Revell Germany 1/32 scale ASK 21 Glider

Kit: No. 04224
Scale: 1/32
Manufacturer: Revell Germany, 49-05-223-965-0, www.revell.de
Price: N/A
Comments: Injection-molded, 60 parts, decals
Pros: Quick build, different subject matter, excellent fit, good cockpit detail, decal options
Cons: Damaged clear parts, paint recommendations aren't helpful

At first glance, releasing a 1/32 scale glider kit seems a bit off of the beaten path for Revell Germany, however the ASK-21 is an extremely popular training and sport sailplane and has been in widespread service since 1979, the longest continuous production of a fiberglass training glider.

Revell has provided nine options on the huge decal sheet, including Swiss, French, and German civilian options, as well as U.S. Air Force Academy, Belgian, and Royal Air Force military schemes. You can have your ASK-21 painted nearly any way you want ... as long as it's white.

The cockpit interior uses up 30 of the kit's 60 parts. Detail, in general, is well- done and accurate according to my research on the Web. Curiously, Revell shows two options on the finishing instructions that do not have the streamlined fairing over the main wheel, however there is no easy way to remove this fairing without scratchbuilding the entire main-gear mounts.

The paint call-outs in the instructions refer to Revell paints, which are not readily available in the United States. No FS numbers or other cross-references are given, so I had to determine what shade "moss green" is. I found good color photos on the Web for reference.

I had to trim the interior slightly to get a good fit. The canopies and wheels are designed to move and are easy to install. I only added the canopy mounts, leaving addition of the clear parts until the final step. The front canopy on my sample had been ripped off the sprue, causing an ugly divot on the canopy rim. Even though the front canopy fit was nearly perfect before gluing the fuselage together, I could not get it to close properly after assembly. I suspect I accidentally distorted the nose in an effort to get the interior to fit. The rear canopy fit was perfect. The instrument panel decals fit accurately over the raised details, and they look great.

After the parts-intensive cockpit, assembly of the rest of the kit was smooth sailing. The only difficult seams to fill are at the rear of the wing undersides out to the ailerons, which Revell highlights in the instructions. I didn't need any filler anywhere else thanks to the accurate molding. The wings have an interlocking spar arrangement strong enough to allow the wings to be disassembled just like a real glider.

After sanding, I applied Mr. Surfacer 1000 as a final finish to the seams. This was lightly sanded, and then the whole airframe was primed in Alclad gray primer followed by Testor classic white. I chose the Swiss scheme for its colorful red trim. All decals went down easily over the gloss surface, but I used plenty of water, as they liked to grab the surface quickly and resisted position adjustments. Setting solution was needed only on the rudder stripe.

Revell's glider is an impressive kit of a modern glider. It's a nice change of pace - no engine or wheel-well details to worry about! If you aren't afraid of applying gloss-white paint and have the shelf space for the 20" wingspan, you'll enjoy the experience.

- Chuck Davis