My two Xtrakit Scimitar kits arrived today.
If you will indulge me, here are a few comments.
The kit is a typical short-run affair. It has no locating pins on wing and fuselage halves. There are some *huge* ejection pin stubs on the inside of wings and fuselage that will require removal before you can even think of dry-fitting parts together. There is a lot of flash, particularly around the fin and the nose undercarriage bay, which is almost closed up...
The port fuselage half has a scar running along most of its length. It looks as though the mould has been damaged.
There is no detail whatsoever in the main gear bays but there is little to be seen anyway because the gear doors are moulded closed. What little detail there is in the nose gear bay is exceptionally crude.
The cockpit is just about adequately detailed, but even with the canopy open (which is in two parts) there will be little to be seen.
The airbrakes are moulded closed and don't have the characteristic perforations.
The rear fuselage is too short. The rear of the fin should drop vertically below the fairing which houses the tailplanes. It doesn't. Instead it follows the line of the upper fin.
Speaking of the tailplanes, there are no locating holes. They will have to be drilled out.
The surface detail is a bit undefined in places, mostly around the cannon troughs (two of which are moulded plated over) and the multitude of scoops and vents.
There is no ordnance in the kit. There are four drop tanks.
There is only one nose option.
So... I've just given this kit a damn good slating. Or so it seems.
But let me say that I'm quite delighted with this kit. There is absolutely nothing in what I have said above that causes any major problems. So let me deal with the good points.
It's a Scimitar.
The scar on the fuselage can be sanded off and won't affect any of the detail. The shape issue at the rear is minor and will take about ten minutes to fix. The vents can be carved out and depended quite easily. The cannon troughs can be filed out just as easily. Although vents and cannon troughs are a bit softly defoined, the rest of the panel lines are nicely engraved.
Scimitars were usually parked with gear doors closed, so the lack of detail in the main gear bay isn't a problem.
It's a Scimitar.
Lack of ordnance? So what? If Hasegawa don't put ordnance in their kits, why should Xtrakit? :-D
The canopy is thin, in two parts and acceptably clear, although it will probably benefit from a bath in Future. The seat is resin and is quite beautiful.
There is a very interesting assembly in the intakes that I think is going to make that area look very convincing.
It's a Scimitar.
My initial comments my sound bad, but the issues are trivial. Besides, we're supposed to be modellers, aren't we? I like this kit. Xtrakit have been very kind to us recently, what with the Sea Vixen and now the Scimitar. What next? Javelin and Swift? (hint! hint!) :-D
Recommended.