We have here a situation that often repeats in this hobby: a
superbly attractive plane that hardly any mainstream manufacturer would touch,
produced by a smaller outfit with less resources and the unavoidable higher
price tag that always accompanies the need to spread higher costs on a smaller
number of produced items.
For us modelers, that translates into the above-mentioned
higher tag price, with a technology that no matter how much love, time and
energy invested, may fall sometimes a tad short of modeling comfort.
I have to credit to this manufacturer first and foremost the
will and valor to produce a wonderful civil type that is not universally known,
and the inclusion of items such as highly detailed decals, photo-etched parts,
white metal parts, documentation, detailed plans, and such.
The bulk of the kit is constituted by resin parts, the
casting is fair enough, and better than other offers like the old Dujin issues, but not on par with more
refined kits in the market of equal price.
The engineering is a bit unusual, but this plane is not easy
to translate in kit form, so I guess they shall be given a pass on that. But the aggregate of several resin and white metal parts that makes for the outrigger engines, associated struts and landing gear does not fit well and produced many a headache.
This is far from being an easy kit to build, as you
can see in the work-in-progress post:
The decision lies on the modeler: spend the higher sum and
have a laborious build to enjoy the reward of a lesser known type of great
appeal...or not.
I guess that as usual it boils down to how much you want a
Westland Wessex, and how a reasonably experienced modeler you are.
A great deal of thought and resources has been poured into
this kit, still you need to work with skill, patience and care (and no little
love), sometimes solving manufacturing issues, to get a nice replica. But then
you will have your beautiful Wessex.
SOBRAN LOS COMENTARIOS, GRACIAS POR CUBRIR OTRO HUECO EN LA HISTORIA DE LA AVIACION A ESCALA.
ReplyDeleteGracias Armando, un placer de mi parte.
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