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Armor/AFV
For discussions on tanks, artillery, jeeps, etc.
FEATURE
Interview with AFV Club/ Hobby Fan
Henk
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England - South West, United Kingdom
Joined: August 07, 2004
KitMaker: 6,391 posts
Armorama: 4,258 posts
Posted: Monday, March 02, 2009 - 06:02 PM UTC
Armorama''s Ted Hayward visits AFV Club Headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan.

Link to Item

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!
GregCloseCombat
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California, United States
Joined: June 30, 2008
KitMaker: 2,408 posts
Armorama: 2,394 posts
Posted: Monday, March 02, 2009 - 06:29 PM UTC
What a great guy and true hobbyist!

I can't wait to get my hands on the 1/48 scale 251 C & D half-tracks coming out!

I bet you had a blast there Ted


on,

Greg
Plasticbattle
#003
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Donegal, Ireland
Joined: May 14, 2002
KitMaker: 9,763 posts
Armorama: 7,444 posts
Posted: Monday, March 02, 2009 - 06:52 PM UTC
Great interview and idea Ted. Very very interesting. I knew very little about this company, but thanks to you, I have a little more knowledge on them today.
sgtreef
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Oklahoma, United States
Joined: March 01, 2002
KitMaker: 6,043 posts
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Posted: Monday, March 02, 2009 - 11:12 PM UTC
Dang Ted you should of asked them secret of cause when that Duster is coming out.

Joking good read.
ted_hayward
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Taipei, Taiwan / 台灣
Joined: October 04, 2008
KitMaker: 453 posts
Armorama: 304 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 - 01:14 AM UTC
Thanks for reading and for your comments (Any critical comments will of course be deleted at once ). These guys really are just plastic junkies like us. They were very interested in knowing what I thought they should produce next -when I mentioned my ideas, they immediately got out their reference material and went to work! I can't spill the beans on the Duster release, but I will say that I was shown something that will warm the cockles of your M42 heart...
We talked about modeling well into the evening, and then Mr. Tseung showed me to his favorite hobby shop in Taipei -these are our kind of people, believe me
Stay tuned on constant updates from this emerging giant.
koenele
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Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
Joined: January 17, 2006
KitMaker: 4,194 posts
Armorama: 408 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 - 01:34 AM UTC
pretty short but very interesting interview!!
i read it with a lot of interest!!

thanks
keroopie67
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British Columbia, Canada
Joined: February 22, 2008
KitMaker: 54 posts
Armorama: 6 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 - 03:27 AM UTC
Hi Ted,
Thanks for the cool interview. I would love to visit with a kit manufacturer! It have always been a mystery to me how they do things, and I can only imagine their passion and thinking when they are developing a kit, researching it out and deciding how to bring it to market. My friend from Taiwan also remembers saving his lunch money to buy a Tamiya 1/35 kit way back as a school kid. Never did he think that a company could make so many new and exciting kits from his home country.
I live in B.C., how did you end up there in Taiwan?

Thanks for sharing a rare insight into the world of scale model manufacturing!
Thanks to AFV for producing interesting and desirable kits!


Eric
bill_c
Staff MemberCampaigns Administrator
MODEL SHIPWRIGHTS
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New Jersey, United States
Joined: January 09, 2008
KitMaker: 10,553 posts
Armorama: 8,109 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 - 04:10 AM UTC
Nice to see guys who are nuts about their hobby and making a difference.

And some good kits coming in the new year. Wonder when someone is going to do the Sd.Kfz. 8?
ericadeane
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Michigan, United States
Joined: October 28, 2002
KitMaker: 4,021 posts
Armorama: 3,947 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 - 07:14 AM UTC
Very nice write up. Good to see the "faces" behind one of the standards in the industry. My hats off to them -- I hope they continue to grow for years and years ahead.
pouikpouik
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Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Joined: March 03, 2009
KitMaker: 26 posts
Armorama: 25 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 - 10:42 AM UTC
I remember that AFV club anounce the M42 Duster along while ago, im still waiting
Hope that they will release M551, M107 and other stuffs from Vietnam era. I had their Centurion, quiet extra detailed. Keep going on
Murdo
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Scotland, United Kingdom
Joined: May 25, 2005
KitMaker: 2,218 posts
Armorama: 1,050 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 - 11:42 AM UTC
I'll certainly agree with them on their 1/35 Scimitar (and Scorpion) Absolutely superb kits that go together well, have nice detail and leave lots of scope for adding stuff.

I had the Scimitar blue tacked to the dashboard of several cars for about five years and it is showing its age now.

It is about eight years old now and the left (rubber) track is disintegrating a bit but considering it sat right under a car windscreen and withstood extremes of temperature from -15c to 45c it has really done incredibly well!

The paint and cam has genuine weathering, not painted on stuff!
gunjeep
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Nebraska, United States
Joined: August 28, 2002
KitMaker: 40 posts
Armorama: 37 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 - 05:15 PM UTC
Interesting interview, thanks. Wish you had asked about any Vietnam era vehicles, like the M37 that Skybow was bringing out, then they were taken over by AFV Club, but the M37 has never appeared and NO ONE makes a model of it-seems a good fit for their philosophy. Hard for me to understand how ALL companies make the same WWII things but no one seems to want to do something different.
ted_hayward
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Taipei, Taiwan / 台灣
Joined: October 04, 2008
KitMaker: 453 posts
Armorama: 304 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 - 06:19 PM UTC
Maybe we could start a poll here on Armorama: Which kits (not just AFV kits) would you, as hobbyists, like to see produced next? This company is one of the few who would actually listen and release the kits that WE want to build! Ideas...?
Henk
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England - South West, United Kingdom
Joined: August 07, 2004
KitMaker: 6,391 posts
Armorama: 4,258 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 - 06:35 PM UTC
There are a number of threads about this subject, and whilst a singular thread about 'what we want' does not seem to get the various companies going (to be fair, every single possible subject does get mentioned), post by a company indicating what they are realisticaly planning to release, tend to get lots of useful comments. For example, the MasterBox Maquis set, which initialy featured a Maquis medic tending to a wounded German soldier. It was pointed out that that would be rather unlikely, and MB took that on board for their development.

