Kit: No. 1021
Scale: 1/72
Manufacturer: Accurate Miniatures, 704-795-2345,
www.accurate-miniatures.com
Price: $22
Comments: Injection-molded, 43 parts (P-6E, 21; F4B-4, 22), decals
Pros: Easy build; excellent exterior detail; printed display bases
Cons: Soft plastic; flash; errors in marki
In its Air Combat Legends series, Accurate Miniatures has been reissuing some of the classic 1/72 scale Monogram aircraft kits in pairs. It’s great to see these little jewels again! First issued in the late 1960s, the Boeing F4B-4 and Curtiss P-6E Hawk (along with the Curtiss F11C-2) set the standard for small-scale biplane kits. Forty years later, no kit manufacturer has been able to match them for ease of assembly and molded-in detail.
The key feature is the cabane struts molded at the proper angles on the fuselage halves. This automatically establishes the correct position of the upper wing, leaving only the relatively easy installation of the interplane struts up to the modeler.
In the 1960s, interior detail was only suggested in airplane kits. These reissues are the same; they come with pilot figures that can be perched in the open cockpits, but no other detail. The instructions for both kits are retouched versions of Monogram’s originals as well, including the suggestion of cutting out the instrument panel, paper and all, from the decal sheet and placing it under the top deck of the fuselage of the F4B-4. However, the new decals (printed by Cartograf) don’t include the panel.
Assembly of each kit is simple (Accurate Miniatures labels them “e-z build”) except for the flash and soft plastic. I left the upper wing and interplane struts off each model until after painting. There are no rigging instructions per se, but each three-view drawing shows rigging installed. I couldn’t resist and drilled holes for monofilament line to model wing and tail braces.
The P-6E was built and painted according to the instructions, and the well-printed decals worked perfectly. As in the original, I had to paint the “snowy owl” talons on the landing-gear spats following the molded-in color demarcation lines. The three-view drawing shows radio antenna masts and wires, but no masts are provided in the kit.
The F4B-4 proved a bit more difficult to finish. In changing the markings from the original kit, errors were introduced. The aircraft shown in the period photo on the instructions is the No. 1 aircraft of VF-6. It should have a full red engine cowl, red fuselage band, and red chevron on the wing. The instructions direct you to paint the cowl red, but the decals for the band and chevron are printed black. Also, the fuselage band is too narrow, and the numbers as well as the underwing national insignia are too small. I used all the kit decals but substituted red stripe decal for the fuselage band and wing chevron.
I painted with Testors enamels and used Alclad II “Chrome” over Future on the bare-metal props. The printed cardboard display bases are a nice touch; PSP for the Army P-6E, a wood carrier deck for the Navy F4B-4.
It was great to see these old friends again. They make great introductory biplane kits, while the beautiful moldings will hold the interest of experts (who will be able to correct marking issues and may want to install interior detail).
– Paul Boyer