Sometimes the easiest way to get a new kit to be released is to start on the older, not quite so good one. Thus was the case here.
I decided to use the Trumpeter kit over the Hobbycraft kit because I thought its fit would be better, and I liked the surface detail on the Trumpeter kit. While both kits had their warts. both would look like a Sea Fury to the average viewer, as long as they didn’t have their IPMS Membership card in their pocket. 🙂 (Please, please, have a sense of humor about that…)
I also had some nice resin parts, that while meant for the Hobbycraft kit, appeared to be adaptable to Trumpy’s plastic.
So of course, once I was well into the build, Airfix announced they’d be releasing a Sea Fury later in 2017. That’s about the fourth time in 10 years that’s happened to me. Start an older, not quite so up to date kit. Suddenly a new one is announced.
You’re welcome, modeling world. 😉
Anyway… the Trumpeter kit isn’t bad, really, even for an out of the box build. The main criticism’s I’ve read had been over the cowl and spinner shape, the fuselage just aft of the cockpit opening, a somewhat silly cockpit, and extra fuel tanks that are comically too large. Of course, these are what I’ve read. I didn’t personally research them, or even bother to ask the expert in the line for the nachos at the IPMS Nationals.
(I’m on my second cup of coffee… caffeinated. I usually drink decaf… so the snarkiness is not my fault, but the caffeine’s. Really…)
I used the following aftermarket parts for this build
- Aries cockpit
- An Ultracast Typhoon seat
- Resin spinner and prop blades (not sure of the manufacturer)
- Resin wheel well
- Resin wheels ((not sure of the manufacturer))
- Metal main gear struts (not sure of the manufacturer)
Construction presented no problems, overall. The Aries cockpit fit about as well as a resin cockpit will fit- only a little sanding and paratrooper words were required to get it fitted correctly. Fuselage fit was excellent. The wheel well fit OK… it took a lot of super glue to wrangle it into submission. The wing to fuselage fit was excellent.
The dangly bits weren’t much of an issue. I’ve never understood the appeal of white metal landing gear struts. I’ve used several brands, and except in the case of the kit manufacturer really just phoning in the kit struts do the metal ones present much of an improvement. For this Sea Fury, the Trumpy struts were shorter than the metal ones. I don’t know which was correct, but the request was for the metal struts. So metal it is.
The paint was easy enough- Tamiya XF-21 on the lowers and sides, XF-24 on the top. A little shading and fading with the airbrush, some Ammo by Mig panel line washes, and Aeromaster decals finished off the build.
If you are particular about shape and detail, you might want to wait for the Airfix kit. Otherwise, even without resin additions, it’s not a bad kit at all. As long as you don’t let that guy from the nacho line see it, you’ll be happy with it on your shelf.
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