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For discussions on tanks, artillery, jeeps, etc.
REVIEW
RF-8-Gaz-98 Aerosled
Mario_HR
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Croatia Hrvatska
Joined: June 28, 2006
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Posted: Thursday, June 09, 2011 - 12:54 AM UTC
Jim Rae does an in-box Review of a long-awaited subject in styrene - the RF-8-Gaz-98 Aerosled from Vision Models

Link to Item



If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!
vonHengest
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Posted: Thursday, June 09, 2011 - 03:06 AM UTC
Thanks for the review Jim, it sounds like one heck of a kit as many of us have hoped that it would be. Thanks for the additional resource links as well!
Biggles2
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Posted: Monday, June 13, 2011 - 06:43 PM UTC
After finding this 'an excellent model of a truly fascinating subject' the reviewer only gives an 85%? I think this is a bum rap. Even if the reviewer thinks the model will have limited appeal, that should not detract from its intrinsic value. Does it have to be a Sherman or Panther to get a higher rating?
jimbrae
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Posted: Monday, June 13, 2011 - 08:02 PM UTC

Quoted Text

After finding this 'an excellent model of a truly fascinating subject' the reviewer only gives an 85%? I think this is a bum rap. Even if the reviewer thinks the model will have limited appeal, that should not detract from its intrinsic value. Does it have to be a Sherman or Panther to get a higher rating?



Everyone has the right to mark a product the way they see fit. Perhaps it might have reached the 90 if they had included a SEATED crew? 85% is, IMO a pretty reasonable rating. That WAS tempered by the fact that, although it was a widely-used vehicle, it wasn't as widely-used as the (later) armored version which should give slightly greater possibilities for the Mid/Late War period?

'Bum Rap'? At the end of the day it's down to a personal viewpoint...
Biggles2
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Posted: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 - 04:01 AM UTC
So if you don't personally like an otherwise excellent, perfect , and outstanding model you would give it a crappy rating?
jimbrae
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Posted: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 - 04:06 AM UTC

Quoted Text

So if you don't personally like an otherwise excellent, perfect , and outstanding model you would give it a crappy rating?



Whatever you say...
staff_Jim
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Posted: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 - 05:36 AM UTC

Quoted Text

So if you don't personally like an otherwise excellent, perfect , and outstanding model you would give it a crappy rating?



How exactly is 85% a 'crappy' rating? Honestly I don't get the majority of online users issues with our rating system. Hello?!?! it's a number that the reviewer assigns based on their own PERSONAL choice. Jim's average rating is currently at 88.01% so this is pretty close to his typical ranking for a kit. It's also right in line with the average rating of most Vision kits we have published. In the world we grew up in 85% is a solid "B" rating. That means 'above average'.

Perhaps rather than give modelers ratings we should just write the obligatory "Recommended" or "Highly Recommended" at the bottom of our reviews. Something that obviously would be fine with many of you because the current system is just too darn confusing I guess. Really it's crap like this that puts many of our contributors off from even writing anything.

Read, absorb, and move on...

Jim
Biggles2
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Posted: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 - 06:09 AM UTC
Sorreeeee........
vonHengest
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Posted: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 - 11:24 AM UTC
I think that anything that gets about an 80% or above is pretty darn good. I have a hard time giving anything much higher than an 85% rating unless it is pretty stellar. There are some things that I believe are easier to give higher ratings, such as decals.

You can look at it as 85% means it is in the top 15th percentile which is pretty darn impressive
jashby
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Joined: July 01, 2009
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Posted: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 - 11:54 AM UTC
Please don't change the rating system. I like it the way it is. My understanding is the system is an average over three sub ratings. The positive, the negatives and overall rating. So if the negatives are slightly more than the positives and the overall rating is good then the average will be lower. Using this system I look at the percantage and go by my own system of:
below 50% not that good and will require work to make it worthwhile and only if you are really interested,
50-60% getting there, is passable but still requires work,
60-70% getting better but is let down by silly errors buy the manufacturer,
70-80% straight OOB will build a good model,
80-90% awesome, not too many errors and most will be negligable,
90-100% throw away all your aftermaket we have gold, the only thing that will stuff this model is me.

Thanks Jim for your review. Wasn't something I would be interested in if I just saw it on the shelf but now I'm intrigued.

Cheers, John
jimbrae
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Posted: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 - 11:31 PM UTC
The Rating (and Review) system is something that we've worked hard on over the years. It's nice therefore, when some people understand PRECISELY what we're trying to achieve.

At the end of the day, it's personal perception which will give the final rating and yes there are a lot of factors at play. Not least of them is the originality of the release. I doubt i'd be much use Reviewing some of the 'Paper-Panzers' as in a number of cases they never appeared in anything more than the form of a few line-drawings. This would almost certainly cloud my judgement.

As to my own 'Ratings' yes, they are high (taken as an average) which is no reflection on my own ablities, but rather the extraordinary work carried out by the manufacturers in the last few years. When you get a product to Review from certain manuacturers, it genuinely becomes a 'labor of love' Reviewing them...
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