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New Special Hobby Kittyhawk 1a - Build Issues


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Bought this kit and first appearances were very good with what appeared to be a good dry fit, nicely recessed panel lines, accurate profile and decals by Cartograf, so  I was expecting no real issues with the build. How wrong I was !

 

I'm currently only about two thirds of the way through the build after 10 days, something that I expected to have finished within 4 or 5 even allowing for my fading eyesight and modest modelling skills, however the following issues have had to be resolved so far with possibly more to follow.

 

ISSUES

 

  1. The fit of the two top wing sections to the lower wing/fuselage section is poor and requires a great deal of scraping and sanding internally just to get an acceptable trailing edge at the rear flap section in this scale. It's still not perfect but it's the best that is achievable to my eyes.
  2. Joining the assembled fuselage to the now thinned down wing section again required lots of head scratching and filing/scraping to both as they would not fit without leaving obvious gaps at the front wing root leading edge around the undercarriage sections as well as gaps at the wing root joint and a very obvious step between the wing and fuselage on both sides. Having now scraped and filed to give an improve fit, though still far from perfect, I'm now left with lots of filling and sanding which will remove all that nicely recessed detail. As I'm not adept at re-scribing panel lines this means that all this subtle detail will now be lost.
  3. I've yet to attempt fitting the upper internal cockpit cowling section that has the gun sight attached but I suspect this will also be a wee bit of a problem as the latest dry fit shows no obvious seating and the instructions are a little vague (perhaps I should have fitted it earlier)?

 

I'm determined to see it through as the excellent internal detail and the effort I've put in so far will not be wasted, but given the price and initial impressions (plus the after market extras purchased) this is clearly not an 'out of the box' build or one for a novice, new comer or anyone without plenty of time on their hands and patience!

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

Overall it is a really good kit and probably the best Kittyhawk 1a in this scale with excellent internal detail, multiple options and extras, great decals and nicely done pane lines but it is not to the fit standard of other more modern and recent kits from the likes of Airfix and Revell etc. etc. and what one has now come to expect from a kit of this price. I have now come to appreciate that this is definitely one for the more accomplished modeller which sadly I am not and perhaps with hindsight I should have opted for a different subject.

 

Kind Regards

Colin.

 

Ps. once I have the build finally done I will upload some photos to highlight all the issues

 

 

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I'm determined to see it through as the excellent internal detail and the effort I've put in so far will not be wasted, but given the price and initial impressions (plus the after market extras purchased) this is clearly not an 'out of the box' build or one for a novice, new comer or anyone without plenty of time on their hands and patience

 

The last part of your statement (my underlining) pretty well sums up Special Hobby kits.  I've got several of their kits in the stash and I can attest that none of them are "out of the box" builds, nor are they 'quick builds.  They will take some TLC, some solid (but still within reach to the average modeller) modelling experience and time, but a successful build is well worth the extra effort.

 

 

Scott

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I'm determined to get there as the time and money invested so far dictates that I must. However what's also a wee bit disconcerting with this kit is that the main wheels are moulded as two parts and the fit is so poor that they are of no use what so ever. I've even bought another example of the kit to provide some parts that were broken in the initial one (no customer service to help alas to request any extras) and they are the same so have also gone in the bin.

 

Providentially the same manufacturer offers alternative wheels as extras, albeit not the type that are accurate for the 1941 desert version, so perhaps they had some inkling?

 

I look forward to seeing a build review at some point from someone far more expert than myself just to see if my issues are down to my limited skills or are also shared by others. Must admit that their  HA-1112 M-1L Buchon 'Movie Star' BoB kit I bought last year has now very much gone to the back of the queue as it seems to be of an even earlier vintage and probably has similar if not more issues from a build perspective.

 

To some degree given my limited skills and recent experience I should probably stick to the mainstream manufacturers in future as my experience with 'short run' models has not been great to date, including AZ and Sword. All offer great subjects not generally covered by the big boys and are not cheap but I suspect I may not be their target market as the effort required to produce a nice kit from them requires a skill level beyond my current level.

 

I look forward to seeing a build review of the Kittyhawk at some point just to understand where I can improve my skills for the future.

 

Kind Regards

Colin.

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