Who is willing to pony up for a 1/18th A-10

[Pickelhaube]

Things are starting to come together ..

There is a realistic chance that an A-10 model kit could be made during next year 2013.

There will be a $3,000 start up so the minimum of unit sells will have to be 30.

So at $500 per unit who is willing to anti up @ $500 per unit.

Serious answers only.

This will be a very expensive project.

 

[Giga Bread]

If I have a time frame. I can begin a personal payment plan, so I'd be willing. Have you thought about doing a kickstarter?

 

[XOC2008]

I think Kickstarter might work out the best for something like this.

 

[Midget]

Kickstarter is a really good idea... Probably would attract people that aren't even aware of the hobby

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

Will this be a fra-gee-lee resin kit or something more durable?

 

[Giga Bread]

The thing about Kickstarter is starting with a $500 donation level is kind of rough. If you go that route, and I'm caught up on my commissions, I could always donate a few 1/18 scaled 3D prints as exclusives for lower level donations if it would help get this project off the ground. You'd just have to cast whatever is made.

I mainly design heads and small arms.

http://forums.fighting118th.com/showthread.php?t=4063

http://forums.fighting118th.com/showthread.php?t=3201

 

[Talisman]

Willing? Absolutely.

Capable? Not even close.

 

[NSA]

I am probably in.. If this is a realistic proposal!

 

[Pickelhaube]

I am not sure of what a kick starter is.

But when we are geared up to start ( if ) I would want $100 for a deposit.

Once I reach 30 deposits this will be a go.

Of course while the project is underway and you guys who want out can get your deposits back.

I have a 3D printer guy who can plot out the whole A-10 .

He is very talented in this field he is already making 1/18th items in this format.

He is the one who gave me the speculative price of $2,000 for the prototype.

The other $1,000 will cover the price of the RTV. That is the mould making rubber.

A few years back I had over 20 guys who were willing to pay $350 for the A-10.

Now a days that price point would be low.

It took me about a year from start to finish the Horten project.

In as little as 2 weeks the 3-d prototype could be made.

At $2,000 for 2 weeks vs 1 year being made by hand it is kind of a no brainer.

So @ $500 a unit $100 of each unit will pay for the proto and RTV.

I would say about $80-$100 for the resin per unit .

So that leaves $300 per unit left over . I would guess it will take about 1 1/2 to 2 days to make.

That is the break down.

So I am thinking 30 units minimum , if we reach that number this will be a go.

I do have a financial backer who is willing to foot the the bill in February if the minimum is not made.

He is willing to pay the whole $2000 if need be.

But I rather gather the deposits because a lot of guys say they want something and once it is time to pay up they take off like goats down a crooked path.

So let us see what happens.

Do we talk the the talk or walk the walk ?

 

[Pickelhaube]

Will this be a fra-gee-lee resin kit or something more durable?

The resin I use is pretty durable.

It is good stuff not like that Alumalite crap.Which is very brittle . I have used the Alumalite and it was not happy with it.

With all my projects I will cast a brass or steel rod were I think it needs reinforcement.

I know that I will have to put a rod or two in the wings . The same will go for the stabilizer and engine pods.

I am also thinking of a strong back in the fusalage to beef it up as well.

Of course the landing gear will have rods as well to hold up such a big bird.

Maybe even white metal for the struts. W

When we get further along I will look into that.

 

[NSA]

Cost for painted and assembled model??

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

My biggest concern is durability...will it be made of the same material as all your other products?...if so, maybe it'll be fine as my humvee turret shield feels pretty tough...

Maybe though, for something so expensive, the walls of the product could be made thicker?...though maybe added weight would offset the benifits of thicker walls?...


I'm obviously VERY interested, I just need some reassurance

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

NSA brings up a good point...would it be painted and ready to assemble?...would it have proper decals/tampos?...would anything be functional?...if so, what?

 

[Pickelhaube]

For the most part I make just the kit.

