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Reviewed by Rodger Kelly
Czech Master's Kits (CMK) 7048 consists of resin, plastic and photo-etched parts that has been designed to fit the superb 1/72 scale Hasegawa A-1H Skyraider. The eight resin parts make up the cockpit tub, the engine accessory bay (located behind the engine on the starboard side of the fuselage); the two fuselage panels that cover this bay, the seat, gunsight, control column top, and the canvas cover that fits over the brace for the pilot's armour behind the seat. These parts are crisply cast with absolutely no flash or pinholes.
The cockpit tub is nicely detailed with knobs and switches on the side consoles as well as details on the rear bulkhead/head armour. The engine accessory bay is very well detailed and a joy to be behold. Careful painting, dry brushing and the application of washes will bring out the intricate detail that has been cast into these parts. The photo-etched fret includes the inner fuselage sides, the instrument panel, and the handles that fit inside of the sliding portion of the canopy. There are also several other parts on the fret that are not identified on the instruction sheet. The instruction sheet also shows three control levers to be added to the left-hand side of the console and a complete seat harness, but they are not on the fret. The fret it is made from a soft metal that, whilst easily bent is rigid enough to survive the handling they will receive during the preparation and painting phase of construction. The plastic parts consist of the film for the rear of the instrument panel and a very nicely executed vac-form canopy. Whilst the canopy has been moulded from a single piece of plastic it has been fashioned so that the windscreen is a separate from the sliding portion. This is a great move on CMK's part as the modeller can focus on removing the waste from these parts rather than concentrating on getting the single straight, true cut that would have been required had the canopy been moulded in the closed position. The set includes a nice, clear instruction sheet that clearly identifies all of the parts and where they are meant to go as well as a painting guide with matches to Humbrol and Aeromaster paints. The set comes packed in a nice, thick clear plastic bubble pack with a cardboard header card that slides into the back of the bubble pack. This type of packaging is great; as it not only allows the modeller to examine the set prior to purchase it also protects the delicate parts and can be easily re-packed. All said and done this is a nice little set that will enhance what is already an excellent model. I suspect that the mix-up with instructions and the photo-etched sheet may have been a one-off as I have the same set in 1/48 scale and it does contain the missing shoulder harness. Recommended. Thanks to Squadron® for the review sample.
Review Copyright © 2000 by Rodger
Kelly
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