Unicraft...how bad are they really?

[Procopius]

I'm frequently tempted by Unicraft's Hawker P.1033, but having heard them called "Unicrap" more than once, I'm more than a little leery of chancing it without some input from someone who's seen the elephant, as it were. How bad is it? Anyone built anything by them? Any photos?

[Supertom]

Unicraft's casting are traditional pour, and the guy who does them isn't very good at keeping air bubbles to a minimum, so you'll have a fair number of bubbles to fill at best, and at worst, you may need to build some missing tips or edges up. Detail isn't fantastic, but does the job. Granted any kit can be made really nicely, given enough planning, patience and skill, and I've seen some really nice Unicraft builds. Go for it, I know you'll pull it off!

[Graham Boak]

I have the MiG7, and it is awful.  Not just the bubbles, which are excessive, but also poor control of the external shape with growths of resin that needed removing to find (or rather make) a proper shape underneath.  However, had there been no bubbles nor unwanted bumps, it still wouldn't have been a great shape.  The bottom line is that it is the only one on the market of this range of prototypes (which at least flew), and you aren't going to find another P.1033.  Are you up to making a silk purse out of a pig's ear?  Some kind of purse, anyway?

[Guest]

Don't.  Seriously.  Don't!

 

What's the worst resin kit you've got?  Right.  Take that and imagine it ten times worse and you're still nowhere near as bad as Unicraft.  Graham has hit it spot on with his description but I'll also add the sheer lack of quality control - I've thrown away better castings than Unicraft are charging top whack for.  The surface quality is best described as "painted in emulsion with  toilet brush then dipped in grit".  Awful.

 

The resin itself is hard and brittle.  It looks like the tan polyeurethane that most resin producers are using but isn't.  My guess, and echoed by a friend with more casting experience than me, is that it's epoxy resin tinted with paint to make it look like the normal tan stuff.  It's vile to work with. 

 

You're going to have to raid the spares box for all the detail parts and do a lot of rebuild work on the resin itself.  It can be done, but the work is a lot more than most think and more than the kits are worth.  Not to mention the price - top dollar for garbage?  Best thought of as sub Merlin quality at top end Tamiya prices.  CMR gets a justifiable rap for price but at least it reflects the quality of the casting.  Unicrap?  Ha!

 

Having looked through the Unicrap site, I can't find a Hawker P.1033 (and looking through the Tony Buttler British Secret Projects books I found out what it was), but did find a P.1030 and P1048.  I assume you mean one of these?  The former is easy to scratchbodge with a Tempest and a Sea Fury plus a Wyvern prop. Certainly with less effort than a Unicraft kit.  Indeed, I've the drawings and all the parts sitting in a box somewhere to do just that.

 

P.1030

 

 

Seriously, think about scratching it.  Much easier and far more rewarding.

Edited April 10, 2017 by The Wooksta!
Adding addition vitriol to the fire!