Hello everyone,
It has been a while since my last update, so I wanted to share some news and catch you up on where things stand with some of my current projects.
First, I have to say this has been one of the toughest summers I can remember. We are already into the third week of September, and the heat persists, though hopefully things will begin to cool down in the coming days. The summer was so severe that it forced me to plan major upgrades for my workshop. Not only was working in the space like sitting in an oven 24/7, but we also experienced sudden local flooding on the night of August 24th. Water entered my workspace and surrounding rooms; fortunately, nothing vital was damaged except for an electrical circuit breaker. Autumns seem shorter now, with rapid shifts between heat and cold and rising sea temperatures across the Mediterranean.
Once temperatures drop to manageable levels, I will begin a deep reorganisation and renovation of my workshop. This will take some time to complete, but it is necessary for both safety and long-term production efficiency. Because of this, from late September through mid-to-late November, there may be a short pause on brand-new releases while I focus on fulfilling incoming orders, answering customer emails, and continuing digital work during the workspace overhaul.
On a bright note, my products are reaching modellers in the US again little by little. You can now find my latest release; the 1/144 B737-200 Gravel Kit available through Russell at Airliner Hobby Supplies. This is my very first wholesale shipment, and my goal once the workshop renovation is complete is to expand distribution to other shops worldwide, bringing these kits closer to you without sacrificing a single bit of quality.
I also intend to resume direct US shipments from my own webstore as soon as possible. As many of you know, the US now requires import duties and customs fees to be collected upfront at the time of label creation through our national postal carrier (Correos). Reconfiguring postal systems for these regulations took some time to Correos as well as many other couriers. When shopping internationally, the usual is paying duties upon arrival, but upfront processing is now required for US-bound packages.
This is why my shop also needs to have the checkout system updated for customers shipping to the US. I will make sure to provide an update as soon as I have this change integrated as well as explain with total transparency how the fees are handled.
Regarding (some of) my ongoing projects:
- 1/144 Catering truck: All model components and physical instructions are completed. The final missing puzzle piece is the clear-resin cabin. I made solid progress on my own test build over the summer, but the extreme heat made delicate silicone mold-making impossible. I will resume cabin casting as soon as ambient temperatures settle.
- 1/72 B737-200 Gravel kit: The 1/72 scale gravel kit for the B737-200 is finished and will officially launch next weekend. A 1/200 version is currently in the testing stage.
- 1/144 B787-8, B787-9 and B787-10. Work on the 787 program has resumed finally! I am refining fit tolerances on the new floor sections, modifying galleys for cleaner LED wiring paths, and designing optional Business/First Class seating. As a quick recap: fuselage molds are complete and tested, tail surfaces are tested and awaiting final molds, and cargo holds (including the new 787-10 aft hold) are done. Redesigned passenger windows are pending molding. A final release date isn’t set yet, but the project is moving steadily through prototyping.
- The new 1/144 B747 family (-400F, -400 pax, -400 BDSF, -8F and 8i) will be started soon. Development is underway for a completely ground-up 747 redesign, building on experiences learned from the 787 and catering truck. I am currently drafting primary technical line drawings. The general plan for the 747 variants is as follows:
- B747-8F: A detailed conversion set (fuselage, nose door, main deck, cargo holds, cockpit, and upper deck interior) designed around donor kit wings, engines, landing gear, and horizontal stabilizers from the two major kit manufacturers. I am evaluating wing/tail joint designs to accommodate different donor kits smoothly.
- B747-400F: A complete standalone kit designed as an “all-doors-open” (with choices for closed doors) model with full interior structure, detailed gear, three engine choices (GE, RR and PW) and complete flight surfaces.
- B747-400 Passenger version: Full kit featuring the extended upper deck hump and detailed passenger galleys. Galleys will be offered as modular add-ons, a system I am also adopting for the 787 to keep webstore inventory organized and efficient and give more freedom of choice to the customer.
- B747-8i: Similar to the 747-400 Passenger but with a mix of the 747-8F. This new fuselage with full interior will also require a donor kit.
- B747-400 BDSF: Shares the passenger fuselage contour combined with main-deck/fuselage cargo interiors. Main deck may be a section for the forward and middle aft since this version does not have an opening nose door.
The 747 is a massive, long-term project that I am pouring my full energy into, leveraging new casting and molding techniques developed over the past year. This redesign was a necessity for various reasons, there is no second chances, it has to be perfect this time.
That is all for now, next weekend I will present/release the new 1/72 gravel kit for the B737-200. I hope to share another update as I get some more progress done on the 787 and the catering truck.
Thank you very much everyone for your patience and support!
Best wishes,
Guillem