SPA Modeler

Decal sheets... now here is an area that could easily take a thread of it's own. Back in the day when it was just Revell & Hasegawa in 1/32 jets, Micro Scale made a few nice sheets for each type, and you could always find the sheets at any LHS. Why? Because they did not do these limited short run productions, and if the shop ran out, they could re order, and as soon as was possible in those pre internet/snail mail delivery days, your shop owner would have you a new set. Hell, I can go into the two surviving OG shops here, look into their 1/32 decal bins and still find a few of those old sheets. Nowadays, the producers do short runs of sheets and once they are sold out, you're outta luck pal. And seriously, with producers still coming out with new 1/32 jet kits (especially Trumpeter) at a fairly reasonable rate, that tells me there is a market out there for both kits, and certainly for decals.
I mean big scale jets are far more prevalent now than 10, 20, or 30 years ago. And the available selection is still growing! But it is very much a niche market due to size constraints and costs, just like 1/350 ships. There are small and big makers of AM products out there for us. I have some beautiful Quick Boost & AMS resin stuff to spruce up my stalled 1/32 Scooter.
Jim, don't fret too much about decals for a 1/32 Phantom. CAM is slowly re doing their decal line and bringing out their older sheets under a new "series" label. I have a set of their decals for my aforementioned Scooter.
One side note- I was once told early in my IPMS participation that big kits tend to be the ones that win. At least subconsciously the judges seem to be drawn to them in my view. Of course there are all the basics that must be fulfilled, proper, building, painting, decals, etc. But all those being equal, and with the same scope of effort and detail (as said here earlier, one can do in 1/48 pretty much most everything one can do to a 1/32 build), a 1/32 kit will often be the overall winner for judges choice in aircraft, best of show, etc. Size matters in some subliminal matter I think. The kits I often see winning top awards at our meets & shows are 1/32 Wingnuts Wings kits. Why? Well first off, the guys in out chapter building those are top notch modelers, and secondly they are beautifully impressive big kits. My goal? To beat one of them one day with an equally impressive big jet...

I really dont have much of a dog in this fight...1/32 is just too darn big for me!

But there was a discussion at one of our last club meetings: Many of the older guys find themselves enjoying the larger scales due to their worsening eyesight. They just cant see little details anymore!

To me, size cuts both ways. The finished kits are impressive for size alone. And I have a pretty good stash of 1/32 jets (and prop jobs too). Unless I empty my shelves, I have no clue where I will put them all. The smaller ones such as the X-1 or Skyhawk take up about the same space as a 1/48 Eagle or Tomcat... But my 1/32 kits of those... BIG!!!

A 1/32 scale Me 262 jet fighter isn´t a big deal size-wise, as is Zoukei-mura´s Horten Ho 229. But speaking of the likes of a MiG-29, a F-14 or similar large kits I can see the problem of size.

I would like to have a look at AFV Clubs F-104 Starfighter, one day when this kit will be available. But so far I am not really in modern days 1/32 scale jets.

The new Italeri F-104 kits are supposed to be very nice. Long, but not too wide as far as display space requirements go. But yes, when you go from early jets to the later supersonic types, they get real big in comparison.

JimD wrote:The 104 is not big at all. Though the Italeri kit is fairly horrible accuracy wise from what I hear. I wouldn't really know but sadly they have a bad enough reputation I passed on it. Didn't realize afv was doing one.

AFV Club was in a early stage of development of their Starfighter when Italeri announced their release.

Click for CAD images

Think they dropped it due to bad market share forecasts.

I still have some hopes for an AFV Club F-104. But there is no hurry; the stash is still enormous...