The kit has 'defeathered' nozzles, single piece and more or less accurate
looking if a little chunky with bad ('stepped' again) interiors, separate cans
and _including separate rams_. No more isoceles triangles from hell ala
Monovell.
The LAU-128 and AMRAAM shown in early boxart shots is NOT, in fact, kit
supported. You get straight AIM-9?7 with early 114 rails and the C-clamps
plus vortex fins for the Sparrow.
Unfortunate to say the least and not aided by the single-610 tank.
The guided ESTES themselves are a little better than the Monogram perhaps
(AIM-7's especially) but Italeri has this nasty habit of molding half their
fins separately and then /not/ making them match the on-body units for either
chordlength, span or cropped-shape. Can't say for sure here without a closer
look but the problem -may- have been 'cured'.
Stabs are THANK YOU ELDER GAWDS! separate but there are no separate other
(aileron) C-surfaces and the way the tails tab-slot into the sides of the
fuselage may complicate drooping them. Speed brake is also separate and looks
fairly good in terms of topfuselage outlines (still a little deep) but the
internal (underside) detail is simply not there.
Unfortunately, there are indeed problems with some of the vents and gun muzzle
as Lucio suggested.
Unfortunately the hook enclosure looks...chunky, and will likely need some
work on later birds especially (this is one of those things where if they do
it right it's flimsy and often broken anyway).
You get separate fin-top fairings but I haven't found an alternate (thin)
harmonic balance in the sprues. There were a few Israeli birds with the EWWS
fatty but not many.
The Bay 5 area is done relatively well (no TEWS boxes of course) in
comparison with the cockpit itself which is simply blank-vacant and has
something like an F-16 crossed with F-18 main instrument panel. Far too
short/shallow (worse than Hase IMO) but Lucio may get back to me on how well
the BBox pit fits.
ALQ-135 'sprue blobs' on BOTH tails. This may be a good thing as some of the
Israeli birds especially show them on alternate and even occasionally both
sides but there will definitely be some needed cleanup.
Clear parts are okay, there is no separate Monogram rail system (though there
is an 'insert') but even in the inner polybag, it looks like the canopy may
still be a tad shallow (there is a slight bubble however!). Single HUD and
landing light extras are not terribly inspiring nor is the coaming which the
former sets on.
Gear looks good but the 'sit' of the Eagle is somewhat unique and only
full-build will tell whether it is stalky or properly haunched-down.
Inlets are a strange combination of separate sidewalls with step-up (THICK)
attachments on a top-fuselage roof. Interior is pure Monogram with the '
tongued' shock ramps and yet there is a wall with engine faces that I don't
remember from my old kit. You do get inlet blockers if the though of
no-trunking is too terrible.
Wings remind me of the Monogram with it's insert spar (though they in fact
meet flush with the fuselage edge instead of overlapping onto the fairings)
but whereas the U.S. kit was all-internal, these slot into a gap in the lower
wing. Ahem...We'll See.
As well as the bulged MLG doors and the ALQ-135 wannabes, the main fuselage
and nose do indeed show signs of a double seater on the way in the way a
separate upper spine insert is cutout of the former and the latter's (weak
lookin' to me) mating with the builtup primary assembly. Depending on those
four inlet walls work, this could be one of those areas where you need to
have extra care which way you do the fore-and-aft attachments.
Where to put it... Same story, if you can get a bunch of stuff from Hannants,
it is certainly worth the 15 bucks to avoid the Monovell with 'recessed lines
besides'. Things may not be so kind once it reaches our shores and I would not
pick one up for a quarter century over the 29-37 dollar Hasegawa's I have
now.
For the serious Acquilite, at a minimum, you are looking at a new cockpit,
SOL or Hase-16 weapons and -somebodies- tanks (I hate half and half but
there you go). I would also recommend added markings to at least supplement
those in-kit.
--
No more time for laughter
No more time for sorrow
No more morning after
'Cause there's no tomorrow now
We are standing on the edge
--
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◆ From: 140.112.213.240
※ 編輯: viscious 來自: 140.112.213.240 (05/30 01:50)
※ 編輯: viscious 來自: 140.112.213.240 (05/30 23:30)