# Italeri XB-70--just the ERTL one?



## jbond (Aug 29, 2002)

I just bought the Italeri XB-70 kit--am I crazy or is it just a (nicely) repackaged version of the ERTL kit from 15 years ago or so?


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## falcondesigns (Oct 30, 2002)

Why would you think it would be any different? AMT/Ertl was the only 1/72 scale XB-70 out there,and it's a great kit of a fantastic plane.


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## jbond (Aug 29, 2002)

Well I already built the ERTL one and it's a nice model but I guess I thought a model from an entirely different manufacturer might be different. Looks like the decals are different but otherwise it looks like the same kit to me. Indeed the XB-70 is a great aircraft, so why should there be only one 1/72 scale kit of it available?


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## falcondesigns (Oct 30, 2002)

Because no one has the tooling money like they did fifteen years ago.My friend Bruce Byerly (BTBRUSH) was the project manager for this kit at Ertl,and sent me pictures of him in the cockpit of the one at the Air Force Museum.where he went to do the research on this.


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## miniature sun (May 1, 2005)

Yes it is the Ertl kit reboxed but the decals are a real improvement on the originals and I think the boxart is possibly the best I've seen for an aircraft kit.
I just picked one up recently as I missed out on the original. By all accounts I'm in for a lot of sanding but I'm looking forward to eventually building it.
By the way, there are now some upgrades available...an etched set from Czech company Extra Tech and a white metal undercarriage from Scale Aircraft Conversions

http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/EX72166

http://scaleaircraftconversions.com/moreinfo.cfm?KIT=143


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## jbond (Aug 29, 2002)

Ah, that etched set looks fantastic...38 pounds is kind of steep though. I guess this just gets me the chance to take another crack at this kit...maybe I will get the upgrades--and the decals do look nice. The box art definitely enticed me to buy the kit--I also bought the Warbird Tech book on the plane for research.


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## falcondesigns (Oct 30, 2002)

I'm a big fan of the Valkyrie,this is on my wall,by aviation artist Mike Machet.Their is also a book "VALKYRIE" by Dennis R. Jenkins & Tony R. Landis which is fantastic.


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## miniature sun (May 1, 2005)

jbond said:


> Ah, that etched set looks fantastic...38 pounds is kind of steep though.


I got mine for around £22 direct from MPM in the Czech Republic however it looks like it's gone up a little now, still way cheaper than Hannants though....

http://www.mpmshop.eu/accessories/p...ts-1/xb-70-valkyrie-interierexterier-ita.html


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

You basically can't tell whose kit you're buying any more. So many companies license and rebox other company's kits, it's a guessing game when you buy.


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## btbrush (Sep 20, 2010)

Thank you for the plug, Alex. I even walked on the wings measuring the hinges. I walked down one of the intakes and within 15 feet it was pitch black. Quite fun. When the crew opened the cockpit door for me to photograph inside there was a discernible hiss. First time it had been opened since they rolled her in. All the crew there wanted in. Tough job but someone has to do it for you guys.
There are some fit issues, part of which comes from a model having to use a 500 ton mold (clamping pressure). But she does build up nice. And for the price of such a large mold, no one else felt it was worth the risk.
Many molds are sold off to other companies when one needs operating capital.
Bruce


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Italeri bought the old Ertl stuff when they went bust. Aside from jacking the kit price to $100 and giving it a nice decal sheet, the kit is the same.

Its not a "bad" kit but its not shake n bake either. Looks really impressive when done. The only other 1/72 kit was the 70s vintage Contrail vac kit. Aurora made a smaller version (sold as the B-70 and XB-70). Thats probably around 1/100ish. Lindberg has an even smaller kit and there is a tiny kit sold by Minicraft that is about 4 inches long. In the 70s that kit (maybe old Otaki?) was sold under the Entex name.


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## jbond (Aug 29, 2002)

I got the Italeri kit for $55 on ebay--I've built the ERTL version and had the Aurora one as a teen. I still have the finished ERTL one boxed and I have a nice big garage now so maybe I'll display them both in flight--I did order the photoetch set.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

jbond said:


> Well I already built the ERTL one and it's a nice model but I guess I thought a model from an entirely different manufacturer might be different. Looks like the decals are different but otherwise it looks like the same kit to me. Indeed the XB-70 is a great aircraft, so why should there be only one 1/72 scale kit of it available?


Its a cool plane but was also a dud and didnt progress anywhere. Back when the XB-70 was new Aurora and Lindberg did kits of it. But, being it never went into production, there were no more new kits until the Ertl version.

Lots of planes only have one kit in a given scale. Italeri makes the only (poor) 1/72 B-58. Hasegawa makes the only 1/72 B-47 and even the mighty B-52 has only the OLD Monogram kit and the crappy Ertl kit.


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## MightyMax (Jan 21, 2000)

Contrail actually made two. The first was discovered to be off in scale and was not true 1/72. So Contrail retooled it to be a true 1/72. Also there were two of those. In the initial release you got white metal detail parts. Then according to the note in my kit. To save weight for shipping purposes they deleted the white metal! Would have been nice to know before I ordered it! Anyway, I have one, unbuilt, in the basement. I bought it back in the 80's when no one thought anyone would do one injected in 1/72. Back then, you wanted unique you paid dear for it. I paid, if memory is correct, around 80.00! That was back when no kit 1/48 or 1/72 and even some 1/32 airplane kits did not break the 10.00 price point! 
So back in the 80's an 80.00 Italeri (Ertl) kit would have been most welcome just due to it being injection molded and with nice detail. Ertl released two versions. A regular and Special Edition. Regular was about 30.00 and SE (came with poster and enamel pin) was between 35 and 40.00.

Then ERTL got out of the Airplane business and all the AMT aircraft ended up at KB Toy Liquidators and Big Lots (same company)

They were blowing them out at 9.99 I picked up a couple for (brace yourself) 7.50 each cause they often ran buy one get one at half price sales.

Oh those were the days!

Cheers
Max Bryant


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Yes the Contrail one is nice (for a vac kit not injection molded). They made all the big bombers like the B-36 etc. I have two of the Aurora kits. On says B-70 (the old kit) and the 70s issue says XB-70. For Aurora its not bad and is fairly large. Perhaps 1/100?


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## miniature sun (May 1, 2005)

In case anyone is interested, here's the etched set close up....some of the details are incredibly fine and you will definitely need a hold-and-fold or similar decice for the bends....


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## miniature sun (May 1, 2005)

And here are the instructions....


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

There's a point with photoetch where it gets SO small and SO detailed that I just give up.
That's some intense stuff there.


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## miniature sun (May 1, 2005)

John P said:


> There's a point with photoetch where it gets SO small and SO detailed that I just give up.
> That's some intense stuff there.


I couldn't agree more John...I enjoy the challenge but with this one I might need a new pair of eyes first!


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## Ace Airspeed (May 16, 2010)

John P said:


> There's a point with photoetch where it gets SO small and SO detailed that I just give up.


Roger that, John.


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## Whiteraven_2001 (Apr 12, 2008)

$7.50 for the Valkyrie... wow!

I can still remember walking under it with my dad at the USAF museum. Enormous bird.


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## taskmaster58 (Feb 9, 2010)

Ertl also put out a couple of different B-52 kits one was the H model and I think an earlier model they were a bit better than the monogram B-52.


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