IDEA P-40E

[Tom A. Hawk]

Does anybody know if the IDEA line of kits are repackaged kits from other manufacturers? I picked up the IDEA P-40E and the box art looks a lot like the old Otaki kit. Any "ideas"...?

 

[Wurger]

As memo serves the Idea P-40E was reboxed by the Hobbycraft as the no. HC1402 kit. Other kits released, were/are the reboxed Otaki/ARII improved models. The Hobbycraft / Idea P-40E Warhawk kit was offered with the top box art seen below ...

 

[MIflyer]

I have a couple IDEA P-40E. It was Otaki. Not a bad kit but it is inferior to the Revell or AMT kits. But FSM did an article on fixing the problems and improving the kit. ARII and Otaki came before IDEA.

 

[Wurger]

That's true my friend, the Otaki was released earlier than the Idea kit. However these kits are two different ones although very similar in the layout of the sprues. Unfortunately the Idea P-40E is worse in the accuaracy of the main parts for the model. The Idea P-40E fuselage and wings are smooth like baby's bottom. All panel and rivet lines are made as raised although very fine. But ailerons, flaps and rudder aren't cut distinctly. There is a lot of mistakes both in shape and measurment of almost all pieces.

 

[MIflyer]

However these kits are two different ones although very similar in the layout of the sprues.

I looked at the Detail and Scale book Vol 2 on the available P-40 kits and found they say the OTAKI P-40 kit was reissued as Hobbycraft. My kit inventory says the kit is Hobbycraft/IDEA.
So duuuuhhhh..., I donno what I got. It is in a box in my airplane hangar and I'm not running over there tonight to look at it.

I have an IDEA 1/48 Ju87G that is certainly a copy of the Monogram kit, with the 37MM cannon. I also have a IDEA kit that must be a copy of the Monogram 1/48 F4U-4. But in both of these kits it appears that they subjected the kits to be copied to a laser scan but the process seems to have done a very poor job of copying the transparencies. I can easily see how could occur, but it would have been absurdly easy for them to paint the original kits clear parts with some water based paint to make them opaque.

 

[Wurger]

I looked at the Detail and Scale book Vol 2 on the available P-40 kits and found they say the OTAKI P-40 kit was reissued as Hobbycraft. My kit inventory says the kit is Hobbycraft/IDEA.
So duuuuhhhh..., I donno what I got. It is in a box in my airplane hangar and I'm not running over there tonight to look at it.

I have an IDEA 1/48 Ju87G that is certainly a copy of the Monogram kit, with the 37MM cannon. I also have a IDEA kit that must be a copy of the Monogram 1/48 F4U-4. But in both of these kits it appears that they subjected the kits to be copied to a laser scan but the process seems to have done a very poor job of copying the transparencies. I can easily see how could occur, but it would have been absurdly easy for them to paint the original kits clear parts with some water based paint to make them opaque.

Also true. The Hobbycraft started offering the reboxed Otaki kit at the end of 80' as well . The kit number was HC 1402. However the Hobbycraft released the reboxed Idea kit a little bit earlier the Otaki one. The kit number was the same HC 1402.
The difference was the art at the top box. The reboxed Idea P-40E had the top art with something resambling the Warhawk while the reboxed Otaki kit had almost the same, nice and well known from the manufacturer box art. Also later copied for all P-40E kits offered by other manufacturers including the Idea.
Actually I have the Hobbycraft reboxed Idea kit sent me kindly by Kevin ( akka Javlin ) a couple of years ago just to compare to the Otaki/ARII kits.

the Otaki one ...

the Idea top box art ...

the Hobbycraft reboxed Idea one ...

the Hobbycraft reboxed Otaki kit ...

 

[Wurger]

PS ... if somebody would have a trouble with the identification what manufacturer's sprues contained the kit. It is enough to check on the wing roots both at the fuselage and the top halves of the wing. The Idea parts had the longer but not too deep side cut while the Otaki has it shorter and deeper. See the first shot below. The left is the Idea and the right is the Otaki. I'm not at my home now and can't take a shot of the top wing halves but the difference is the shape of the root lines seen from the top. The Idea parts have the one curved edge from the leading to the trailing edge only while the Otaki ones have the root edges following the real fuselage-wing fairing. Additionally the panel lines for the Idea kit are raised and for the Otaki recessed.