to see what it would look like????? Maybe one in RAAF markings…………… :rolleyes:

Here’s another interesting one !!! 😉

Deino i like Aeromodelism a lot, in fact i am an aeromodelist but i think the models lack good quality, their details are so poor that simply looks like a bad quality toy, i would like to see more realistics J-10s, i have seen very good quality Tornados at 1/48 but the J-10 seems to be to coarse and simple i think the quality in future models will improve.

The drawings are good but the plastic models still have some way to go until they can look like a realistic miniature model

I just started tread because “HK dragon” asked me to to that … and because I would like to ask You for some help with the details, esp. as the dimensions are quite different from what I knew so far !

Trumpeter “modeled” the length in 1/72 to 225 mm = 16,20 m
and the wingspan in 1/72 again to 130 mm = 9,36 m !!!

Here let’s go starting with the different frames !

Deino 🙂

ah very nice, comes out to over 50ft ( i asume the 16.2m includes the probes Deino?). I’ve originally estimated it to be 52ft (w/o probe) based on the first series of photos, of couse relying dimensions on a plastic model has its fallacies. I’m interested in knowing if Crobato still insists it to be 46-48ft…a few feet is a huge difference, hope Crobato still admits that part if this is indeed 50+
A general question concerning plastic models, i’ve noticed that in general, the models from China has serious flaws in details and their cover art work is extremely bad. However, Trumpeter seems to be ok (the model, the art work is still horrible)…how about providing guide on which Chinese brands to avoid (or/and what scales). This should be very useful as you see them more widespread in the western markets. Just don’t want to be surprised and dissapointed often… 🙁

Here’s another interesting one !!! 😉

I’ve bought the same kit, (I’m in Australia-Melbourne), it costs $23au, it is a pretty decent kit, by the look of it.
I actualy went to buy the new Revell mig21-f13, but it was sold out, so I bought this instead and an old ESCI – f4 Phantom:)