Jargonking
Active Member
In the interests of research and because it was only £2.99 I sprung for the first issue today.
My observations.....
Cockpit Bulkhead....
the printing on the instrument panel is excellent and presumably the holes in the bulkhead are there to allow light through when it is backlit. My only misgiving with this piece is that for the scale, supposedly 1:43, it's a little one-dimensional...if this was a regular kit this would be moulded with some relief on the individual panels.
The hull part....
this is interesting as, to my eyes at least, this is an injection moulded plastic part as opposed to the 'resin' described in the advertising. Hard to tell if it's styrene or ABS but it definitely doesn't feel like any resin I've ever come across. Detail is very good with no obvious flaws or seams on the visible outer surface. I think the material could easily take additional detailing or scribing if needed. The paint job is OK given that it's just a uniform colour that's had a minimal wash applied....interestingly the magazine says it will be featuring articles on additional weathering techniques. I'm certain that a lot of builders, if they are modellers, will want to repaint anyway....
Cockpit floor...
this part is OK but I think most serious modellers would want some additional detailing and lighting on the console...
Metal structural framework....
these are well cast and strong, they resist flexing or bending, it does make you wonder though how well these will stay together over time, if they will require additional bonding, will they creak or flex as the model is handled and what the total weight of the completed model will be...
Cast metal Quad Gun assembly....
well cast with some fine detail, the odd thing about this is it's not painted and the instructions make no mention of this...not a problem for the seasoned modeller but not ideal for the casual builder...
Overall I think it's a nice looking kit. Is it worth the investment? Well I guess that's all relevant to whether you can afford it. Given the interest that's been shown in this on many of the forums I frequent, I'm almost certain that somebody out there will produce aftermarket parts for this and I'm also certain that some talented modellers out there will
use this kit as the base for a museum quality replica. I have to admit I am sorely tempted to push the button on this.....
My observations.....
Cockpit Bulkhead....
the printing on the instrument panel is excellent and presumably the holes in the bulkhead are there to allow light through when it is backlit. My only misgiving with this piece is that for the scale, supposedly 1:43, it's a little one-dimensional...if this was a regular kit this would be moulded with some relief on the individual panels.
The hull part....
this is interesting as, to my eyes at least, this is an injection moulded plastic part as opposed to the 'resin' described in the advertising. Hard to tell if it's styrene or ABS but it definitely doesn't feel like any resin I've ever come across. Detail is very good with no obvious flaws or seams on the visible outer surface. I think the material could easily take additional detailing or scribing if needed. The paint job is OK given that it's just a uniform colour that's had a minimal wash applied....interestingly the magazine says it will be featuring articles on additional weathering techniques. I'm certain that a lot of builders, if they are modellers, will want to repaint anyway....
Cockpit floor...
this part is OK but I think most serious modellers would want some additional detailing and lighting on the console...
Metal structural framework....
these are well cast and strong, they resist flexing or bending, it does make you wonder though how well these will stay together over time, if they will require additional bonding, will they creak or flex as the model is handled and what the total weight of the completed model will be...
Cast metal Quad Gun assembly....
well cast with some fine detail, the odd thing about this is it's not painted and the instructions make no mention of this...not a problem for the seasoned modeller but not ideal for the casual builder...
Overall I think it's a nice looking kit. Is it worth the investment? Well I guess that's all relevant to whether you can afford it. Given the interest that's been shown in this on many of the forums I frequent, I'm almost certain that somebody out there will produce aftermarket parts for this and I'm also certain that some talented modellers out there will
use this kit as the base for a museum quality replica. I have to admit I am sorely tempted to push the button on this.....
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