From all the reviews that I'd read and the comments I'd heard, from my fellow modellers who'd already built the kit, I was left in no doubt that it is one of the best kits that Tamiya has ever produced. Therefore, when I was approached by a customer to build one for him, I had no hesitations in doing so.
So did the model live up to my expectations? Most definitely and in fact I think it actually exceeded them, as it was the easiest and most pleasurable kit that I've ever built to date. The level of detail and the parts fit was amazing, so much so that the only things I added were a Wolfpack Design Aces II ejection seat (WP48092), a Plus Models boarding ladder (AL4041), Eduard Brassin early wheels (648005) and an Eduard Brassin engine exhaust (648021). Unfortunately, the fit of the latter was not as good as I'd hoped for and was slightly under-sized, requiring a fair amount of filing and sanding to eliminate what would've otherwise been a very noticeable step.
With the build complete I then moved onto the painting and to make things a little easier for myself I decided to purchase a set of JS Works Camo-Masks. All I can say about these is that I'd NEVER use them again, as they were difficult to apply, did not conform to the pattern as shown on the Tamiya instruction sheet and left noticeable marks in the paintwork after they were removed.
For the overall base colour I used Tamiya Fine White Primer applied from a spray can and then airbrushed on the darker colours, using Gunze Neutral Gray (H53) and Midnight Blue (H55). The nose cone was sprayed with Gunze Gray FS36231 (H317), followed by several application of Vallejo's Grey wash, which helped to recreate the weathered look that is so noticeable on the operational aircraft. With the painting completed the model was then sprayed with a gloss coat of Future and once this was dry the decals were applied. With the decals in place and the final bits added, the model was then sprayed with a final coat of AK Interactive Satin Varnish.
So did the model live up to my expectations? Most definitely and in fact I think it actually exceeded them, as it was the easiest and most pleasurable kit that I've ever built to date. The level of detail and the parts fit was amazing, so much so that the only things I added were a Wolfpack Design Aces II ejection seat (WP48092), a Plus Models boarding ladder (AL4041), Eduard Brassin early wheels (648005) and an Eduard Brassin engine exhaust (648021). Unfortunately, the fit of the latter was not as good as I'd hoped for and was slightly under-sized, requiring a fair amount of filing and sanding to eliminate what would've otherwise been a very noticeable step.
With the build complete I then moved onto the painting and to make things a little easier for myself I decided to purchase a set of JS Works Camo-Masks. All I can say about these is that I'd NEVER use them again, as they were difficult to apply, did not conform to the pattern as shown on the Tamiya instruction sheet and left noticeable marks in the paintwork after they were removed.
For the overall base colour I used Tamiya Fine White Primer applied from a spray can and then airbrushed on the darker colours, using Gunze Neutral Gray (H53) and Midnight Blue (H55). The nose cone was sprayed with Gunze Gray FS36231 (H317), followed by several application of Vallejo's Grey wash, which helped to recreate the weathered look that is so noticeable on the operational aircraft. With the painting completed the model was then sprayed with a gloss coat of Future and once this was dry the decals were applied. With the decals in place and the final bits added, the model was then sprayed with a final coat of AK Interactive Satin Varnish.
