My great "jet-a-thon" for 2020 is now done. I definitely have a case of jet fatigue on the heels of the entire Century Series and now this beast.
I apologize for the coming rant on Memorial Day, but Hobby Boss frustrates me to no end. Their kits are pretty good, come with good detail, and generally go together okay (although each one I've done has presented me with some challenges) - but their quality control or perhaps it's their research leaves me wanting, particularly with regard to their instructions and painting guide. Unlike most kits that Hasegawa produces, Hobby Boss loads theirs up with ordinance, which is a good thing. But I'd sure like some information included in the kit as to what ordinance a particular aircraft actually carries. The instructions would have you load this one up with all kinds of things, but everything I found online suggested such a load-out would not be accurate. Then the mounting of something like the ALQ-87 pod is, based on actual photos I found, completely wrong, and of course the kit does not provide correct mounting parts or any note of where that thing should go (2 of them, one forward and one rear of the main landing gear, not on the wing mounts).
In the end I opted to mount a single wing rack with Mk. 82 bombs - and then, either the instructions were notoriously lacking or I did something wrong. I might actually lean toward the latter. I built this thing with the flaps deployed, and when I went to install the bomb racks, there was insufficient room to allow the bombs to fit. I then opted to just leave the bombs and their rack off (but the mounting rack is still there, although I think I may have put those on facing the wrong direction, which may account for the lack of space).
Well, I could go on with my rant, but I think I've said enough on the matter.
I liked the detail in this kit. The cockpit looks good, the exhaust cans look good, the wheel wells have some good stuff going on in there even though you really can't see much once everything is in place. Parts fit pretty tightly. The primary landing gear, though, is problematic, quite wobbly. I wonder if crews experienced issues with that gear structure, similar to the well-known problems the Bf109s had. Or did I not get it installed correctly? Photos below will show an airplane that is sitting askew. There does not appear to be anything I can do about that, save for ripping the gear off and attempting to fix, a task that I am loathe to do.
The flaps are quite fragile, but I liked the look the deployed flaps give this bird.
Paints were largely the Vallejo SEA set, with some Tamiya khaki and NATO green, Model Master Metalizer jet exhaust, titanium, and aluminum, and Vallejo red and yellow. I weathered the exhaust cans with Tamiya weathering compounds, ground gray pastels on the underside, and Flory dark dirt wash on the top side. Sprayed with a good coat of Mission Models' flat clear.
So on to the photos:
That's it for me with jets for a while. I still have several in my stash, but I think I'm fine if I don't see another exhaust can for a good while. Back to WWII subjects for me (and I've already built the Me262 and Gloster Meteor, although I do have a Monogram and Hobby Boss P-80 in the stash). Next up is a Yak-1.