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Old 03-18-2012, 08:36 AM
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Rubenandres77 Rubenandres77 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by billy.leliveld View Post
Ruben has let me know that he has some computer problems, a dying video card,but no data is lost, so just a little patience, in the meanwhile, i have been experimenting to print on metallic paper, with great results,update soon
My brother is lending me a hand to see if I can revive the video card. By the time being I'm working on a much slower and less efficient computer, with a resolution of just 1024X768 (I was working at a much bigger size last week before the damage). I can not even run downloaded Youtube videos because they play slow, and image editing is the worst nightmare in terms of time and CPU performance. I miss my old computer. Fortunately nothing's lost.





Quote:
Originally Posted by cdavenport View Post
...
Is Reuben going to create other liveries like he did for the Trimotor?

I have three huge walls on which to mount this thing!
As for other liveries, I wish to clarify this: It was not my intention to paint other liveries besides the original AA. I didn't have plans for that.

One person specifically asked if certain livery could be painted, in order to support a non-for-profit organization that is in some way related to a DC-3. Alan Rose gave his permission for it. But since I have not even started to paint the AA livery, I really don't know how difficult or easy that would be. If I find it feasible to paint that other livery, I probably will (depending on my time and the technical possibilities). If I'm not able to do it, I may leave the interested party to work on the files to paint that specific livery by himself.

Is too early in the process to know how hard or how easy it will be to apply different liveries to this DC-3kit. With the Tri-Motor it was rather easy, because the fuselage skin was made up of just 3 parts, and 2 parts for each wing. But this DC-3 has a lot more of parts. And I haven't even reached the painted parts yet.

So at this point I can not promise that I will paint other liveries. Just consider this: I have not even tought about the possibility of painting a version of the DC-3 with the colours of my own country.

I can't say "yes" at this point. I can't say "no" at this point either.
We'll wait and see. Sorry for not giving a definite answer about it yet :(


Following I quote the original words that Mr. Rose wrote from an e-mail a couple of weeks ago where he grants permission to do other liveries:

Quote:
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While I don't imagine I'd personally draw CP livery, I do give permission for anyone who wants to. I mentioned to Mr. Martinez that perhaps a plain silver version could be done. That way the end-user might add any decorative details wanted by way of decal or pressure-sensitive material. That doesn't resolve the white painted part atop, but it might be good enough.
Best wishes,
AR


And about this specific point:

Quote:
Originally Posted by cdavenport View Post
I am officially jazzed! I have been trying to get that guy on Ebay to sell his copy for much lower than $175! Now, all I have to do is wait.
...

Hmm... now I will spend sometime ranting.

Major, I still believe it is obscene that a book that was originally priced at U$15 when released is now at such high prices as U$175. The person who advertised that kit in this forum some weeks ago offered it to me at U$150, which I still believe is highly overpriced.

If you think carefully about it, there are other Alan Rose kits that are even harder to find. A lot more. But when they do appear they sell at very low prices compared to the DC-3. So is not because it is rare, they charge so much just because is a huge paper DC-3, and because Alan Rose is a famous designer. By the way, do you know how much of those U$175 reaches Alan Rose’s pockets? Yes, I know you know how much.



Or probably sometime a few years ago a (very desperate and reckless) collector (with more passion than head) must have paid that much for one copy of that kit, because that was the value he gave to it, or because he wanted that kit so badly that when he saw one he wanted to get rid of any competitors in the auction. And since then all the people who has a copy of the original kit aspires to get the same amount of money following the example. Just very much like when in the 1980s some Japanese collectors paid astronomical amounts for old Ferraris that had never been priced so high. There was a time when certain Ferraris were incredibly expensive just because those Japanese collectors were eager to pay that much, although the real price without them would have been much lower. Maybe that's what happened with this kit: one (very desperate and reckless) collector (with more passion than head) offered too much for it, setting the new standard for that specific kit. Probably all the sellers know is that someone somewhere sometime ago already paid U$150 or more for that, so they expect all the buyers to pay the same. They know nothing more (and I doubt they know anything at all about paper modeling).

I believe those auctions will still appear in the future in e-bay or even here. I don't know if once this digital version is released they will ask for the same price, or if they will dare to charge even more. Since people always want money I doubt the price will decrease. But who knows? Maybe things will change. Maybe not.

I have no doubts that certain kind of collector may still want to have the original, tangible, “real”, physical, printed copy of the kit; and he is free to go and pay whatever he wants to pay for it if he really wishes to do so.

And the e-bay sellers will also still have the freedom to charge as much as they wish for the printed copies of this kit. After all they can sell their stuff for any price, as long as they keep profiting from it.

That’s the beauty of capitalism: “the freedom of the individual to embark on any ****ing business he sees fit” as the great David Mamet so clearly put it.

At least in my case, and even though I love DC-3s so badly, and even though I love paper modeling, and even though I’d love to have a printed copy of the kit, I really don’t feel like paying U$175 for it. I just don’t want to. That's my way of exercising my freedom :P

One thing is true: at least in this forum a digitally restored copy of that same paper DC-3 kit by Alan Rose will be available for free. If the paper modeler chooses to pay U$175 for it at e-bay, keeping the overpriced value of the kit is their decision. If the paper modeler chooses to obtain a new digital copy of that same kit here for free, it’s also their decision.

I have no doubts that a serious collector (and lots of non-collectors) will also download this when it is available to the public. We will have the privilege of this kit while Ferrari lovers still have to struggle to get one car they like, and will always be subject to the desires and greed of the sellers. But we can break some chains. Ferrari lovers should envy us because we can always get what we want, they just can't
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