Posted by Steve L. on July 29, 1999 at 00:40:54 in 209.240.200.72:
I live in Los Angeles, so instead of having Minicraft ship the kit to me, I decided to go down to Torrance and pick it up. I'm glad I did, I had a really nice time. I got to meet Al Trendle, who told me all about the revisions to the kit; 93 major changes in all. He showed me a mock-up of the new bow section, it also included the photo-etched railings and ratlines that will come in their 'extra' kit. We also looked over the other kits: the 1/400 Academy, as well as the forthcoming 1/400 Revell. He pointed out the good points, and major flaws in both. He also showed me the new decals, which are really well done and accurate. I got to see what the next boxes will look like; all the same artwork, but instead of the "Accurized and Improved" sticker we get, that will be a part of the printing. There will also be some new model pictures on the side, with a short list of a few of the more major revisions.
Thanks, Al, for showing me around the Minicraft offices. I had a great time. Now it's time to start working on this kit!
Steve L.