Nostalgic Plastic 1/72 YF-102A Delta Dagger

The Convair YF-102 Delta Dagger interceptor was a scaled-up version of the delta-wing XF-92A. The NACA High-Speed Flight Station received the YF-102 in 1954 and flew it 104 times over four years. The YF-102, with a delta wing similar to the XF-92A, faced major redesign work due to pitch-up problems. Research data from wing fences used on the XF-92A was applied to the design of the YF-102. The nose inlet was changed to two side mounted inlets and the canopy was redesigned.

Still, the plane would not break the sound barrier in level flight. This was later cured by extending the fuselage and applying 'area rule' to the fuselage with a pinched or 'coke bottle' shape starting with the 11th YF-102A. The prototypes were all used to test systems and the wrecked carcass of the first prototype (which crashed during its seventh flight in November 1953) was prominent in the opening sequences of the movie  'Towards the Unknown' with William Holden.

Molded by Anigrand Craftworks in Hong Kong, this second Nostalgic Plastic offering is all that we have come to expect from Anigrand. The overall molding is superb with just a few of the usual areas that need some additional work, typical of all these kits. The panel line detailing is excellent. In the past Anigrand molded kits had highly pronounced panel line detailing that was more like the trenches of older Matchbox kits. I'm glad to see this lighter touch. A nicely molded resin canopy is included. The framework is pronounced enough to make masking an easy task.

The cockpit is still rather basic with little more than an ejection seat. This seat as well as the landing gear seem to have come from the Hasegawa F-102A kit. At least the molding looks very familiar. My seat has a huge air pocket where the head rest should be so will need to be replaced with an aftermarket seat or one from the spares box. The wings, fin and intakes are keyed to provide positive alignment. A nice touch is that an early exhaust is provided if you wish to model one of the first two planes.

Instructions are two pages with a history, building notes and several photos of the model under construction. No exploded view or construction sequence is provided, but for a kit of this simplicity, nothing like that is really needed. The second page is photos and profiles/decal placement guide for all the prototypes. The sheet is nicely printed by J-Bot. It is an ALPS sheet and as such, is prone to scratching. My sample had several scratched areas due to contact with the sheet and something rough enough to mar it. It might be helpful if the sheet was protected in a plastic sleeve. Another option would be to have some waxed paper taped over it as I've seen in Hobby Boss kits. The instructions do recommend clear coating it prior to use and perhaps that should be done prior to shipping.

Overall, this is an excellent kit both for the beginning resin kit builder and those who are as enamored with prototype aircraft as am I. It is a very straight-forward kit offering no surprises and I'm sure it will be a delight to build.