Been gathering stuff together while perusing the kit, and thought I'd give my impressions before I begin building. The first thing that struck me is the 16 page instruction manual! And, the artwork in it is quite good. One thing I particularly like, because I use Testors enamels, is that the color callouts reference Model Master color numbers, but I know many of you use other paints.
The molding is crisp and dainty- except for the engines. I decided to use Engines and Things resin replacements. I do think the engines could be a bit crisper with deeper cooling fins. Of course, I have no idea of the fit yet, but there certainly is no flash, and sink marks and ejector pin marks are absolutely minimal.
The markings and decals are for two military planes, appropriate for a kit marketed as a C-45. I intend to make my own decals to represent a civil D-18. The C-45 was purchased by the army as a minimally changed design. It was not a troop carrier, it was a courier plane. Not sure whether I will leave the passenger seats as is or add a few extras like arm rests, as most of the civil planes I have seen did have armrests on the seats. For that matter, it has been a long time since I built a kit with passenger seats (except for very small planes with cockpit cabins. Be nice not having to make the whole seats.
Looking forward to starting the build- I pick up the engines Saturday, and also planning a trip to LHS where I will pick up paints.