Knights of the Sky (2 Viewers)

[ivanmoe]

Here's a slide show of a KotS favorite, the Mannock S.E.5a:

Really hoping that JJ will revisit this one, either with the original parts or an update (as was done with the Albatros and D.VII).

-Moe

 

[lancer]

Ah, the Se-5, my favorite Brit fighter, and one of John's best, even as early as it is in the JJD production runs. Holds up brilliantly against today's more updated models. Great review, Moe. Would love to see further Se-5's roll off the line. I keep asking myself, "Where is McCudden and 56 Squadron?". -- Al

 

[ivanmoe]

Ah, the Se-5, my favorite Brit fighter, and one of John's best, even as early as it is in the JJD production runs. Holds up brilliantly against today's more updated models. Great review, Moe. Would love to see further Se-5's roll off the line. I keep asking myself, "Where is McCudden and 56 Squadron?". -- Al

I agree on McCudden, an obvious choice!:salute::

On a separate note, I hope that the other members aren't getting annoyed with these YouTube videos of my models. This format offers huge benefits to the forum for presenting content over posting individual images. In the way of comparison, I'd note that the link that I posted at the top of this thread is essentially free to our Treefrog host and sponsor in terms of both disk space and bandwidth. On the other hand, the 19 images that I posted yesterday of "Jagdpanther Detail Shots" gobbled up copious quantities of both!:redface2:

That's all, just want everyone to know where I'm coming from!

-Moe

(Hehe, now Al thinks this has something to do with him:wink2:...not a chance!)

 

[Vicknor]

I agree on McCudden, an obvious choice!:salute::

On a separate note, I hope that the other members aren't getting annoyed with these YouTube videos of my models. This format offers huge benefits to the forum for presenting content over posting individual images. In the way of comparison, I'd note that the link that I posted at the top of this thread is essentially free to our Treefrog host and sponsor in terms of both disk space and bandwidth. On the other hand, the 19 images that I posted yesterday of "Jagdpanther Detail Shots" gobbled up copious quantities of both!:redface2:

That's all, just want everyone to know where I'm coming from!

-Moe

(Hehe, now Al thinks this has something to do with him:wink2:...not a chance!)

I'm thoroughly enjoying the YouTube posts and will be trying to emulate a little later this year.

I especially like the actual photographs and side elevation pictures. Adds a nice touch.

 

[ivanmoe]

I'm thoroughly enjoying the YouTube posts and will be trying to emulate a little later this year.

I especially like the actual photographs and side elevation pictures. Adds a nice touch.

Thanks Vicknor, I've got several more that are oldish and were never posted here. Eventually, I'll format them for a slideshow and post them to YouTube. My pics and commentary of Jenkins' models were really tough, BTW. While my overall impression of the models was always positive, a careful viewing of the slide-shows will reveal a pic of what I invariably referred to in text as a "black hole cockpit." There were other niggles, as well, here and there. To his unending credit, John didn't get defensive about my criticism or ignore the links that I sent him to the reviews. Rather, he set about improving his replicas. Hats off to the man, for so much work, so we'll done.

-Moe

 

[ivanmoe]

Next up on the hit parade is ACE-11, the Kempf Fokker Dr.1. This was my first Jenkins' model and predates my purchase of any toy pilots. I didn't realize it at the time, but the model had all but disappeared from dealer inventories. Guess I got lucky in that respect. This is my favorite Jenkins tripe and pretty dear to me, as in "you'll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands!"

-Moe

 

[lancer]

Next up on the hit parade is ACE-11, the Kempf Fokker Dr.1. This was my first Jenkins' model and predates my purchase of any toy pilots. I didn't realize it at the time, but the model had all but disappeared from dealer inventories. Guess I got lucky in that respect. This is my favorite Jenkins tripe and pretty dear to me, as in "you'll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands!"

