Part 1: First Look

Review items graciously supplied by: Kit: Dragon Models USA, MSRP: $58.99 Barrels- Quickboost; MSRP: €4.50 (Approx $6.70) Upon opening the box one gets that exciting and pleasant rush that accompanies the beginning stages of a new project, and this one has the earmarks of a project that promises to end with a great looking model as the product. This offering by Hasegawa arrives in a beautifully decorated box containing 19 part sprues, (some with only a few parts attached), a 12 page instruction booklet, and a colorful decal sheet. The instructions point out that several sets of parts will not be used in the construction of this kit. And, as with most high-end kits and either follow or precede other 'marks" or "models", alternate sets of parts are in the box. This kit provides extra of prop blades, along with some clear parts, and these spares can be placed in the spares bin right away. The instructions are clear in their intent to illustrate the sequence of assembly and as clear in showing the attachment and positioning of the various parts. The instruction sheet is quite large, as befits a rather large kit, and is therefore very easy to read.

The decal sheet contains markings for two aircraft. One can select "Big Ass Bird" of the 513rd FS, 406th FG, 9AF, flown by Lt. Howard Park or "Big Stud", 352th FG, 15AF, flown by Col. Robert Baseler. It should be noted that the later aircraft features a vertical strake along the spine of the fuselage, and that strake is included as an optional piece in the kit. There are some other options available to the modeler. There are several underwing stores which are available. One can attach a pair of bombs to the pylons or one can attach a pair of tear drop fuel tanks. A very welcomed option is the fact that Hasegawa provided two canopies. The first is a single piece representing the canopy in a closed position. The second set of pieces represents the canopy in the open position. This model is built inside out, meaning that one begins with the cockpit and interior and works toward the external assemblies in the later stages of construction. In this part, "Part 1", of this review build, we will look at the cockpit, wing spar, and fuselage assembly. The cockpit goes together without any issues. The parts fit nicely and leave no seams worth mentioning. The level of detail is quite good, especially on the instrument panel. The instrument faces and bezels are represented with excellent clarity. The raised detail allows one to add color to the instrument panel with either colored pencils or paintbrush.

I chose to use the decal rather than hand paint the panel. Therein lays a small problem. The instrument panel has small sections which are raised or lowered above or below the surrounding portions of the instrument panel. One must cut the decal to accommodate this difference in elevation. It is certainly not a big problem but it is interesting to note that Hasegawa has already printed some of these panels separately, but not others, a curious approach to this issue. The solution is very simple. The builder simply needs to eyeball the panel piece and determine which portion of the instrument decal needs to be cut away and applied separately. If this is the big "glitch" for this kit then we will have no worries. The starboard and port sides of cockpit feature molded "black boxes", wiring bundles, a map holder, and panels. The builder adds various bits to add to this detail such as a trim wheel, throttle quadrant, and various levers and handles. These parts are molded nicely with no flash. Some of the parts will require a little scraping to clear away the mold release line but this is of no consequence. One of the nice features about this kit is the inclusion of a wing spar. This piece is molded in the shape of a large capital "H" and when installed, it provides support and alignment to the wings. It also serves as the base for the cockpit tub. The cockpit and wing spar slide into position with a tight and proper alignment. The wing spar makes alignment of the fuselage halves rather easy as well. A small issue, which was not resolved successfully, cropped up when the fuselage halves were joined. The seam between the halves closed nicely with the exception of the two inches of seam forward of the windscreen. Regardless of the trimming done on some of the internal alignment guides, trimming on the wing spar, and regardless of the small amount of sanding done on the cockpit walls, that seam never closed. Rather than force the seam closed by pressure, the gap was filled with several shims made from stretched sprue.

It seemed to be an appropriate time to attach the tail plane surfaces, so they were dry fitted and then glued into place. The horizontal stabs fit very well. The upper and lower halves will need some sanding along the seam line but they will fit together well. Joining them to the fuselage and obtaining the proper dihedral is significantly aided by a well designed set of interlocking slats and pins that guide the alignment of the stabs as they are attached to the fuselage. The proper dihedral is guaranteed when one get these interlocking slats in place. The fit appears to be so tight that no filling will be needed. A little sanding should take care of the joint line between the tail planes and the fuselage. And that's it for Part 1. In Part 2 we will build up the engine, the wheel wells, and the landing gear.

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