bootneck Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 I am going to have a go at building something in larger scales than my usual 1:144 scale, but want to practice on something cheap and cheerful first. I had this 1:72 scale kit of a Grumman EA-6 Prowler in the stash and will try it as a starter. I don't know the producer of this kit and got to wondering what the history is and who the original producer was. Any ideas? cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Ranger Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 Possibly Hasegawa, Hobbycraft, or Matchbox. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
71chally Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 (edited) Same box art and item number as the Kitech one, I think it might be based on the Hasegawa kit. Seeing the plastic should confirm. Edited February 18, 2017 by 71chally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iainpeden Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 I am not sure if Matchbox did a Prowler in 1/72 but happy to be proved wrong. However, it would make sense given the Revell/ Matchbox links. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Swindell Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 Prowler Kits - unfortunately no info on tooling history, but as Spaceranger suggests, the likely suspects are Hasegawa, Hobbycraft, or Matchbox. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 According to the entry on Scalemates for this kit it is based on the 1987 hasegawa kit item number K14. Duncan B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted February 18, 2017 Author Share Posted February 18, 2017 Thanks Duncan. Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzn20 Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 This might help the experts, Instructons, decals and sprue shots etc. http://www.flevoaviationhobby.net/images/kitreviews/1-72/kitdf315/kitdf315.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Ranger Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 (edited) On 2/18/2017 at 2:30 PM, iainpeden said: I am not sure if Matchbox did a Prowler in 1/72 but happy to be proved wrong. However, it would make sense given the Revell/ Matchbox links. From 1979/1980, per www.matchboxkits.org: Edited March 13, 2017 by Space Ranger Correct image link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 https://www.scalemates.com/kits/120477-zhengdefu-df315-grumman-ea-6-prowler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e8n2 Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 9 hours ago, bzn20 said: This might help the experts, Instructons, decals and sprue shots etc. http://www.flevoaviationhobby.net/images/kitreviews/1-72/kitdf315/kitdf315.html Definitely Hasegawa in origin. At the time they brought the kit out (early 80s but possibly even 78 or 79), they had to make the front canopy in two parts due to tooling limitations. The Hobbycraft kit is also based on the Hasegawa kit but DID NOT include the ability to open the boarding steps up to the cockpit as on the kit shown in the Flevo website. The Hobbycraft kit had the steps closed, but the step area was seen on the inside of the fuselage showing it's Hasegawa heritage. I ended up trashing the one I had a number of years ago so I can't take a picture of it to show exactly what I'm talking about here. Later, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPuente54 Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 The Hasegawa kit was released in '78 IIRC; I remember buying it at a LMS in Fayetteville, North Carolina when I was stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC with the 82nd Airborne Division. It was nicely detailed for the time; and, if you look carefully at the clear parts frame in the link above; you'll notice that they are tinted a "smoke brown/tan" color. e8n2 is correct that this is a Hasegawa kit. I gave the one I had bought to a buddy of mine when I transferred from the 82nd; bought a second a couple of years later. It is still in my stash of "to build" kits. Some decade. Promise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andre B Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 Oh dear, compared to the original Hasegawa kit this is something that is best to avoid, I´ve got it and I ended up using the wheels and landinggears as spareparts for other kits. Cheers / André Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julien Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 On 18/02/2017 at 20:30, iainpeden said: I am not sure if Matchbox did a Prowler in 1/72 but happy to be proved wrong. However, it would make sense given the Revell/ Matchbox links. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roym Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 That Kitech/Zhengdefu is a very poor quality "copy" (read rip-off) of the Hasegawa kit. While the parts breakdown and assemby sequence are the same as the Has kit, it is nowhere near it in quality. As a matter of fact, I would put the Matchbox kit far ahead of it in ranking, while it itself is far behind the Has kit. (At least the Matchbox fits...) Despite being a copy, it has raised panel lines. (Has is recessed). Cockpit parts float around in the fuselage, canopy is molded from toffee, can't see whats flash and whats the part, and doesn't fit the fuse openings; wings are warped, don't fit the roots; noseleg is moulded offline from one side to the other like as if the mould is mis-aligned. If all thats not enough, the plastic is cheap and nasty, had to use my strongest solvent to make it stick. Run away, buy anything else to start with. Not this though... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingpiggy Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 So roym would you say it was an enjoyable relaxing build then!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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