CONSTRUCTION
With just 24 parts and a clear
windshield, this stage took just a
day to build both kits, using the new
Tamiya Quick Set thin glue (which
has a lighter green cap compared
to the normal thin glue). Of course,
I started with the cockpit, which is
basically just the seat. Along with the
interior of the fuselage halves this
was painted Tamiya interior green.
While this was drying I painted some
Tamiya tape dark brown, and using
a new scalpel cut it into strips toproduce some lap belts for the seat.
With the fuselage assembled
it took just a matter of minutes
to clean up the wings, tailplanes,
and undercarriage legs. Next
came the engine, which is a nice
representation and is enclosed
within the two-part cowling. I
painted the engine with Alclad
Aluminium and while I had
the airbrush out I painted the
fronts of the propeller blades.
When the engine was dry
I added a dark wash to pick
out the cylinder details, thenpositioned it within the two-
part cowling before attaching
the cowling flaps to the rear.
I added some moistened
tissue paper to mask off the
painted engine before painting
the cowling and flaps matt black,
along with the rear surfaces of
the propeller. The completed
assembly was put to one side and
added to the model after decaling.
I then assembled the two-part
drop tank and the associated
mounting pylon. Like every other
area of this kit the fit of the partsis superb, with just a few light
swipes of 1200 grit wet- and-
dry to tidy up any seams.
On to the final stage, which is
to add all the tiny bits, like the tail
wheel, aerial mast, gun sight, and
arrestor hook. The final parts to be
added were the twin exhaust pipes,
which are tiny and with minimal
mounting guidance on the cowlings.
In hindsight I really wished I had
added these before I painted the
cowling black, as it would have
made seeing the slight dimple
that marks their location easier.“EASY TO BUILD, SIMPLE TO PAINT,
BEAUTIFUL DECALS THAT WENT ON EASILY
- WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK FOR!”
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