With my Horten I supplied decals.

I got crazy bogged down in doing the full build on the Hortens.

I am not sure if I will offer the A-10 fully assembled and painted ( full build ).

If I were to do it I generally charge double the kit value. $1,000 !!!

The full build Hortens took a week to build each.

Th A-10 will take longer . It is bigger and more parts .

So I am guessing a week and a half to two weeks for a full build.

A lot of work . How much does the average American make in a full week ?

As far as function that has yet to be determined I am gardening interest at this point.

But I do know a few things.

The landing gear will probably be plug and play. They will pop in and off the doors will close.

The canopy will open and close.

The flaps and ailerons and such may or may not function.

But smaller models don't function either but they will be able to pose albeit fixed.

You do have to remember $200 of the unit cost will be over head .

This is a big ticket item born as a big ticket item.

Nobody else is or probably will ever offer the A-10.

This is a monumental project that I may take on .

Maybe even overwhelming but I see no one else taking on the challenge.

So that being said by asking for deposits ( when the time comes ) you collectors will make this project happen.

No more I wish they would or could build it.

You collectors will determine if this projects start or not.

I have been accepting lay aways for years.

 

[WildBill]

Wow. I'm kinda shocked this could actually happen! Frell yes is want one! At 1:18 the detail would have to be pretty intricate....where would I put it? I can't spare a whole parking spot in my garage!

 

[Pickelhaube]

I also think a detailed Vulcan cannon.

I believe that is a must have,.

 

[NSA]

How accurate are you aiming for? ... for the rivet counters in the audience...

 

[Pickelhaube]

Somewhere between 21st and BBI .

Same if not better detail than my Horten.

The 3d printers can do some great detailing.

 

[Wild weasel]

How accurate are you aiming for? ... for the rivet counters in the audience...

ditto, if I put down that kind of money I'd want it to have the highest level of detail possible, like photoetched rudder pedals, full cockpit detail(especially if you could do a vacuform instrument panel with screen decals that go behind the panel for appearance of a glass screen), full weapon load out, seperate flaps, ailerons, rudder, and nose wheel, so they can be positioned when glued on., wieghted down wheels. Doesn't have to be anything too pricey, just a few little things that could make a big difference in the overall scale appearance of it.


Also, you may want to look into using carbon fiber rod instead of steel or brass , since it's much lighter and stronger. Might not be cost efficient for the wings, but at the very least, it would be a good option for the landing gears, considering the stress they'd be under

 

[WVMojo]

That is my favorite bird but I couldn't afford the price tag.

 

[Monkeywrench]

That is my favorite bird but I couldn't afford the price tag.

same here

 

[Pickelhaube]

ditto, if I put down that kind of money I'd want it to have the highest level of detail possible, like photoetched rudder pedals, full cockpit detail(especially if you could do a vacuform instrument panel with screen decals that go behind the panel for appearance of a glass screen), full weapon load out, seperate flaps, ailerons, rudder, and nose wheel, so they can be positioned when glued on., wieghted down wheels. Doesn't have to be anything too pricey, just a few little things that could make a big difference in the overall scale appearance of it.


Also, you may want to look into using carbon fiber rod instead of steel or brass , since it's much lighter and stronger. Might not be cost efficient for the wings, but at the very least, it would be a good option for the landing gears, considering the stress they'd be under

I am trying to keep the cost under $500 .

All of this stuff you have mentioned would actually drive up the price.

Less we not forget all of the photo etch stuff is made for thousands of run models.

Not a 30 + short run kit.

You just do not get it , this will be a huge investment costing large amounts of money .

If you want all of those features you can pay the $18,000 that the customer paid for the fully built model that Bird Dog posted.

Yes $18,000 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am not trying to be curt. These are just facts.

If we could get the prototype for free, we could knock off at least $50-$100 off of the cost.

