A few shots of my latest. The disappointing Has 1/32nd Jug. A kit released in the 21st century with 1970's technology.
Anyhow...finished the NMF with Tamiya As-12 from the rattle can and then broke up the panels with Alclad II..white, dull aluminum. I plumbed the engine and gear bay, and relied on some PE blast tubes and seat belts as well. I did a lot of scratching in the cockpit, as the kit detail is barren.










All comments welcome:

Steve

Hi Steve,
I'm intrigued by your comment:


I have just open my kit ready to start building for our club theme for next years Scale Modelworld, "Poles Apart" and for the price I thought it to be a nice kit. Yes I little scratch building is required but the mouldings seem to be very good. I have also recently read a review of Trumpeters Razorback which has more parts but is twice the price! If Hasegawa bring out a razorback I'll be after that.
Anyway your finished result certainly looks good, do you have any pictures of the scratchbuilding that you did in the cockpit? I have very few references on the Jug and none at all for the cockpit
Mal

Looks like it came out pretty nice. I also have this kit awaiting its turn on the workdesk. I thought it was a good kit. As with almost all kits, there is room to improve the basic kit with AM or scratch. But, anyway, I would also like to see more pictures of your build so I can plan what I need to do.

Good Job

Hello Mal,

Sorry, I don't normally take pictures as I am building. There are several really good walkarounds published out there that show cockpit detail. Be aware that the D-30 and the D-25 as depicted in the kit will have different cockpit layouts and gunsights. That's if you care about that sort of thing. You will have to add the oxygen hose and regulator (be aware of the position if you are building the D-30). The throttle quadrant is completely incorrect and will require mixture levers to be added.

As for the molding detail....look very closely. The right wing gun ammo panels do not have the screw slots, while the left wing has them. Also, there are several locks on the cowl missing the screws as well. The most glaring error is the huge sink mark down both upper wings just forward of the ailerons.

When you fit the engine/cowl assembly to the fuselage, you will see a rather glaring off set due to a dimensional error. In short, the engine/cowl assembly is set too high on my kit. This left a 2mm step between the lower fuselage and the cowl flap ring. I fixed this by enlarging the radius of the mounting hole in the cowl flap ring, and positioning the assembly in line with the fuselage.

This is not an attempt to discourage you at all. Just be aware that after the hype wears off, this kit is going to be seen for what it is.......mediocre at best.

cheers

Steve

Ahh, I now see the omission of the screw slots, but would not have noticed if you hadn't mentioned it, possibly I see this as an oppertunity though, I will add the slots making some in different directions. I think that the long sink marks are inevitable, as they are over bracing or thicker areas in the wing. Again I don't see this as a major setback. The engine cowl error is a different story but it sounds like the fix is pretty easy. I have decided that I will get a walk around for the P-47, thanks for the info on the different types
Again a very nice Jug, I hope mine turns out half as good

Mal

I saw the sink marks. I congratulate you on spoting the missing screw heads. I never would have noticed this.

You know the really good thing about these forums is when somebody knowledgable points out errors and omissions in the kit. Then we can all build a better model.

BTW. Do you have a Jug parked in your back yard? The closest one to me is about a five hour drive.

Thanks

I found a quick fix for the missing screw slots. I took a broken scalpel blade and, using pliers, I broke of a sliver of the remaining blade (it took me 3 attempts to get the correct size). I fitted this peice of blade into a length of brass tube to act as a handle and was able to use the blade to simply press in the missing screw slots I'll post pictures when I have them.

Mal

Sounds like a great method Mal. Take a look at this link for a professional review of the kit:
http://www.modelingmadness.com/reviews/allies/cleaver/tmc3247m.htm

regards,

Steve

Nice T'bolt Steve.
That cowling is certainly giving people a few headaches.I wonder how long it will be before we see an aftermarket one appear?
I cant say I agree with your comment about 1970's technology though. Yes, the cowling fit could have been better thought out, and the cockpit detail,(when compared to say the Tamiya Jugs), is a little sparse, and the sink marks on the wings,(which are caused by the moulded spars on the inside of the wings) are certainly cons not pros, but 70's technology to me means kits such as the Airfix 1:24 series of WW2 fighters, and it certainly doesnt come into that category.
Dont get me wrong, Im not blowing fanfares for the Hasegawa Jug.A kits a kit and each one has its good points and bad points.



Nice article on the 1st reboxing of the Hasegawa Bubbletop, but thats what it is really, an article more than a review. The actual construction of the kit, apart from painting, only features in 4 small paragraphs.

A first look review of the Hasegawa Bubbletop can be found

HERE

Nige

Hello Nigel,

Thanks for providing a proper "/review". What I meant by 70's technology was the apparent lack of attention by Has to the molding detail itself. Other than the recessed panel lines, I don't see a whole lot of "ground breaking" tech between this kit and the outdated Has 1/32nd Mustang kit. Upon close inspection, one can see that this mold has issues as to the quality (attention to detail) that I feel is now industry standard.

Look at the cowling fastener clips, some have screw heads w/slots, some have none at all. The same issue with the upper wings. As previously mentioned, the ammo bin panels on the right wing have no slots at all. Look closely at the access panels just ahead of the flaps. These are etched into the mold by hand, clearly an oversight in the EDM process while making the tool.

I realize that these are MINOR things, and as you stated, all kits have thier pros and cons. I understand and accept that. What is sticking in my craw is my perception as to what "could have been acheived" here. My expectations are set by what Dragon has accomplished in the armor modeling field.

I am satisfied with the kit though. I would just like to see a release in this scale along the lines of the Tamiya 1/32nd Zero. That is all I'm saying.

Let me just say for the record that I really enjoyed this kit and if a Razorback comes out, I will buy it. It is a fine model kit and we are fortunate to have the opportunity to build it.

regards,
Steve