If Cartman was a model
builder he would agree with this company name as these
kits are indeed "Sweet". This is a tiny model,
the wingspan being just under 3 inches, yet the detail
and finesse of the mouldings have to be seen to be believed,
rivalling and even surpassing that of many larger scale
kits.
I added an instrument panel,
control stick, seat belts, a bit of detail to the cockpit
sides and a pitot made from brass rod but other than that
it's straight out of the plastic bag. No filler was used,
only a touch of Mr. Surfacer 1000 here and there but the
fit was so good even that was probably overkill.
The Cartograf decals lived
up to their reputation; thin, good registration and colour
density and they settled down beautifully into the panel
lines with a bit of Micro Sol. Only one marking option
is included, that of Saburo Sakai's aircraft.
Paint is Testors Metalizer
Aluminium and Humbrol 19 Red, darkened a bit to match
the decals. There is controversy over whether Claudes
were bare metal, painted Aluminium or had a varnish overcoat.
I opted for the bare metal finish but being a naval aircraft
it could well have been painted or varnished. We'll probably
never know for sure.
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