-Moe

Agree about this tripe as it is my favorite one, as well. Playing rivet counter, there are a couple of minor errors dealing with the markings, but the brilliant camo job far outweighs any of these. This is a beautifully painted model. -- Al

 

[ivanmoe]

Agree about this tripe as it is my favorite one, as well. Playing rivet counter, there are a couple of minor errors dealing with the markings, but the brilliant camo job far outweighs any of these. This is a beautifully painted model. -- Al

Yes, it's a dandy. Don't know if you recall, but this one fetched a $10 premium over the other tripes. Apparently, this was to cover the cost of its more sophisticated paint work. The model beautifully illustrates the emphasis that Jenkins placed on embellishing his replicas. Viewed in that sense, as little works of art, rather than scale models, it's easy to understand why they became such a hit with TS-collectors.

-Moe

 

[lancer]

Against all odds, some creative juggling of the books, and a starvation diet (NOT!), I have managed to scrape the money together for the JJD DH-2. It should be landing on the old aerodrome come Monday and I can hardly wait to see this marvel of model making from John. Come on, Monday.:wink2:^&grin -- Al

Major Hawker's DH-2 #5964 made a perfect landing at my aerodrome this afternoon, a day late, because of head-winds, I am told, combined with a dust-up with some enemy Albatros. It is everything I have been led to expect through the many excellent photos and reviews posted by our forum members. I am at a loss for words concerning this model. Virtually in every category that one would want to grade, this model gets a 10 out of 10. I would add that I now have a new favorite JJD aircraft model.
There are several dio possibilities for those who like to put their aircraft in scenes. Hawker led 24 Squadron in combat, flying their DH-2's, through most of 1916. While he never scored in the DH-2, he was KIA in it on 11-23-16, while in combat with Manfred von Richthofen. The year 1916 is thus in play for possible dios that could include JJD's Nieuport 17 #A213, flown by Albert Ball. Ball flew this Nieuport in action during the same time Hawker flew his DH-2 during late 1916. Ball scored victories 20 thru 31 in September, 1916, thus a scenario where the two occupy the same dio is possible, maybe one visiting the other. The DH-2 could also be displayed with the JJD crashed Eindecker as those aircraft were still in use far into 1916. For the ultimate dio, Hawker vs Richthofen, I'm afraid we have to wait on John to make Richthofen's Albatros D-II. One more thought for an aerodrome based scenario, until an actual Hawker pilot figure appears, is that the Roy Brown pilot figure would make an excellent pilot standing by his DH-2, as the Brown figure is clothed in the heavy coat, gloves, and boots that DH-2 pilots found essential. Anyway, that is where my Brown figure now stands, and he looks right in place.
Did I mention that I am just thrilled to death to be the proud owner of this new DH-2?:wink2:^&grin -- Al

 

[ivanmoe]

Did I mention that I am just thrilled to death to be the proud owner of this new DH-2?:wink2:^&grin -- Al

Al, I'm sorry for the delay, but glad she's home where she belongs. May ACE-32 long grace your hangar!{sm4}

-Moe

 

[lancer]

Al, I'm sorry for the delay, but glad she's home where she belongs. May ACE-32 long grace your hangar!{sm4}

-Moe

Thank you, Moe. I already have rearranged things so that Hawker's DH-2 and Ball's N-17 are sitting next to each other. They look good.^&grin -- Al

 

[ivanmoe]

Time for another KotS retrospective, this time devoted to ACE-04, the MacLaren Sopwirh Camel:

Given the low serial number on this one, it goes without saying that it was one of Jenkins' first efforts. It has all the virtues of JJD product of the period, fine paint work and "wear," not to mention oodles of character. Hope you enjoy this look back at the John Jenkins Camel.

-Moe

 

[lancer]

Time for another KotS retrospective, this time devoted to ACE-04, the MacLaren Sopwirh Camel:

Given the low serial number on this one, it goes without saying that it was one of Jenkins' first efforts. It has all the virtues of JJD product of the period, fine paint work and "wear," not to mention oodles of character. Hope you enjoy this look back at the John Jenkins Camel.

