Preview at this link.

This was a very fast build. I received the kit as a review sample for a German website, and, not having too much on my hands modelingwise and looking for a dose of instant gratification, I immediately did the preview and started the build the day after. The model was built straight from the box, the result goes to show what is achievable for a non-aircraft specialist like me.

The parts are very crisply molded, very well packed and mostly the fit is excellent. I did not use any putty and only did some sanding of the canopies. The only actual glitch I had been made aware of by a friend, so did not fall into the trap and was able to avoid it. It´s imperative that the wing is only attached to the fuselage after completing the wheel wells and their fairings. Otherwise, the latter (parts A4 and A5) will not fit.

I had the aircraft built on the evening of the first day I worked on it, despite a lengthy brunch invitation (it was a Sunday). Over the next days I found some time early in the morning and in the evenings, and called the model completed on Thursday. So all in all it did not take much time.

I primed the model with Alclad´s Honey primer, partly because it was white already and partly because I was looking for ways of coping with Orange Hobby´s resin kits at the time. The exhausts were primed with Alclad´s black primer and then sprayed in two appropriate Alclad shades I have forgotten since. The aircraft itself was sprayed Vallejo Model Air white. Following reference images, an irregular, limited and moderate washing with ochre artist´s oils and Humbrol thinner was applied to get close to the look of the original. The landing gear was primed in black and then lightly sprayed in a light grey. The same shade was used for the wheel hubs. The cockpit was painted grey and black, but honestly the very small windows don´t give much of an insight here.

 After weathering the aircraft was sprayed with some of my dwindling stock of Johnson´s Klear to achieve a gloss base for the decals. These are commendably thin, but correspondingly delicate. Nonetheless they were applied without problems. MicroSol helped them confirm to surface details.

 Now I was able to attach the landing gear and its doors. Fit was very good throughout, and the attachment surprisingly strong. The tyres were slightly flattened, and - after the landing gear had dried thoroughly – glued and secured with some CA. After further curing time, the aircraft received a final (and not too intense or even) flat coat, using Vallejo Model Air´s flat varnish. The really final step was to attach the prepainted canopies with PVA glue.

Whereas TSR. 2 kits in larger scales are known to be demanding builds, this small scale model builds easily and delivers a nice representation of this interesting aircraft. I do very much recommend this kit.

Frank Spahr

December 2014

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