is a fantastic example of the
engineering in this kit. The
ducts are quite deep, which
prevents any detail being seen
inside. The end of the duct is
detailed with a small turbine.
Once the turbine is completed
it adds a nice weight to the model.
No nose weight was needed on this
kit, as the inlet assembly adds more
than enough weight to the model.
This is the first time building a
nose-sitter that I didn’t have to add
any extra weight to the model.
The inlet duct fits perfectly
to the lower fuselage, the sides
mating exactly to the exterior
walls of the aircraft and on top of
the weapons bays as well. I really
couldn’t get over how brilliantly
everything fit and how quickly I
could attach the top of the fuselage
to seal everything together.
As much I was enjoying this
kit, I will cover two big things in
the design that I really question:
the wings and vertical stabilizers.
The wings are separate from the
fuselage, and once they were
attached I was left with two
really unsightly gaps. These
needed to be filled in, and it took
quite a bit of work to restore
the subtle curve in this area.However, to be fair I accept that
this might not be a fault in the
kit, but possibly just something
you need to be to be aware of.
Next the vertical stabilizers!
These come in two parts each
and are weirdly placed. Most of
the tail has been cast, except the
lower half on the inside, which
is moulded as a separate part.
This is odd decision since itleaves a really noticeable seam
line running through the middle.
Though I tried to fill and sand the
seams, avoiding the raised detail I
discovered that the seam lines were
still there despite my best efforts.
So I sanded all the raised middle
detail, and kept sanding and filling
until everything was smooth. I now
had to restore the removed raised
detail. I took the thinnest styrene
sheets I had and cut thin long strips
as replacements for the lost detail.
Now I had another task I had tosolve. MENG give you the option
to have the bomb bay and wheel
well doors opened or closed. I tried
to temporarily to attach the bay
doors in place to act as a mask for
the pre painted interior. However,
I couldn’t get the weapons bays
to fit flush. My solution was to
stuff the interior with tissues,
and then coat the surrounding
edges with Liquid Masking Film.PAINTING, MASKING,
AND MORE MASKING
For painting the lighter grey radar
absorbent materials (RAM) panels,
I applied Tamya XF-20 Medium
Grey. I found this to be a bright
enough grey, while still able to
blend in with the rest of the aircraft.
After the paint had dried a few
days I began the preparations for
masking all of those panels. The
raised areas have been a bit of a
controversy, as many modellers
are not satisfied with the fact thatthey are raised instead of flush
with the aircraft. Personally, I
couldn’t have cared less if they
were raised or recessed. I didn’t
really find the raised edges to be
that noticeable and distracting, but
as they say, “To each his own”.
There are masking sets available
online for this kit, as well as a set of
decals from Isra Decals that supply
all the RAM panels, which I suggest
that you purchase. Why didn’t I buy
a masking set? Well, I did! But it got
lost in the mail and after waiting
for two months, I decided that
it wasn’t going to come. And as I
had other projects awaiting space
on the bench I set up the long job
of masking all the RAM panels.
I spent five days and
approximately 12 hours masking:
cutting thin long lines, placing
them down, and then trimming
them to their proper length. For
this I was grateful that the panels
were raised, as it made the five
days’ process a lot more tolerable.
(When I was a kid I would put
together jigsaw puzzles, spending
hours on the floor surrounded by
coloured pieces. After a few days
of this, I would close my eyes
as I fell asleep, and see nothing
but puzzle pieces in my mind.“AFTER ALL THE PAINT HAD
DRIED, I EAGERLY BEGAN
REMOVING THE MASKING”
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