-Moe

Great review, Moe. If memory serves me, item number notwithstanding, I believe ACE-10, the Roy Brown Camel, was issued before the ACE-04 MacLaren Camel. John once told me that the red-nosed Brown Camel outsold the other silver-nosed Camels, which he attributed to people simply preferring red as a nose color. Makes no difference now as all 3 of the Camel versions are long sold out. Personally, I like the silver-nosed Camels better, but each to his own. Anyway, keep those aircraft reviews coming. They're fantastic. -- Al

 

[ivanmoe]

Greetings:

After seeing the new Albatros JJ did, in my opinion, his planes are far superior to their King and Country counterparts. I almost feel King and Country should have stuck with the World War II aircraft because in competition with JJ, it is just no contest. The JJ planes look right, are more accurately modeled and well constructed.

I find it pretty amazing all the mistakes K&C is making in their planes in terms of the schemes. I also do not buy for a second that they can't paint the correct patterns for camo if they want to either. Something is really up there with that excuse.

I sold my JJ planes awhile back and wish I hadn't, I'm planning on buying a lot of them back because I have never seen such impressive replicas of World War I planes. They are just that good!

Corey

Hi Corey,

I found this old post of yours. It sounds as though you were happy with Jenkins' models at this point. What went wrong? I've also found several classified ads for models that you've wanted to sell, some of which may have belonged to a family member. However, in one of your last posts regarding Knights of the Skies, you express regret for ever having sold the Richthofen model. You can access your old posts by clicking on your name, BTW. Thoughts or comments?

-Moe

 

[ivanmoe]

Greetings:

I know I am going to be in the minority here, but I have been relatively disappointed with the John Jenkins aircraft.

There are positives. The unique subjects and the superb paint jobs, but to me some of the details are just a little odd. For example, why on airplanes this large and with this much detail, do you not offer rolling wheels? Also, why not make the control surfaces movable or do something to add a little bit more realism to the models. Many other lines do this and they are more reasonable than the JJD aircraft. It is just some interesting things to ponder.

What really threw me off from the collection was some of the problems I had obtaining the models. In particular, I had to go through three Albatros planes, many emails and many returns just to get a good one. The first one had decals that had flaked off in shipping, the second one had broken rigging wires and finally a third plane was acceptable. For models over $200, this is just not acceptable QC standards. Also, I thought the repaints were getting to be too much. One or two of each plane is fine but we were already up to several Triplanes and Camels. Makes it very difficult for people who like a complete series.

I sold mine and decided to depart the line. They are interesting planes but I do not think they offer good value compared to some of the other models out there. Just my opinion and I know I am in the minority.

Corey

Hi Corey,

This post seems relevant to your concerns regarding QA issues, but you indicate that you were successful in obtaining replacements. Or am I misinterpreting your comments?

-Moe

 

[ivanmoe]

Greetings Everyone:

Wanted to share a story about this series and John.

I do photography for my job and as a hobby. I make calendars to sell each year. This year I made a calendar featuring World War I aircraft that I had photographed at aviation and airshow events. The calendar came out nice and I sold several. I had a few extra left from my sales and had offered them in the trader forum, no one took me up on the offer...except John Jenkins!

John sent me an email and asked if I would send him a calendar, he would like to buy one. I packaged one up and sent it to Hong Kong. John says he has it proudly displayed on his desk. I'm thrilled to have been able to sell one to him. I love his models only though I only have a few of them. Recently I had two issues with two of the models and John went out of his way to help me and is offering to send me replacements. He is a wonderful person and it was humbling to have him think so highly of my calendar that he bought one.

Here is an example of the calendar in question, with two of his models. His models were partially the inspiration for doing the World War I theme this year

View attachment 207162


-Corey

Corey, I believe that this is your last post to the KotS thread, the one before this being an ad to sell your calendars. In reading through your posts, it sounds as though you must have returned a LOT of models over the years! Never mind that, though, what went wrong after you posted this message?^&confuse

-Moe

 

[Corey121281]

Moe:

I got back into the John Jenkins models after an absence. A couple I purchased such as a P-26 were fine, but three recently had serious paint defects or broken wires. One had a broken prop. Given two of the boxes no longer had the famous Jenkins tissue paper covering when I got them, I believe these models were either display pieces by the vendor and improperly repackaged or original returns from other buyers they tried to pass off to someone else. The one paint defect was in a box that had tissue paper sealing so that probably came from the factory.

