This is a
reissue of the previously released Academy Helldiver with the added bonus
of Eduard etched dive flaps and wheel/canopy masks. If you follow the
instructions then construction starts as usual with the cockpit interior,
however, I deviated from this and constructed the etched dive flaps which
require the instructions to be followed closely as these are quite fiddly
to assemble. When built, the dive flaps are exceptionally well detailed
and look fantastic. The only down side is that the details inside will be
lost if you decide to close them as is the case when the aircraft is on
the ground. I modelled them open although its not technically accurate
for a parked aircraft, it would be a crime to hide all that fine
detail! Once I'd built the etch flaps, I removed the moulded items on the
wings following the instructions as to where to cut. Next was the cockpit
which is exquisite for this scale, the only thing lacking is a set of seat
straps which I added using foil. The instrument panel deserves special
mention as this is brilliant, although Academy supplied decals for it, I
opted to paint it and add a couple of coats of Klear onto each dial using
a fine brush, this worked well and made for a most convincing instrument
panel. There are no less than 23 pieces that go into making up the
cockpit and bomb bay. The only other thing I added was some ammo belts to
the rear gun from some spare etch. The undercarriage is very nicely done,
but a little fiddly to install. The rest of the build was very
straightforward and presented no problems at all. A dry fit of the flaps
revealed that a sliver of plastic needed removing from the inside trailing
edge near the fuselage to wing joint on both sides, other wise these
fitted perfectly. Before I knew it I was ready to mask up and
paint. The
Eduard supplied masks fitted easily and with no problems.
Click on
images below to see larger images
I used
Xtracrylix for overall painting and they sprayed on beautifully.
I used XA1141 White, XA1125 Intermediate Blue and XA1121 Gloss Sea Blue in
that order. The insides of the dive flaps were sprayed Tamiya XF-7 Flat
Red. I then gave the model coat of Klear ready for decalling.
The decals
went on with no problems at all, only time consuming due to the amount of
stencil data. The stencil data and especially the white stencil data on
top of the dark blue is very readable so the time putting these on paid
off. I hope you enjoy my model as much as I enjoyed building it.
Mike
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