Academy

Academy F-86F Sabre “Korean War”, 1/72 scale

/ Matt Dyer / 2 Comments

The F86 is one of the iconic symbols of American aviation during the Korean War.  Future astronaut , Marine Major John Glenn, flew one during the conflict when Marine pilots were on detached service with the USAF.

And, they soldiered on for many years in the service of other countries.  I took this photo in the late 1960’s in Korea at Kimpo.  I was flying out on a very old Constellation flown by Flying Tiger Airlines in route to Taiwan when we were halted at the end of the runway waiting for traffic to clear.  This fellow suddenly appeared and obviously possessed a greater priority for take off.  I snapped this photo.  Notice that there are Sidewinder launch rails under the wings near the fuselage.  The aircraft appeared to be well used.

I have been disappointed by some Academy 1/72 scale kits, and I am always disappointed by their decals – except this kit which was a “Special Edition”.  The decals for this kit were printed by Cartograph and were excellent.  The are three markings:  The Huff, John Glenn’s Mig Mad Marine and one other.

I am not sure about the origin of this kit.  The scalemates.com chart was not clear, but I think it originated in the 1980’s.  It appears to be a molding of that vintage.

None the less, it is  nice kit that goes together quickly with no huge issues.  I built this kit as part of my interest in Korean War aviation.

This will be my last completed model for 2022.  The Arma Hobby P-39Q Airacobra is on the workbench now.  However, Christmas guests will be arriving soon, and I will be taking a break from the workbench.

A few months ago I pre-ordered the Kotare Supermarine Spitfire MkI hoping it would be here by now.  I have just received email informing me that production is being delayed due to supply chain issues (ask me if I was surprised), and it looks like a month or two more.  I immediately emailed Kotare and said I understood, let the order stand and I will wait for it to arrive when ready.  Imagine a Wingnut Wings kit of a WWII fighter, especially the aircraft that saved the West from a new dark age.  (I don’t think I am overstating that.)

There is much to look forward to in 2023.

Thanks for stopping by.

The Arma P-51B/C Mustang

/ Matt Dyer / Leave a comment
Kit Box Top (C) Arma Hobby

In January, I wrote about Arma kits in a post. Shortly after that, I purchased this kit. This is nothing less than a 1/48th scale kit molded in 1/72 scale. Much has already been written and said about this kit by better modelers than I. At a local hobby shop, the proprietor told me that he could not keep the kits in stock. And from the attention this kit is receiving on the Internet and in the scale model press, it is clearly a real winner.

With all the zillions of Mustang kits out there one would think that more than a few would be the B or C model Mustangs. Most of what I see are re-pops of the Accurate Miniature kits and of course the Tamiya kit. These are all good kits, but they are in 1/48 scale.

There have been a number of P-51B/C kits in 1/72 scale, to wit: Academy (new in 1999), Airfix (new in 1978), Hasegawa (new in 1992) and Monogram (new in 1967). There were also some European kits during this period.

Not to criticize any of these past efforts (there is always someone who really loves any particular kit), but these older kits seem to have receded from the prominence they may have enjoyed in their heyday. At any rate, it is clear that Arma Hobby hit another homerun by bringing the modeling world a new, state-of-the-art 1/72 scale P-51B/C Mustang.

This kit is an Arma “Expert Set”, which means it comes with photo etch details, painting masks and six marking options. No need for aftermarket extras here.

This is where I am in construction at this time:

I sprayed the interior fuselage halves with Flat Aluminum Tamiya lacquer paint. The Interior Green and Zinc Chromate Yellow are Vallejo Air colors.
Notice the side braces on the seat. I have made 1/48 Mustangs with less detail. That seat will easily fit on a dime. I know this is not contest-winning building on my part, but there are seven (7) tiny parts there to make that much of the seat with a few more to come. I am very pleased with making it look that good.
The interior detail available in this kit far outdistances anything we were being offered last century. It shows how far consumer demand and manufacturing skill have come since then.
The stabilizer is one piece and fits perfectly into the top of the rear of the fuselage
Any putty seen here should be put down to builder error. A little panel line re-scribing will be called for.

As you can see, I am not far from the paint shop. Like my Arma Hobby PZKL P11c, I am really enjoying this build.