Introduction

The Zlin Z-50 is an aerobatic aircraft developed in the Czech Republic in 1975. Designed to withstand plus 9 and minus 6 G’s and running a 300 HP engine, this aircraft is a real contender in the competitive aerobatic world and has won a couple of championships. Of course, the plane is only as good as the pilot. For a number of years now I’ve had the pleasure-as have many others-to see Rob Harrison aka “The Tumbling Bear”, perform his brand of low level high energy aerobatics in his bright yellow Zlin. My favorite part of his routine is the passes so low you can see Rob working the controls! Rob has been a stable on the Southern California airshow circuit for years. In spite of a terrible crash in Modesto CA in 2009, Rob supervised the build of his replacement Zlin from his wheelchair and returned to the air. My kids always remembered the Tumbling Bear (he’s a big guy) because he would go down the show line after the show and hand out goodies for the kids.

If you build models you are probably very familiar with Micro-Mark. Not only do they carry a wide range of modeling tools but also offer several kits in different media.

When starting a model getting the parts off the sprue cleanly helps lower the amount of clean up you need to do so finding a good sprue cutter is a great start. This product is manufactured by Fujiya out of Japan.

I tried it out on a kit I am working on for a review and it did a great job. The 25-degree angle gives good control to get up next to the part no matter the placement on the sprue. The cut was clean, but you need to make sure you are even with the part edge or you will live a bit of the connection.

The one thing all Japanese fighters in WWII had in common was a radial engine, except for one plane, the Ki-61 Hien which the allies named Tony. This was powered by a licensed built version of the Daimler-Benz DB601 and not only faced the allied fighters of the day but also had the performance to get to the B-29s altitude.

Tamiya released a new tool of the Tony in 1/48th scale back in 2016 and now has finally shrunk it down to my preferred scale of 1/72nd and a beauty of a model it is. The 45 grey and 3 clear parts are beautifully molded with fine scribed details. The low parts count leads to a quick build. A lovely cockpit is included and the wheel wells look nice. Markings are included for 3 airframes. One from the 19th Air Group in Luzon, Philippines, 1945 and two from the 244th Air Group based in Japan. More on these in a minute.

Coastal Kits was founded in 2011 and is based in Blackpool, Lancashire, UK. It is a family run business that originally retailed model kits and their associated supplies. Coastal Kits began marketing their own range of display bases at the end of 2012 after their bases were well received at Telford’s Scale Model World. The Business soon decided to concentrate solely on their display base product line. The range currently exceeds 220 bases in multiple scales and subjects. They also provide custom bases upon request.

The display bases are manufactured from 3mm Foamex board which is a rigid, waterproof plastic. Laminated matt vinyl is used to print the subject with the latest odorless latex ink providing a permanent and waterproof finish. The benefit over alternatives like paper based products is that the display will not fade, lift, or bubble.

Introduction

This is actually my second build and review of this kit (See review posted October 24^th, 2015). This time around it’s the same great kit with some really striking markings. My research says Aircraft # 92-8906 was specially painted for an airshow that was cancelled due to a typhoon. You do get a second marking option without the cool artwork but I can’t imagine building this kit as such.

I’m not going to go into the history of the Eagle as it is well documented many other places. Unlike the first build where I used a nice photoetch set, this Eagle was built out of the box with the exception of some seat harnesses from the spares drawer.