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As many of you
probably know, this is not strictly the subject that most of us modelers
usually deal with. This is the manga/anime character "Porco Rosso" (red
pork) mount, a supposedly modified Savoia flying boat. Although in a way a
fiction plane, the approach of Fine Molds from Japan oozes quality. The model
comes with a plethora of accessories, like a four-part base that holds the plane
in a sort of flying position, a nine-part beach trolley, the two crew members of
the plane and another, enlarged figure (quoted as 1/48) of the main character,
the above-mentioned Porco Rosso. Instructions are crystal clear, very well
printed and...in Japanese.
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Instead of
explaining the intricacies of the Porco Rosso "cartoon" here, I
would suggest to those so inclined to do a little research that will soon yield
a lot of info.
How did I get involved with this one, instead of grabbing one of the waiting
(and ever-growing, if a may say) pile?. Well, my youngest son, Mateo, is totally
into the Japanese thing, and my oldest son, Jeremias, is a very
accomplished modeler himself, who makes wonderful figures. He accepted (after a
little bit of insistence, and the generous donation of modeling supplies, of
course) to paint the various figures of the kit for his brother and in doing so
completing our present to him.
Besides the already mentioned
accessories and figures, the interior is very good, sporting fuselage side
detail, two bulkheads -one includes the instrument panel, for which there is
also a decal-, seat, control column and rudder pedals. The transparencies honor
their name. The decal sheet is very comprehensive (three options, apparently)
and even includes the bottoms of the fuselage and pontoons in the due color, to
avoid masking if so you wish. The fit and detail of the parts is very good for
the scale, condemning to public shame a lot of "serious" models from
various manufacturers. Recessed panel lines, logical part break-down and a very
beautiful subject with "racy" lines complete the adjectives list. I
was very pleased with the way the propeller can be attached later in
construction -and still rotate freely- via a poly cap that is encapsulated
previously during the engine module building, a nice touch. The model comes
molded in a plastic which is the same color as the "plane".
facilitating painting, even more so because other parts ("wood"
trolley, main figure) come also molded in the correspondent basic colors. The
parts account is not large, and the good engineering keep the pace of the
building as fast as you may like it. The way used to connect the wing to
fuselage, and the engine to the wing, facilitates building, painting and
decaling. Oh, how much would I like this amount of thinking in some other kits!
Various brands acrylic color were used, being Testor's Acryl Red Gloss the
choice for the fuselage, a perfect match.
Some modelers may find useful using "Simple Green" cleaner - a non
toxic, bio-degradable product- to clean the airbrush and as a paint remover for
acrylics. It works like a dream.
Given that the price of this kit is not high (I got mine from HLJ, in Japan) and
that it comes from an "expensive" country, I wondered a lot about the
quality/price equation to which we are usually exposed, reasoning that wouldn't
be that difficult for other manufacturers to achieve a better balance in that
regard with their products.
I used the movie DVD as "reference" with this one, enjoying also a
good ole airplane story.
Gabriel
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