I do understand sometimes issues happen, but the vendor not being willing to offer replacements was very souring to me. They claimed John would not let them and they did not accept returns once a box was opened. I sent them photographs showing the box was not sealed from the start but they did not seem to care. I've heard through the grapevine there have been other shady dealings with this one particular vendor, but the whole experience left me very unsure about purchasing anymore of John's models. I can't really afford to just throw that money away on defective models.

They are nice models if they are not defective. I have the two seaplane racers still and love them both. They are very unique. But I'm unsure if these perfect examples are the norm or I just got lucky at this point when I got them. BTW, I got them both from Treefrog and the service was excellent for those.

Corey

Corey, I believe that this is your last post to the KotS thread, the one before this being an ad to sell your calendars. In reading through your posts, it sounds as though you must have returned a LOT of models over the years! Never mind that, though, what went wrong after you posted this message?^&confuse

-Moe

 

[lancer]

Moe:

I got back into the John Jenkins models after an absence. A couple I purchased such as a P-26 were fine, but three recently had serious paint defects or broken wires. One had a broken prop. Given two of the boxes no longer had the famous Jenkins tissue paper covering when I got them, I believe these models were either display pieces by the vendor and improperly repackaged or original returns from other buyers they tried to pass off to someone else. The one paint defect was in a box that had tissue paper sealing so that probably came from the factory.

I do understand sometimes issues happen, but the vendor not being willing to offer replacements was very souring to me. They claimed John would not let them and they did not accept returns once a box was opened. I sent them photographs showing the box was not sealed from the start but they did not seem to care. I've heard through the grapevine there have been other shady dealings with this one particular vendor, but the whole experience left me very unsure about purchasing anymore of John's models. I can't really afford to just throw that money away on defective models.

They are nice models if they are not defective. I have the two seaplane racers still and love them both. They are very unique. But I'm unsure if these perfect examples are the norm or I just got lucky at this point when I got them. BTW, I got them both from Treefrog and the service was excellent for those.

Corey

Please forgive my jumping in on this conversation, but I think you have found the answer to your dealer problems by going through Treefrog. You can't find a better one. I still can't offer an opinion as to why you have received so many defective models. My experience is the opposite. Only 2 problems (very early on) that were taken care of by my dealer without question, in a total of over 2 dozen+ aircraft purchases. It's a puzzle. -- Al

 

[ivanmoe]

Moe:

I got back into the John Jenkins models after an absence. A couple I purchased such as a P-26 were fine, but three recently had serious paint defects or broken wires. One had a broken prop. Given two of the boxes no longer had the famous Jenkins tissue paper covering when I got them, I believe these models were either display pieces by the vendor and improperly repackaged or original returns from other buyers they tried to pass off to someone else. The one paint defect was in a box that had tissue paper sealing so that probably came from the factory.

I do understand sometimes issues happen, but the vendor not being willing to offer replacements was very souring to me. They claimed John would not let them and they did not accept returns once a box was opened. I sent them photographs showing the box was not sealed from the start but they did not seem to care. I've heard through the grapevine there have been other shady dealings with this one particular vendor, but the whole experience left me very unsure about purchasing anymore of John's models. I can't really afford to just throw that money away on defective models.

They are nice models if they are not defective. I have the two seaplane racers still and love them both. They are very unique. But I'm unsure if these perfect examples are the norm or I just got lucky at this point when I got them. BTW, I got them both from Treefrog and the service was excellent for those.

Corey

Corey, I PM'd you.

-Moe

 

[ivanmoe]

Next up in the hit parade of previous KotS releases is ACE-16(S), the Rickenbacker SPAD 13:

In the years since this model was released (and quickly sold-out), I doubt that I've come across five of them on EBay. When it does appear, the sales price is pretty dear. Clearly, the replica dedicated to "Captain Eddy" is held closely by collectors. As for me, I would love to see an ACE-16(N), a whole new release upgraded to the standard seen in the Guynemer and Luke models. In fact, I might buy two of them! Hope you enjoy this new look at an old model.

-Moe