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Showing results for tags '2015 build as reference'.
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I am posting this relatively old (2015) build, as I see that fellow BMers are starting or thinking of starting one of these. I will present here the WiP and then post the completed model. Regarding details and colors (interior color, mostly) there is much discussed, and I am far from being an expert on the type, so my choices are just that, my choices. It's just to provide a glimpse on the process, a look at the quality, and some kind of view of the particularities of the kit and build, not more. When beauty flows like the wind A handful of iconic planes in the history of aviation can be categorized as design classics, and surely the De Havilland D.H.88 racers belong to that group. I have built three of them in my life so far -the first when I was a little fellow- all from the truly despicable, outmoded, outdated (thus slightly venerable) old Airfix rendition. It was time, dear airplane manufacturers, to make available to hordes of avid modelers a better version of it. But behold, no mainstream manufacturer will stain their hands with a civil, brilliant plane (with no bombs! no machine guns! mind you!) so a small resin manufacturer from Hungary had to produce one. Like any other modeler with decades of experience, I have seen and built my share of kits, and so far I hold high up three things: the resin 1/72 kits released by Matias Hagen of Argentina, the unbelievable 1/72 aero engines of Small Stuff, and SBS' kits. It is worth noting that the kit has a system of peg/slot assembly throughout, and -fortunately!- not the usual resin and short run method of butt-gluing, which can be a curse some times. So once again, well done, SBS! They offer several boxings of the D.H.88, according to the specific version of the racers you want to build. The package is comprehensive: you get beautifully cast and blemish-free parts with lots and lots of good detail, well printed decals, photoetched parts, clear (indeed!) resin parts, separated resealable bags for groups of the parts, a sturdy box that is not threatening to collapse at the least provocation -thus preserving the integrity of its contents (what a concept, kit manufacturers!), and color leaflets and comprehensive instructions. All that for a price that is reasonable, not the stack of bills asked by some other resin manufacturers offering much less than this and dubious quality, and let's not even mention despicable short run injected kits that cost a lot, and then another lot...of work! Well, enough said. I wrote a bit about the D.H.88s -in case you are curious- in my post about the KP injected 1/72 kit: And so without further ado: General view of the contents: The white metal parts are finely cast, and need only some cleaning to remove the mold lines and very little flash: Great care has been put into the making of these parts: Even the smallest parts have good detail: The surfaces come in the kit polished to a shine: The clear parts are...well...clear, as it should be: The trailing edges are super-thin, almost unbelievable thin: The parts are dutifully (and very carefully!) washed and let to dry: A couple of parts have very small dent/nics, due to their finesse (and perhaps some postal knocking around). In this case it will be very easy to fix since that flange butts against a panel, making filling and sanding a snap: The resin pouring blocks are CAREFULLY removed. The material used is superb, and I mean it. It is rigid enough, but has some flexibility. It is not brittle and does not crumble. The rigidity is ideal and it is not too hard, making the task of removing the casting blocks much easier (to the right of the photo the discarded pouring blocks). I keep the smallest parts still in their blocks until the very end, to protect them and to avoid losing them. The saw (JLC) was a courtesy of Steve Kallan, whom I remember with gratitude every time I use it: