Completed Review – Hobby-Boss MiG-3 Easy Kit (80229)

Scale: 1:72, RRP - £5.99

The MiG-3 has been on my wish list for a while now. I had originally intended to build the Zvezda kit, based on the fact that Zvezda are Russian and so they surely must be able to produce a reasonable kit of a Russian icon. How wrong I was!

The Zvezda kit is actually a rebox of the frankly awful Revell kit which looks more like an abominable mix of a MiG-3 and Dewitine D.520. So this left me with the other option in 1:72 scale, Hobby-Boss's Easy Kit version.

I'm a bit sceptical when it come to "Easy Kits". While I appreciate the idea behind them is to get people into building models I do think the concept is somewhat flawed. Assembling a kit is only half the story and in my opinion painting a kit is always the more difficult part of any build. All I see easy kits as being is a quicker option of beginners reaching a point where they abandon a model because no-one provides them with an "Easy Paint" option to accompany the build.

Putting aside my thoughts on the easy kit part I was well aware that this kit was well regarded in the modelling community and so I was determined to see why.

On opening the box I found two large solid parts, the fuselage and the wings, a sprue of smaller parts and a clear sprue. The shape looked good, like a MiG-3 which was encouraging, even if the smaller parts did look a little soft on details and the plastic felt a little flimsy. Decal options were for two aircraft, one winter scheme, one summer scheme (although it should noted there's no way the red arrow decal will fit over the exhausts on the winter option).

To build it was a case of clip the fuselage to the wings, add a piece below the engine and you're just about there! Glue isn't necessarily needed for the larger parts but this isn't a snap fit kit either. There is, to my surprise two canopy options, one open, one closed. However the cockpit is a bit lacking in detail, if you're a scratch-builder then you'll probably feel the need to do something more with it. In my case I opted for the closed version so just chose to add some masking tape seatbelts and left it at that.

Total build time, including cutting and glueing...48 seconds!

From then on it was simply a case of finishing of the model prior to painting. Landing gear was a little on the weak side and I decided to leave off the rockets and only attach the launchers to the wing. All was fairly straight forward, living up to the easy build. Detail wise it's almost spot on, they even included the asymmetrical oiler coolers on each side of the engine! The only accuracy issues that I really noticed were a few missing panel lines and the doors to the tail wheel (there should be a leather cover rather than the doors).

As for painting I touched on that in a previous post, including my first airbrushed canopy. As it happens this model was actually serving as a tester for my new airbrush and so I picked a colour scheme similar to that of the P-51D I was working on. For the top colours I used several coats comprising of Tamiya's XF-62 (Dark Green) and XF-51 (Khaki Drab) and mixes of the two. For the underside I didn't really have any paints to hand that reflected a light VVS blue and so I used AS-7, Grey, which probably isn't as accurate as it could be.

Finally the decals, they were surprisingly good. There are two complete sets so the leftovers are going in the spares box, a man can never have enough good quality spare red stars!

The final result:

So I have say this kit far exceeded my expectations. Bearing in mind this is an easy kit and so I have to judge it on that basis Hobby-Boss have managed not only to produce an easy kit, but one that is more accurate than it's mainstream competitors. For this they have to be commended. Out of the box this is more than passable kit, and it's one with plenty of potential for extra detailing (albeit scratch-building).

I will hopefully revisit this kit at a later date as I practice working on panel lines, but for now it's done.

Overall Build Score: 3 out of 5, a complete surprise! Expensive for an easy kit but accurate beyond any of it's (non-easy kit) competitors. Either a good simple build or a more than worthy foundation for detailed build.

Completed Review – Academy P-39N/Q Airacobra (2177) – Part 4

Scale: 1:72, RRP - £6.99

So 7 months have passed since I last looked at Academy's P-39N/Q Airacobra and finally, half-heartedly, decided to finish this project off.

I previously stated that I like Academy kits, they might be cheap but they tend to pack in a reasonable amount of detail for the price. However at the budget end of the market the new Airfix range seem to be surpassing them and after completing Airfix's A6M2b Zero I somewhat lost my enthusiasm for the Academy kits in my stash.

