Lodela/Revell 1/104 P2V-7 Neptune

This kit was originally tooled in 1960 and as with many Revell kits of the time, were sized to fit into a standard size box. Hence the rather odd 1/104 scale. As with all the older Revell toolings, this kit was also produced in Mexico by Lodela and I picked this one up as a then-new release in a Tijuana store.

The kit is molded in dark blue and has most of the decal placements molded onto the kit. Detail is raised and this includes the control surfaces. There are some sink areas, but nothing major. Flash is found on a few of the parts. Clear bits are nicely molded and are fairly clear. The interior is basically a flat panel with two seated crew figures. There is no nose interior detail.

Before closing the fuselage halves, the single piece horizontal stabilizer needs to be slotted in place from the inside. Wings are upper and lower halves with an engine nacelle that fits to the front. There is no engine detail at all.

The major construction on the kit comes with the installation of the landing gear, skis, and the gear doors. There are also a pair of tip tanks along with the auxiliary engine pods.

Instructions are on a small folded sheet with all the parts numbered. Color information and decal placement is provided within each construction step. Naturally, everything is in Spanish. The decal sheet is nicely printed and looks to be in great shape, though I'd clear coat them just in case as they are 40 years old.

CONCLUSIONS

Not a kit for everyone due to its age, but there are folks who like vintage kits and this is a nice one.

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