Ok, folks...I picked mine up today and (through the drooling) have spent a short bit of time looking it over. As I type, I have both my Revell and Trumpeter kits splayed out on my bed...here's what I think:
1) Yes - the Trumpeter kit wins. But it's not without faults - the most notable being the overdone fabric areas that I've read about elswhere. As suggested, some sanding will cure them.2) All of the flying surfaces, including he flaps and wingfolds, are hinged using etched parts and brass rod. One of the more challenging things in the instruction is how they want you to secure the hinge plates by upsetting the ends of a VERY short length of brass rod...this is a metalsmithing technique that I'm not even sure I want to emply my jewelers skills on for a model...we'll see. I may opt for tiny brass nuts and bolts instead - they'd look great.
3) While the tail wheel and arrestng hook are both retractable and articulated (including the actuation cylinder for the hook) the main gear are fixed in place...sort of strange engineering, IMO. One nice thing about the mains is that the way they go together you can set the amount of compression in the oleos if you care to.4) Clear cowling...ok...and yes, the cowl flaps do look a bit "toothy", but so do the ones on the Revell kit. I plan to dress them up, anyway.
5) Decals - one of the included schemes is for a bona-fide CAF plane!6) The cockpit looks great - I plan to use the Eduard set I bought for my Revell one unless Eduard does one specifically for this kit, but for the most part the Trumpeter cockpit is a HUGE improvement over the Revell kit.
7) The kit engine looks great - a bit of wiring and home made extras will easily dress it up into something fine.So...what do I do with my Revell kit now?..funny, but I'm not quite ready to dump it...I mean, I must have $120 worth of aftermarket goodies in that Revell box. Oh...wait...I can move them to the Trumpeter box...guess I'm gonna build a Trumpeter Birdcage Corsair. And it's gonna look GOOD!
Keep 'em coming, Trumpter.