With this particular kit it was the fit issues which almost killed it off. The cockpit was difficult to fit and the two halves had a particularly ugly join which spoilt the whole model. I was also going to attempt to remodel the front wheel to be the correct size but in the end decided to leave it as it is. On the plus side I did like the option of modelling the cockpit door open, however to do so meant you really need to purchase a third detail kit (in my case one from Eduard which was to the usual high standard).

So here it is. I'm not really proud of this one, I just wanted it finished so I could move on to something else.


I combined this kit with the decals from the ancient and awful Airfix kit but really I find hard to recommend either kit. Here's hoping to Airfix issue a newly tooled P-39 to match the standard of their most recent releases!

Overall Build Score: 2 out of 5, too many fit issues and a lack of attention to detail spoil what had the potential to be a very nice budget kit.

Completed Review – Airfix MiG-15 (A02037) – Part 3

Scale: 1:72, RRP - £7.99

Following my last post I decided to make one last push at finishing this model and giving it the all important final score.

I'd decided that I wanted this aircraft to looked used, partly because I felt it would be good to try my hand at weathering. I shaded the panel lines with Citadel inks before spraying a Tamiya flat coat (TS-80 spray) to take the shine off as I wasn't looking for a factory finish. I'd found a particularly useful set of photos here which showed a couple of well weathered MiG-15s and these formed the basis for the finish I was hoping to achieve.

The next step was to add the decals and for this scheme there are a lot of them! I was a bit concerned at this scale the model would look too "busy" with all the warning signs etc. The other schemes had considerably less decals. However I think I was proved wrong, as the decals went on I started to feel like I had a good looking model.

In the past Airfix decals have had a bit of a bad reputation. I'm pleased to say those days seem to be behind them, these decals were excellent and went on easily. There was one slight hitch, one of the red stars curled and came apart when I tried to correct it. This was entirely due to an error on my part, I'd not taken enough care in fixing it.

I attempted to mask and repaint the star but this was more difficult than I first envisaged and so I reluctantly had to opt for a somewhat weathered star.

The final step was to add the canopy, before I did, I took one last look at the Eduard enhanced cockpit before it was almost hidden from view...

This was probably the most disappointing part of the kit, I already had an idea from dry fitting that it wasn't going to fit well and sadly that was the case. There were rather large gaps between the canopy and the fuselage that took some filling. I do have a Pavla vacform canopy stashed away somewhere and with hindsight I should have probably used it this time. I guess it can wait for my next MiG-15 build.

So my final conclusions: This is a surprisingly good kit and shows the steps that Airfix were making to improve their kits a few years ago. Granted their new kits are a further improvement but this one still holds up well. I think it's a good kit for beginners and experts alike, either as a straight from the box build or as the basis for a more advanced build The overall ease of the build is a plus as are the excellent decals, I just feel the fit issues of the two fuselage halves and the canopy let it down a bit.

In addition to this I should also add that the Eduard Zoom set, SS358, is highly recommended should you wish to enhance the cockpit.

And finally as this is the first completed model on this blog I decided that it deserved to be mounted in a display case. The case was one of Trumpeter's excellent cases, a 170 x 170 x 70mm size case (product code 09812) and the base was made from ICM's 1:72 scale PAG-14 Soviet Airfield Plates (72214).

Overall Build Score: 3 out of 5, a good simple build that looks like a MiG-15, slightly let down by fit issues.

Build Review – Airfix MiG-15 (A02037) – Part 2

It been a while since I last posted an update on my ongoing MiG-15 1:72 scale build. Free time has been at a premium during the last month, the modellers curse that effect us all at some time...

However the good news it what time I have spent on this build has been productive. After finishing the cockpit I assembled the fuselage. This went together fairly well, however there was a large join between the two halves which at the time I incorrectly assumed was meant to be a join between panels.

Next up were the wings, they fitted perfectly and in no time I had the bare metal coat silver coat of paint on the model, Tamiya AS-12 straight from the spray can. The nose was airbrushed red with Tamiya XF-7 and attached after I've finished spraying the silver.

The landing gear was assembled attached and then painted. The gear covers and under wing fuel tanks were painted separately while still on the sprues and then attached. Overall it was nothing too difficult, with a pair of tweezers and some careful glueing I had myself a MiG-15.


So far, so good, a fun build for novice and expert alike. My only complaint is the join between the two halves of the fuselage. It took a few tries of filling, sanding and repainting and I still could not  hide it to my satisfaction.

