Greetings.
My
latest submission is also my first attempt at a limited run, mixed media
kit. I found that this short run kit, while not as labor intensive as a
vacuformed kit, still required a bit of planning before diving into
construction. Still, the challenges it posed can only serve to improve my
(admittedly meager) building skills.
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images below to see larger images
Detail in
the cockpit is very nice and includes an accurate ejection seat and the
control sticks for the right hand side stick controller and the
ballistic control system joystick. The injection molded
fuselage, wings
and stabilizers have recessed panel lines, but they seem to be a bit
shallow. The rear fuselage plug and XLR-99 exhaust nozzle are cast as a
single piece and have excellent detail. The dorsal and ventral stabilizers
are made up from four separate pieces to obtain their proper wedge
shape, and the lower portion of the ventral stabilizer must be cut away to
display the model on it's tail trolley. The horizontal stabilizers have no
locating pins, making proper alignment tricky.
The model was
painted gloss black with some areas highlighted with gunmetal. The decals were
added and the entire model was dullcoted. The external propellant and oxidizer
tanks were painted gloss white and competition orange and were also dullcoted
before attachment. The decal sheet includes markings for the all white version of
the A2, coated with the Martin MA-25S ablative material used for it's record
setting Mach 6.7 run. Although this kit required some extra work, I found it very
satisfying. I can't wait to try my next mixed media kit, the Fonderie Miniatures
Bell X-2.
Vince
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