Siga 1/72 AM-1 Mauler
|
KIT # |
72014 |
|
PRICE: |
$16.95 SRP |
|
DECALS: |
See review |
|
REVIEWER: |
|
|
NOTES: |
Special Edition |
|
HISTORY |
I’ll refer to Scott’s rendition of his earlier preview rather than rehash an old subject. That’s a pretty good reason cause I dislike doing historical background pieces and bore you to death.
|
THE KIT |
A while
back, Scott, our illustrious editor did a piece on his AM-1 Mauler. Not trying
to out do him, which would be quite a feat, I was given the task of reviewing
the Special edition version of the same kit. No, it didn’t come pre-assembled,
but it did come with a fret of photo-etch and the weapons that the Mauler would
normally be required to carry into battle. The problem is that the photo-etch
didn’t come with instructions, and of course the instructions, just the regular
kit sheets were in the box. For the most part the photo etching duplicates some
of the plastic parts, but there are some, which just didn’t ring a bell as to
what they were. Granted, the etched parts are a 100% improvement over the
plastic parts, I suspect a few of the metal bits are for cockpit wall stringers
and the such, making this a very detailed interior for the scale!
|
CONSTRUCTION |
As with the original kit, all the plastic parts are done
in a dirty white softish plastic, some flash is evident on the smaller parts; it
only took a short time to clean up the parts. The engraving is done pretty well
and for the most part line up with the other halves they are to be mated to,
it’s best to remove the locating pins in the fuselage and wings so they line up
better. Some issue about the
location of the wheel wells was brought up, and quite correctly if compared to
photos in Steve Glinter's book on the Mauler. The Dremel tool was brought out in
an attempt to enlarge and move them.
Then came the move to the new house, and the mauler was put on the back shelf, or should I say was lost in a box somewhere until last week. My new workspace and modeling kingdom is the Garage, all to myself with added elbow space with plenty of room to swear,…errr spare! It’s interesting to come back to the kit after a couple month’s hiatus, it all looks so much better, could be the new lights I guess over the work bench.
Now, back to the program. The main assembly was going smoothly, until I noticed, or didn’t notice, the tail wheel was missing. So pardon the odd appearance, but I did a great job on the tail hook! The little bits that hang off the wings and tail planes are a bit oversized and clunky looking, but there you go. This is a short run kit and they have limitations. One limitation this Mauler doesn’t have is the lack of the pilots’ seat, that’s a joke Scott.
|
CAMOUFLAGE & MARKINGS |
After a coat of Testors Gloss Sea Blue we are ready to lay down the decals. One thing that was missing was a decent set of decals; the ones supplied have to be the worst decals I’ve ever had to use. They were thin enough, but each time I tried to slide them off, it would curl up before touching the plastic. Enough was enough after the third attempt as my patience was strained to the limit. So again, pardon the lack of other marking other than the Stars and Bars.
|
FINAL CONSTRUCTION |
The last
little ditties to go on are of course the things that normally get broken off if
you put them on too soon. Landing gear, pitot, gun barrels, antenna, and the
such get super glued on the airframe. Any touching up with the gloss Blue is
dead last.
What makes this build more important than Scott’s earlier piece, is that this ‘Special” edition kit came with a complete warehouse of weapons for all those hard-points. Gosh darn it, this dang plane was designed to carry everything but the toilet bowl and then some, all at once! But I physically didn’t have the patience to make every rocket, depth charge, missile, and torpedo. Suffice enough to say that with all the tiny pieces involved in making just one torpedo, and the sanding and fitting, the cutting and sanding, the swearing and cutting, I only made one torpedo. End of subject. Besides, this review was 3 months late the way it was.
Now, stand back and say, “my, what a nice Tail Hook”. Another Able Mabel-1 hits the shelf. It’s not a difficult kit to make, and the photo etching was a superb touch, if I only knew where everything went. The Weapons package is a nice touch, but needs plenty of work to put them together, something an after market resin set might take care of in the future.
|
CONCLUSIONS |
It
comes down to a nice molded kit of a long over-looked subject, using low
pressure injection technology equals a task for someone with many hours to kill.
Fun-O-Meter is steady at a 4 out of 10, the skill level is a 7 out of 10, and
the enjoyment level turned in a respectable 6 out of, you guessed it, a 10.
Kinda like taking a multiple-choice exam, huh? Thanks to Siga and Scott for
letting me bumble through this nice little kit!
Note: Not responsible for the clipped spinner; it came like that...really! ed
Copyright ModelingMadness.com
If you would like your product reviewed fairly and fairly quickly, please contact the editor or see other details in the Note to Contributors.