                                   

Despite this I feel I can already recommend this kit, baring any major issues with the decals which I will discuss in my next build post, along with my final score.

Build Review – Airfix MiG 15 (A02037) – Part 1

I know this is a slight deviation from my to do list but I've had this kit a while now and I got a sudden urge to build a cold war jet. I had originally decide to do an in box review of this kit but got carried away and started building it...


The kit itself is one of the more recent toolings, from late 2009. This is few years after Hornby took over the Airfix brand and had started to drag it out of the model kit dark ages. While not as good as the very latest Airfix kits we've been seeing it was certainly a step in the right direction when it was released.

So in the box, how does it look?

First thoughts are, it looks good, the shape looks like a MiG-15. The details are a little heavy in places but in my opinion that doesn't take anything away from the model. I did notice that a few details were mirrored on both sides of the aircraft which isn't the case in real life, but again that won't spoil the model in any way. Also I feel the wheels do look a bit small for this scale and I think one of the bars across the canopy is missing.

The marking options certainly caught my eye. There's three options, an iconic silver VVS (Soviet Airforce) one, a thin striped green and yellow variant from the Korean war and finally a three tone camouflaged Hungarian aircraft from the 1970's. I think these 3 options give a good range to modellers of varying skill levels. In addition to this there's plenty of decals, the silver option has many, should you wish to detail warning signs and instructions that seem to adorn every panel of the aircraft.

I decided to opt for the silver version myself, wanting a straight forward paint job and the chance to apply plenty of decals for a change. But before I could get on with that I had to start with the cockpit which I was going to detail with some Eduard Zoom extras (set SS358).

The cockpit was painted grey using a mix of Citadel paints to produce the required shade. I have seen some modellers painting the interiors of MiG 15s that vivid Soviet turquoise that is so common in Soviet era aircraft. However I believe that was only adopted later (probably around the time MiG-21s came in service) and so isn't correct for this aircraft.

This cockpit is tiny when it comes to super-detailing and was a bit of a challenge. I think the basic cockpit is perfectly suitable for the beginner, especially if you want to add the pilot figure. I didn't and so that was the only reason I decided to use the Eduard extras.

Apart from that I used some liquid green stuff to add a bit more detail to the seat as it would be visible, some photo-etch seatbelts (which were incredibly fiddly) and that was the cockpit done.

Silver paint was then added to various interior parts and then I was ready to start assembling the fuselage and wings. More on that in part 2.

Build Review – Academy P-39N/Q Airacobra (2177) – Part 3

So the clamps came off (see part 2) and as expected some filling was needed along the join between the two halves. So after filling, respraying I was ready to add decals.

As mentioned before I was going to use the decals from the Airfix P-39Q Airacobra (A01039).

Comparing the two they looked similar. A nice touch on the Airfix decals is the green backgrounds, a slightly different shade to the green of the actual aircraft. This reflects how the US insignia was often painted over with whatever green paint the VVS had to hand at the time.

However here I learnt an important lesson. Just because the scale is the same don't assume the decals are the same size... The Airfix ones seem slightly too big for this scale, or at least the Academy P-39. But as I'd started with this scheme it was too late to go back.

Despite the size issue they went on well, a bit of decal softener helped them settle into place and ensured the panel lines showed through where they should.

Next up was more construction, time to add the tricycle landing gear.

The instructions tell you to add the nose wheel when joining the two halves of fuselage. This to me seems impractical and far too early in the construction process. So I'd cut a small hole in the side where the gear attached to allow me to add it at this later stage. Using a slower setting glue I attached the nose wheel, positioned it and let it set in place

So with the rear wheels added it was time for the moment of truth, was this one going to be a tail sitter?

 Looks good to me and I still have some backup weight to attach (in the drop tank)!

Build Review – Academy P-39N/Q Airacobra (2177) – Part 2

It's been a while since I last posted about Academy's P-39N/Q. I have to confess this is partly due to dry fitting indicating that there was likely to be trouble ahead.

As seen in the previous post the cockpit went together nicely and I continued adding photo etch to the the exhaust vents, I'm not sure how visible little details will be on the fished model but it's all good practice at working with photo etch.

