<>    Just what we have all been waiting for, a nicely detailed Hunter. Well Revell have come up with the goods this time, the surface detail is very good with finely engraved panel lines and the breakdown of the kit leads me to think more versions are in the pipeline but don’t quote me.
<>The cockpit is nicely detailed with a four piece seat and rather neat instrument panel, the nose wheel bay and gun troughs are a separate panel and you get the blast deflectors as individual parts for various other forces. The rear end is a complete separate assembly and the wing leading edge dog leg is also a separate part all of which leaves room for alternative versions to be released.
<>          The instructions tell you that you need 20gms of nose weight but I could only get 10gms in and that worked fine, the fit of the parts is as good as any from Mr Tamiya or any other brand and once the cockpit is installed and the extra panel and rear end are added to the fuselage the joins can be cleaned up easily,  not that it needs much just a touch here and there.
Wing assembly is straight forward and of note here is the detail in the wheel bays, better than some details in the big 1/32^nd scale Hunter from Revell. The flaps can be posed up or down and are marked with the circular cut out for use when large fuel tanks are carried.  Before you add the wings there are splitter plates to put on then the wings go into a recessed location leaving no joins to be cleaned up.
         
The tailplanes actually hold in without cement the fit is so good but I used some anyway, the speed brake can be assembled closed but if you want it open then wait till the undercarriage is on. Main gear legs have individual scissors that need a little care locating and the doors come in one piece, good for flying poses but you cut them along "thin" lines for ground running.
 The most outstanding feature of this hunter is the Sabrinas, these come with the two little outlets moulded in position above each one, a detail that isn't always noticed, these are easy to fit but the tiny aerials and fuel dump pipe will need fine tweezers as they are so small.
          Wing pylons are handed so take note, you get the small tanks for the inboard pair and sidewinders and launch rails for the outer pair but these aren’t used on the RAF version. The canopy is quite clear and the windshield fits neatly into a recess while the canopy seems to click into position and slides very easily.
    I used Humbrol paints here, No 163 green and 164 Dk sea grey for the top surfaces and Humbrol polished Aluminium  without polishing, just a coat of Johnsons Klear overall ready for the decals.
The decal sheet is large with markings for an RAF Mk 6 from the Fighter Combat School plus one from 66 Sqdn, then there are two more sets one for KLu 324 Sqdn Dutch air force and one for 22 Sqdn Belgian air force.
 An excellent model is the result of around three or four days work, well done Revell let’s have more like this

 

<>Ted Taylor
March 2005

 Back to the Top