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For my entire 28
year career, I’ve been surrounded by A-6s, F-14s and F/A-18s, and I’ve been
building models since I was a kid. At 51, the eyeballs just don’t like
the smaller scales any more, and being an engineer, I like being able to add
tons of details. So when I found out that Trumpeter was in fact producing a 1/32
Super Bug, it was straight off to the hobby shop to order one.
The box is BIG, and
as is standard with Trumpeter, it is very sturdy, insuring that all the parts
are well protected. The bagging and packing of the sprues was clearly done with
care. The large upper and lower fuselage sections are packed in their own
form fitting plastic trays to prevent warping. The inner box contains the
impressive array of weaponry. Note the bubble wrap on the AIM-120s to keep the
fins protected.
Click on
images below to see larger images
The kit comes with three large
decal sheets, allowing for three versions: VFA-31 Tomcatters AJ100, VFA-143
Pukin’ Dogs AG100 and VFA-27 Royal Maces NF200. A large full color painting
and decaling guide is included, which has color reference data for Mr Hobby,
Vallejo, Model Master, Tamiya and Humbrol paints. The 24 pages of instructions
indicate paint colors for various detail components. Pages two and three are
what I call the “Sprue Map” which you need with the number of sprues and
parts. The final page of the instructions is a Stores Chart to guide you in
hanging ordnance on your finished Super Bug.
The kit contains 41 Sprues total; 17 for the airframe and 24 for external
stores; over 600 individual pieces. There is a small PE fret with seatbelts,
rubber tires, and metal “bones” that go inside the molded plastic landing
gear to give it strength. The canopy parts are crystal clear. The surface
details appear crisp but not overstated. The stock landing gear wells and
cockpit have some details, but many modelers will likely opt for the resin and
PE details that will surely be forthcoming from Aires, Eduard, Avionix and
others.
Once it warms up
around here, I’ll work on doing a detailed walk-around shoot of either the
Tomcatters or Pukin’ Dogs aircraft, and getting it posted here.
Miles Lumbard
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