Part 2: The Build

The hardest part about reviewing this kit is trying not to sound like I work for Hasegawa! This is another great kit. The fuselage and wing parts fit together nicely. The canopy fit the fuselage, and all the landing gear doors glued into place easily. The propeller slides into a rubber grommet inside the nose of the aircraft and, when fully inserted, leaves just the right gap between the hub and the fuselage. The landing gear struts have large pins so that they do not sprawl out when the plane is set on the gear or break off when bumped by a big clumsy hand. Overall, I only had two minor issues while building this kit. The cockpit doors are molded separately so that you have the option of leaving them open. When I was installing the doors, they wanted to stick out at the top. With a little patience, I was able to get the doors to lay down with clear glue and masking tape. The other problem that I had was with the decals. There are multiple inspection panels along the top and bottom of each wing. Hasegawa placed as many as six microscopic "inspection" on a long thin decal. It was very difficult to manage these decals for proper placement, and I would strongly recommend cutting them apart before trying. The color and quality of the decals are excellent. I would definitely recommend this kit to anyone. It would make a wonderful addition to anyone's "RAF" shelf. I would also like to thank Dragon Models USA, and IPMS/USA, for making this kit available for review.

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