Kit: 551253
Scale: 1/72
Manufacturer:: Italeri, from MRC, 732-225-2100, www.modelrectifier.com
Price: $30
Comments: Injection-molded, decals
Pros: Nicely engraved parts, complete interior
Cons: Many fit problems, sink marks mar parts

Based on the Lockheed Super 14 Electra Airliner, the Hudson served as a light bomber and costal reconnaissance aircraft. Italeri’s new kit is packaged in a somewhat flimsy box with nicely done artwork of the Hudson on it. The five gray and one clear sprues all were packed in one bag. Surface detail consisted of finely engraved lines. I was impressed with the transparent parts, they were quite thin, clear and had finely engraved window outlines. The kit comes with a complete interior, but the moldings are not as nice as the exterior parts, with many showing sink marks. All four of the engine pieces suffered from sink marks. The only construction option for the builder is to have the rear access door opened or closed but, the opening needs to be cut out. Nicely printed decals are included for five aircraft, two Mk.V’s from the Royal Air Force Coastal Command, a Mk.V from the Royal Canadian Air Force, and two Australian Mk.IVs.
I built only the cockpit and the bombardier station in the nose since the rest of the interior would not be visible in the completed model and I would not have to deal with fixing the sink marks on the poorly molded parts. The model suffers from all kinds of fit issues, with almost all of the seams on the fuselage needing filler. The rudders didn’t fit well, and it took some tweaking to get both of them aligned with the horizontal stabilizer. The main wings went together and mated to the fuselage OK aided by a small spar that is part of one of the interior bulkheads.
I had to do some filling and sanding to get the engine nacelles ready for mounting the engines and cowlings. The instructions warn the builder to sand down the circumference of the engines or they won’t fit into the cowls and I found that to be an understatement! I was frustrated by how the engines are attached to the wings. They are glued to the front of the nacelles and then the builder places the cowls over the engines. There is no indication of how deep the engines fit into the cowls. And then the intake and cooling air scoops have to be attached and they are dependent on the correct placement of the cowls in order to fit correctly on the nacelles. Planning and test fitting will make this phase of construction easier but it will still be challenging.
With the exception of the many side windows, I masked the clear parts with Bare Metal Foil. I elected to add the side windows after the construction was finished. I painted my Hudson with Model Master enamel using sky for the undersurfaces and British dark sea gray and British medium gray on the upper surfaces. I gave the model a sludge wash, and then gently wet sanded with 8000 and 12000 grit sanding pads. This gives the model a nice semi gloss finish and saves me from having to gloss coat prior to decaling. The decals had a very flat finish and went on the semi gloss finish perfectly with a little help from Mr. Mark Softer. I then sealed the decals with a coat of Model Master Flat. I wanted to add the side windows after construction but, none of them fit well so I elected to leave them off and used Micro Kristal-Kleer instead.
The finished model looks right, capturing the unique shape of the Hudson and it scales. I spent more than twice as much time as I would normally spend on a kit like this due to the many fit issues and at times, rather vague instructions. I would recommend this kit only to modelers with the skills to deal with the various fit and construction issues.
– Jon Hergenrother