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This night fighter variant also

includes a pair of spectacular

”eyebrows” (or are they love

handles?) to shield the pilot’s

night vision from the glare

from the exhaust pipes.

The kit supplies two different

shapes of canopy, either flat or a

blown bubble. Each is supplied in

either open or closed configuration,

which allows for the change

in profile as the canopy is slid

forward or backwards. There

are different internal structures

supplied for both styles of canopy.

Alternative main and tail

wheels are supplied and the

undercarriage can be modelled

extended or retracted (in which

case a substantial stand is

supplied), and the flaps posed up

or down. You also have the choice

of open cowl panels to display

what is a very detailed engine.

GETTING GOING

With 72 stages of assembly, you

need to decide from the very

beginning whether you are

building the day or night fighter,

because the first three stages

simply involve drilling and cutting

holes appropriate to your chosen

option. Note that if you intend to

use the external tank you will need

to open all four holes along the

centre line of the lower wing, and

not just the rear two mentioned

in the instructions. You also need

to decide at this

stage whether

you plan

to use

the stand

to depict

the aircraft

in flight.

Rather than begin

in a specific area, such

as the cockpit, I decided to

go through the whole model,

assembling pieces to be painted the

same colour. Thus, I ended up with

completed cylinder banks for the

engine (silver), cockpit components

(dark grey), undercarriage bays and

parts of the firewall (RLM Grey 02),

as well as rudder, elevators, drop

tank etc. This had the desired effect

of speeding up basic painting.

As the various pieces were

detached and cleaned it became

apparent that the standards of

moulding varied somewhat across

the kit. Some of the minor details

on the engine, for example, were

rather coarse and suffered from

small amounts of short-moulding.

Trailing edges on the control

surfaces – rudder, elevators,

and ailerons – all needed filling

due to a strange curvature in the

profile of the mating surfaces.

The majority of the detail,

however, is very good. Panel lines

are just about perfect everywhere

and should look fantastic under

paint, and it all falls together

without trauma. This is particularly

commendable given the complexity

of the structure around the wing

roots and engine bay. I was mightily

impressed with the ends of the

gun barrels (six) and exhaust pipes

(thirteen) which are all hollow:

that saves a LOT of drilling.

The cockpit is cleanly, if simply,

depicted with raised details on the

front and rear of the instrument

panels as well as on the side

consoles. Decals are supplied to

enhance this even further, although

those for the side consoles bear

no resemblance to the moulded

detail. Also, I wasn’t convinced that

those for the instrument panels

would actually conform to the parts

supplied, and in the end I resorted

to Eduard’s excellent pre-finished

set ED33177 for this kit. They’re

so much better at it than I am.

A REALLY SOLID CORE

In a way this kit mimics the

construction of the original,

building up around a multi-part

central structure which gives a

high level of rigidity where it’s

needed. The lower wing – a single

piece – is braced with a substantial

spar, which is there mainly to

add some support if you use the

stand to display it. This also does

away with any dihedral issues

at the same time.

Once the ”detail”

spar and wheel wells

are added you have the

basis of a seriously solid

model. And everything

that is added thereafter fits

“A MOST ENJOYABLE BUILD FROM START

TO FINISH, WITH JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT

OF COMPLEXITY FOR THIS OLD MAN”

8 • JUNE 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

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