I'd decided to paint the larger parts before assembly and so was hoping for a good fit. As much extra weight as I could manage was pushed into the nose as anyone who's built a P-39 knows, they're notorious tail-sitters.

However after this I began to see that the two halves of the fuselage weren't going to go together easily, especially around the cockpit. This would mean lots of filling and repainting. I'm not sure if the fit issues are due to the kit, my assembly of the cockpit, or the weight. Whatever it is, no amount of filling and trimming seemed to make it fit.

However I'm not prepared to write this project off just yet so out came a large set of clamps and the hope that a bit brute force would persuade it all to got together.

So until part 3, lets hope that it does go together!

Build Review – Academy P-39N/Q Airacobra (2177) – Part 1

Following my earlier post on the somewhat vintage Airfix P-39Q I decided to start my to do list with Academy’s 1:72 scale offering.

Upon opening the box you immediately see that this is a much more detailed kit, a vast improvement of Airfix’s offering, but given the years between them that is to be expected. I really like Academy’s kits, provided they get the shape of the aircraft right, they provide some affordable and nicely detailed kits. I think they stack up really well compared to the more expensive Tamiya and Hasegawa kits in this scale.

So back to the kit, this one offers two options, a USAAF P-39Q or a Soviet P-39N, both from 1944. This means you’ll have to decide which version you wish do before beginning construction as there are differences in the gun layout between them. I however decided to use the Soviet markings from the Airfix kit and make the correct P-39N that kit doesn’t allow you to make. This version also gives you the option of opening one of the cockpit doors and doing a bit of interior detailing. I like a challenge so I decided to add the Eduard photo etch set (SS130) to the kit. 

To begin with I started with the cockpit, a simple floor with a rear panel and nice rear window, something which I didn’t expect to be included at this scale.

The instrument panel from the kit was replaced with a photo etched one with a transparency to create the dials. A bit fiddly to stick together but well worth the effort. Lead weight was added behind the panel, plenty of weight is going to be required to prevent this from being a tail sitter.

Painting was mostly done with Citadel paints. For green interiors I use a mix of Kharloc Green and Gretchin Green from the previous incarnation of Citadel’s foundation paints (before they renamed them all last year).

Finally Eduard’s seatbelts we added, I somehow misplaced one of the lap belts (it’s probably stuck to the cat’s foot) and so had to make a replacement from masking tape. Apart from that no real dramas, this is looking like a good build.

So far, highly recommended!

Vintage Kit Build #1 - The Worst Kit You'll Ever Build?

I’m going to start by saying I have fond memories of Airfix kits, I grew up making them. So imagine my surprise when I found out that this kit was exactly one of those kits I built as a child, it hadn’t changed! By today’s standards it’s a really bad kit, much as I like a bit of nostalgia I have to wonder why kits like this aren’t retired.

I would imagine that given its pric of £5.99 (I actually got mine for £1.99 a few months ago) it would be picked up by novices and I have to wonder how many would continue with the hobby after trying to build something like this. Airfix are producing wonderful kits with their recent releases (some of which we’ll be looking at soon) and I feel it’s such a shame for the brand if someone chooses this one and misses out on one of the others.

So what is it like? It’s basic, really basic. The cockpit consists of just a seat, but that shouldn’t be too much of an issue given the thickness of the clear parts, you’ll never see inside this one.

The fit is deplorable, the base of the tail just doesn’t exist and so you’ll be sculpting it yourself. The wheel wells seem to contain plastic wedges which are presumably there to support the ill-fitting wheel covers should you choose to do an in-flight version. Add to this an instruction sheet that fails to mention adding weights to the nose to prevent it becoming a tail-sitter and the landing gear down  option is an equal recipe for disaster.

Next up, the marking options. The box clearly shows a P-39N (with guns mounted in the wing, not below as they were in the P-39Q). The marking diagrams also clearly show two options for a P-39N but the parts are for a P-39Q. I think this lack of attention to detail is just unforgivable.

 

Now despite this I’m not going to completely right off this kit, the decals look to be good quality and the colour schemes are interesting if you want to attempt a P-39N conversion. If you want a basic but inaccurate build straight out of the box then it can be done.

 

Mine will be pressed into service in my "Experimental"s, a special unit whose duties will include being painted and stripped, over and over. A task this one will perform admirably, I’m sure.