Believe it or not $2,000 for a full mock up prototype A-10 is cheap !!

 

[Wild weasel]

I am trying to keep the cost under $500 .

All of this stuff you have mentioned would actually drive up the price.

Less we not forget all of the photo etch stuff is made for thousands of run models.

Not a 30 + short run kit.

You just do not get it , this will be a huge investment costing large amounts of money .

If you want all of those features you can pay the $18,000 that the customer paid for the fully built model that Bird Dog posted.

Yes $18,000 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am not trying to be curt. These are just facts.

I definitely don't want to pay 18k for an A-10, and I certainly would not expect all of the things I mentioned from a small scale operation like yours. I would need to know it would have atleast something along those lines though, due to the cost. The one thing that would make or break it for me would be the separate control surfaces. It may not be feasible at the price, but it would definitely turn me off from buying it.

 

[NSA]

Yeah, I don't know. I am not a rivet counter, I wouldn't know if there were supposed to be 7 rivets on a panel vs 9, but there are people out there who do care about such things.

Ideally, this production would please those who are most concerned about the aircraft. Pickle, you've made a business off fixing other companies errors, and I'd really hate to see people nitpicking your work for the same reason.

I haven't followed up on the last WWII plane to see how the reaction was, though from a casual glance it was overwhelmingly positive.

I just want an A-10 Thunderbolt II. I don't want to have to spend a month trying to assemble it, while being afraid of breaking a $200 part, then having to figure out paint schemes and decals.

$500 for me gets me something I can reasonably display with a days worth of effort.

 

[Pickelhaube]

Time has passed .

Has opinions changed on this project ?

Has interest wained or increased ?

My financial backer will be ready in the month of February to launch the A-10.

Any more interest in a $500 resin kit of the A-10 Thunderbolt II ?

 

[NSA]

I guess it really comes down to how difficult the end product is going to be to assemble/finish.

I'd hate to spend the kind of money and then have it sit in pieces for the rest of eternity because I don't have the time/space/talent to finish the project!

 

[Beeavision]

$18,000....that's all?....where's my wallet. lol That was a sure nice model of an A-10 by Gino Galvez at Atlantic Models Inc.

http://atlantic-models.com/photo_gallery#Next

 

[birddog]

That's what the company, Atlantic Models, he works for quoted me.....I laughed to. However I don't think he would even be able to do one for the price Matt is offering to do one for. $500 is very reasonable considering that price tag.

 

[Beeavision]

I agree, hence the term "starving artist".

 

[Beeavision]

 

[Fled74]

$6000? I can buy a good second-hand motorcycle for that.

 

[K-Tiger]

$6000? I can buy a good second-hand motorcycle for that.

Hence why it didn't sell, and why 21st All-Go Century! sent it to Jack Plonka with the sorely misplaced faith that it would get tarted up for a garage run. It's also why we'll not be seing it ever again.

 

[WildBill]

Interesting that the seller believes it belongs to him. The story sounded like the prototype belonged to BBi and this guy had it on loan to produce some kind of product.

 

[The Ewokhunter]

The more this thing is talked about and dangled in front of us like a penis in front of Eddie, I want this damn plane!

BBi should really reconsider making this. they could EASILY sell 5000 units. Limited edition naming would make a few people buy a couple in case it's never made again.

 

[Pickelhaube]

I just posted an interest auction on e-bay.

I hope it pulls in more interest .

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190796271142

 

[NSA]

Sweet! I'm going to buy it right NOW!!

 

[WVMojo]

Hell yeah 12.00 shipped I'll take two!

Except for the 1000 price tag.

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

I truly hope you garner the interest needed to see this come to fruition...

 

[Pickelhaube]

I talked to my financier and he is ready to go !!

My 3-D printer programmer is about 3 weeks out.

Perfect timing because that is about how long it will take me to wrap up the K2 project.

With a tentative start date of Mid March !!!

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

Can't wait to see this!