Woo Hoo, first one to start a WIP thread on this thing! Do I win some kind of prize???
***disclaimer- I know next to nothing about this class, so all of my observations will be about the kit's quality, not accuracy compared to the real thing***
Anywho, the kit arrived in the mail yesterday ($135 shipped from Tower Hobbies, not bad!) and I couldn't help myself, I had to start her. I think my desire to start her was two-fold, first, I did not want another kit to just go into the ever-growing stash, and I bought this with the intent of doing an OOB build. I know myself well enough to know that I don't resist temptation well, and if WEM releases a PE set I will be too tempted to use it. So I figure if I build this thing before any PE is released then there is no temptation
My initital impressions are very good: Dry fitting reveals EXCELLENT FIT . I installed the bulbous bow, and the fit is tight and perfect, leaving a very minimal seam.
I started assembling the well deck, and Again, fit is perfect, leaving sharp corners and minimal seams. Well deck detail is decent, not amazing, but not bad. Lower bulkheads in the well are nicely detailed with the padding, upper bulkheads could use a little more attention though.
The separation line between the hull and superstructure is a little strange, and will present some interesting seams to be dealt with. This is not a fault in the kit per-se, as the separation is where it would be on the real ship. Fit of these two large pieces is again, very good, so that should minimize the frustration in this area.
Dry fitting all of the well deck, hangar, and flight deck pieces reveals that there will be a very minimal need for filler used throughout this model.
Looking over the rest of the kit's parts, there are a few smaller details that leave something to be desired, especially my first love, the M-2 .50 Cal! It is overly simple, though that is to be expected in a plastic part that tiny. Other than a few small things though, this looks to be an impressive kit that can be built into a very nice model right out of the box, with minimal frustration, and is a great platform for those of us so inclined to super-detailing.
My only real gripe is that there are no rails included on the PE fret for the long runs of catwalk inside the well deck. that really sucks, especially if you want to keep this kit a true OOb build, as the well deck looks "off" without those rails.
I was super excited to check out the UH-1 Huey though, as this is the first plastic offering of this little workhorse ever! I like it, and will assemble one this weekend to show everyone. And before anyone asks, yes, I would be open to selling the Hueys... for about $60 a piece
I have a feeling you will see me trying to mold and cast these little babies for use on my other ships...Sorry for lack of photos, I forgot my camera battery charger, so had to use my cell phone.
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File comment: Size comparison to a 1/350 Nimitz 0110131922.jpg [ 133.93 KiB | Viewed 8435 times ] |
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File comment: Hull-superstructure separation, this is the worst area, as the seam goes right through the middle of one of the large access bays. Likely going to require sanding away and re-scribing the hatches. 0110131924.jpg [ 116.85 KiB | Viewed 8435 times ] |
hehe