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RA-5C Vigilante Fuselage Brace (48-801) 1:48 Nautilus Models Back when Trumpeter first released their 1:48 kit of the massive Vigi in 2005, there were some problems with the top seam of the fuselage, which wasn’t strong enough to stay flat, or stand up to any seam hiding activities such as sanding, resulting in cracking of seams and probably quite a lot of foul language. This was a problem that Trumpeter didn’t address, but along came Nautilus Models with their wooden brace kit. It’s a brilliantly simple solution, and arrives in a sealed plastic bag with a set of instructions within. After slicing open the package, out slides a single sheet of basswood with all the parts laser cut into it, held in place by short lengths at that ends that are only partially cut through. A few slices with a new blade liberates all the parts, and any burrs can be removed with a few strokes of a sanding stick. The instructions show you how to put the parts together, and they fit snugly without any glue (as you can see below) but should be glued and left to dry within the fuselage using some strong PVA wood glue, securing it with clamps, tape or elastic bands to keep things in place. Once the glue is dry it can be fixed into one side of the fuselage and later there are some instructions for fitting Aires exhausts cans should you have a set ready for use. From the many kits that have been built over the years it seems that this bracing kit is both the easiest and most cost-effective way of ensuring a happy conclusion to your fuselage closing ceremony. Every Vigi should have one. The set is available from their website as below, but if you have any trouble with ordering (as I did, ordering from the UK), just drop them an email and they’ll soon reply. Conclusion According to James from Nautilus this set and its smaller 1:72 stablemate have been consistent sellers ever since the kit was released, and you’ll be please to know that the kit is still available in both scales to go around this excellent structural helper. Many thanks to James for the review sample Extremely highly recommended, bordering on mandatory. Review sample courtesy of