C_JACQUEMONT
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Loire-Atlantique, France
Joined: October 09, 2004
KitMaker: 2,433 posts
Armorama: 2,325 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 - 08:29 PM UTC
Any news on the release date of the announced LVTH-6?
ted_hayward
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Taipei, Taiwan / 台灣
Joined: October 04, 2008
KitMaker: 453 posts
Armorama: 304 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 - 09:46 PM UTC
I'll keep you posted as I become aware of new releases. Stay tuned!
sgtreef
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Oklahoma, United States
Joined: March 01, 2002
KitMaker: 6,043 posts
Armorama: 4,347 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 - 11:09 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I remember that AFV club anounce the M42 Duster along while ago, im still waiting
Hope that they will release M551, M107 and other stuffs from Vietnam era. I had their Centurion, quiet extra detailed. Keep going on



Now you have some good stuff on this list here.

A new M551 and a M107 and 110 would be a delight indeed.

If Dragon gets hold of this maybe we will see

some from two different companies.

Not as Dragon does not do to much modern stuff
pigsty
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United Kingdom
Joined: January 16, 2007
KitMaker: 1,226 posts
Armorama: 451 posts
Posted: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 - 01:00 AM UTC

Quoted Text

They were very interested in knowing what I thought they should produce next -when I mentioned my ideas, they immediately got out their reference material and went to work!



You mean ... all I have to do is ...?

Mr Tseung, we need a 1/35 Pz.68, a 1/35 TAM, and a 1/35 Vickers MBT, and we need 'em yesterday! Will pay up to £30 a pop like your lovely Churchills, pls inquire about part-exchange, easy terms, etc etc etc.
pouikpouik
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Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Joined: March 03, 2009
KitMaker: 26 posts
Armorama: 25 posts
Posted: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 - 10:53 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

I remember that AFV club anounce the M42 Duster along while ago, im still waiting
Hope that they will release M551, M107 and other stuffs from Vietnam era. I had their Centurion, quiet extra detailed. Keep going on



Now you have some good stuff on this list here.

A new M551 and a M107 and 110 would be a delight indeed.

If Dragon gets hold of this maybe we will see

some from two different companies.

Not as Dragon does not do to much modern stuff




Dear Mr. Tseung,

I have some sweet dreams about: M50, M52/53/55 SPG, M107, M109, M110, M551, M42, LVTH6 and all of her family (LVTE, LVTR...) and as you released your wondeful Centurion, what do you think about the Centurion ARV MK2 ? Do you hear me, Mr. Tseung ??? Please get me out of my dreams with your big things..
gcdavidson
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Ontario, Canada
Joined: August 05, 2003
KitMaker: 1,698 posts
Armorama: 1,563 posts
Posted: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 - 02:19 PM UTC
Glad to read that his favourite tank is the Centurion..perhaps the ARV and AVRE are not long off?
dispatcher
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Illinois, United States
Joined: November 04, 2007
KitMaker: 396 posts
Armorama: 325 posts
Posted: Thursday, March 05, 2009 - 04:39 PM UTC
It's nice to see that they care about what they do. I have completed one build and two reviews of AFV club kits and I haven't been let down as yet. I will do another build soon with an added review of another of their products. I hope in the future to build one of their 251 D variants, just to see how they compare with Tamiya and Dragon. I was fortunate enough to get a Dragon 251 D at a very reasonable price, but I'll have to wait awhile on a AFV one.
My only let down is I am not the greatest builder in this community, nor anywhere near the top. I just try and have fun trying.
Joe
Violetrock
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European Union
Joined: March 09, 2003
KitMaker: 831 posts
Armorama: 791 posts
Posted: Thursday, March 05, 2009 - 11:28 PM UTC
Continuing their Stryker family- so many still missing.

But start including the signal horn!

Also as a separate set, to update the older releases.
And include in this set the sprue N of their 1128 kit, that has the perforated plates and the tiny parts for replacing the step rings on it.

Thomas
desertfox42
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Texas, United States
Joined: September 05, 2005
KitMaker: 173 posts
Armorama: 139 posts
Posted: Sunday, March 08, 2009 - 08:32 AM UTC
Thank you for the interview. Nice to hear from an 'insider' now and again. RL
pigsty
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United Kingdom
Joined: January 16, 2007
KitMaker: 1,226 posts
Armorama: 451 posts
Posted: Monday, March 09, 2009 - 01:04 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Please get me out of my dreams with your big things..



!
Poldark
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Virginia, United States
Joined: October 06, 2004
KitMaker: 50 posts
Armorama: 37 posts
Posted: Sunday, March 15, 2009 - 01:34 AM UTC
Great interview Ted! I enjoy reading/listening to what Model Co. heads have to say. I do hope AFV Club plans to do some British softskins in 1/35th from WWII North Africa! Not really exited about 1/48th armor though.
Good job!

Frank Blanton
Virginia, U.S.A.
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