I’ve loved Plusmodel’s Aero Line 1/48th scale series of resin figures since reviewing the first one a while back. This one is no different. With the recent release of the Eduard and Great Wall Hobby MiG-29s, this figure couldn’t come at a better time.

Packaged in a plastic bubble pack, this perfectly cast resin figure is molded in light grey with no blemishes anywhere. It has a minimal amount of flash around the whole figure that literally just falls off when touching it. Clean up is quite easy. This figure is a single piece with a pilot wearing a flight helmet. He has a hand in his pocket and the other one at his side holding his oxygen mask. The carving of these figures is impressive. The face is the most important facet of any figure, and these Aero Line figures are perfect. The proportions of the whole figure look absolutely realistic. The pour block is easily removed with a razor saw. The single piece ensures that there are no gaps anywhere.

During WWII, the French could not design a good-looking aircraft to save their nation; however, that changed in the post-war years. The delta wing Mirage series are beautiful aircraft based on delta wing research from Germany. Utilizing the powerful J79 engine the Kfir was a powerful fighter bomber. The C2/C7 had canards for added maneuverability, as well as more powerful avionics.

This is my first Kinetic kit, and I must say upon opening up the sturdy two-piece cardboard box I was impressed by the presentation. The kit is molded with over 180 light grey plastic parts with finely engraved panel lines. Kinetic seems to have captured the looks of the real thing. Besides the two different versions of the aircraft, there are other options – flaps up or down, canopy open or closed, airbrake opened or closed. Then there are the armament options – cluster bombs, Mk-82s, Python air-to-air missiles, fuel tanks, and all the pylons to hold them.

This is without a doubt the best aircraft kit I have ever built. Wingnut Wings has produced an absolute wonder of a kit in this Sopwith Snipe.

Upon opening the sturdy box, one finds six grey sprues, one clear sprue, and a photo etch fret. In addition, there is a very colorful and complete 23-page book of instructions with color photos and actual WW I photos of several Snipes.

To begin, I assembled the cockpit which consists of over 30 parts, not counting the rigging wires. When complete, this is a real gem that should really be displayed alone. It is a shame that it has to be shut up inside the fuselage as not much can be seen once installed. I hope that Wingnut Wings will produce kits of just their cockpits. The instructions for the cockpit are color drawings and color photos of the real cockpit. Can’t beat that.

Next came the 13-piece engine. This also is a real beauty.

History Brief

Designed in 1944 by Kawasaki, the Ki-148 was a World War II Japanese guided air-to-surface missile. In a nutshell, it was a radio-controlled bomb powered by a rocket engine capable producing 330lbs of thrust for up to 80 seconds. Approximately 180 were built. Luckily, none saw service by war’s end.

The Product

My sample arrived in a somewhat flimsy box. The box top featured a helpful rendering of the missile. On the reverse side, three decal options were presented, with the latter two being what-ifs. The plastic is a short run offering and lacks the finesse of standard production run kits. The kit includes plastic for one missile and one trolley cart. Also included are one small photo-etch fret, an instruction sheet, and a small decal sheet.

Volume 103 in Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces series details the interesting story of the Nakajima’s Ki-27 and the pilots who prevailed while flying the little fighter. The “Nate,” as it became known to most Westerners, contributed to a prevailing myth among aviation experts during the early years of WWII that Japanese aircraft were almost impossible to best in a dogfight. The nimble aircraft was fast enough and agile enough to give well-trained Japanese pilots the edge over almost any adversary as quickly as the fighter could be supplied to the Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF).