Ryan FR-1, 1/48 scale

Hi Troops:

The Ryan "Fireball" isn't a famous combat aircraft, only 66 built just at the end of W.W.II, but for anyone interested in Naval Aircraft it is an example of the first efforts of Carrier Aviation to cope with the new jet engine technology. "One turning and one burning"! The bird has been done in 1/48 only in vac-u-form up to now, so the new Czech Model release is very welcome to fans of U.S. Navy aircraft. Czech Model gets better with each release. The box contains 3 sprues of injection molded plastic parts, a bag of resin parts made by True Details, a sheet of decals and two vac-u-formed canopies. The resin bag includes the Wright R-1820 engine, wheel wells, cockpit parts and a few smaller details. Be warned that some of the smaller details in resin, like a set of control horns, will be a b---- to cut off the mold blocks without breaking. The plastic parts are cleanly molded and the engraved panel detail looks excellent, if a bit light in some places. Some panel lines might benefit from a pass with an Olfa P Cutter to make them a bit more prominent, but that would be dependent on what looks good to the Modeler. Decals cover one aircraft from VF-66 off the U.S.S. Ranger in

1945 and one from VF-1E off the U.S.S. Bairoko in 1946. Quality of printing is excellent, looks like Micro-Scale may have made the decals. The final touch was the inclusion of the Squadron "Mini In-Action" book on the FR-1/F2R series. Here is a nice reference package right in with the kit. The only other reference on the Ryan aircraft would be the Naval Fighters series from Steve Ginter. If U.S. Navy aircraft are your meat this is a nice addition to your collection. Czech Models cooperation with Squadron distributors is filling in a lot of the gaps in U.S. Naval aircraft. First the North American FJ-1, then Grumman's "Goose", then Douglas "Skynight" and now the "Fireball". Keep up the good work boys, how about a Grumman "Gosling" next??

Bill Shuey

Reply to
William H. Shuey
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Or a Curtiss XF15C...;)

Bill Banaszak, MFE

the guy with the unfinshed Pegasus FR-1

Reply to
Mad-Modeller

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