Build Review -Revell Germany Vought Corsair A-7E

Took around 30 hours to complete. This kit which as far as I know, is a re-box of the well-known Hasegawa 1/48 Vought Corsair A7E is a very decent kit for an out-of-box build -in my humble opinion- I just wished for a more detailed ejection seat with molded-in seat belts. But because I was not willing to put more money into this kit in aftermarket parts, I decided instead to use the pilot and cover up the lack of detail.

The cockpit comes with good detail and you can either dry brush or use the provided decals, I went for the latter. The kit includes a nice set of water slide decals featuring markings for the Golden Dragon VA-192 USS Kitty Hawk Carrier CVW-11 US, Navy 1971, and also markings for VA-46 ”Clansmen” Carrier Air Wing CVW-3 USS John F Kennedy Navy Operation Desert Storm, Persian Gulf 1991.

Revell can actually fit two models in this oversized box. I wonder if they are trying to justify their price tag with the box because I’ve done Revell Models as good as this one –F-18 Hornet comes to mind- in the $20+ range. The kit comes very clean with crisp molding and no flash whatsoever found. Overall fit is very good, love the fact that parts are provided should the modeler wish to assemble the aircraft with folded wings.

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My complaints are the usual, Revell should provide paint equivalents and include Tamiya and Testors Model Master colors. I know they want to sell their paints, but hey, where can I find those paints in America? Might be next to impossible to update all those instructions, but hey, here is an idea. Why not have those color conversions at Revell.com? The other rant comes from the lack of ordinance and pylon identification. I know what an AIM-9 Sidewinder is, but how about those who don’t? I have added a bit of a menacing look to my A-7E Corsair by adding an MK-117 bomb I bashed from the F-8J Crusader Fire Power Series from Lindberg Models.

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Colors:
The Clansmen A-7E calls for Light Ghost Gray FS36375, and Tamiya Gloss White X-2 was used for the wheel and avionic wells. Also, Acryl Chromate Yellow (4851) was used for the small avionics wells. The model was washed with artist oils thinned with mineral spirit after a double coat of Model Master Acryl Clear Gloss. 1st, the model was coated with Acryl clear gloss, and decals were placed. Once the decals were in place, the second coat of acryl clear gloss was added only to the decals.

The reason to use the second coat only over the decals is to avoid ”flooding” small rivet details and panel lines which could have a not too good outcome when the wash is applied. In short, there will be no surface for the pigments to hold on to. Other than the artist oil wash, the model was post-shaded using the often overlooked Tamiya Smoke X-19. Tamiya X-19 was also used inside the wheel wells and landing gear thinned about 10:1 with spring water.

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Lastly, the model was sealed with a single coat of Model Master Acryl Clar Flat. So as you can see, I’m an acrylic guy. If I can achieve the same results of enamel, why go thru the smell, the mess, and the longer drying time?

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

This kit is highly recommended!

Well, as I have mentioned before, I use artistic license when building my models, here it is for you to enjoy. Drop any questions or comments below. Thanks a lot for taking the time. I really hope you like it.

Author: George Collazo

George has been hosting review sites and blogging about toy collectibles, travel, digital photography and Nikon digital imaging since 1998. His first model kit build was a Testors 1/35 DODGE WC-54 in 1984.

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