This is a simple upgrade, consisting of four items (both struts and two steps); it improves on the kit items by a major factor in that you don’t have to glue what is a basic triangle with an angle as the kit would have you do – see the comparison picture below, where the kit-supplied oleo strut is separate from the torsion strut. On the real aircraft, this provides dual purpose action in that it dampens impact with the ground without causing the aircraft to rebound, which could result in really bad things with moving rotor blades.

(This was changed on some versions by using an “A” frame strut, replacing the torsion bar completely. This is the version Revell used for their release from 1987. I can’t vouch for the effectiveness of this modification, but it’s obviously a bit more sturdy.)

Thanks once again to Akiko at MRC for providing IPMS USA the opportunity to review one of their products…and IPMS USA for forwarding it to me to do the review!

This kit is a sleeper. The reason I say that is I would not have purchased it on a whim. It’s a cool-looking “Indigenous” production of the Korean defense industry, designed as an advanced trainer, and incorporates many design elements of aircraft already flying. Their display team, “The Black Eagles,” fly T-50s, and Academy produces a kit with their markings as well.

Molded in “true white” plastic (it almost glows), the part trees have a staggering amount of detail. Academy tends to design their kits with many details as separate items; this results in a bit more complex construction, but also provides kit fidelity in the final product. Take your time and produce an excellent model!

Being a fan of large scale planes (1/32 and above), I was excited when Paul Fisher from Fisher Model and Pattern announced an impending 1/32 F4D-1 Skyray. No one else would have the tenacity and devotion to make one, and as a fan of US Navy planes, this was a dream come true for me. The plane itself has not been made in 1/32 before and is a welcome addition. This is going to be a multi-part build. In this part, we'll take a look at what you get in the box and then dive right into a full build in subsequent parts.

For those not having built a Fisher kit, they are cast in resin with photoetch detail added, and this kit is no different. The parts are cast in a light gray resin that holds detail well. There are approximately 157 parts to the kit. The windscreen and the canopy are molded in clear resin, as are the seeker heads for the missiles.