Valom 1/72 scale Blackburn Firebrand TF.Mk.2

Kit: No. 76006
Scale: 1/72
Manufacturer: Valom, available from
Squadron Mail Order, 972-242-8663,
www.squadron.com
Price: $39.98
Comments: Injection-molded, 83 parts
(4 resin, 36 photoetched, 2 vacuumformed)
Pros: Unusual subject, crisp and delicate
surface scribing, nice photoetched
detail parts
Cons: Poor wheels, sparse cockpit
detail, undersized seat, some oversimplified
detail, oversized cannon

My first impression of Valom's multimedia
kit was very good. The
medium-gray plastic parts are clean and
crisp with petite detail and minimal flash.
Two clear vacuum-formed canopies are
included. The resin and photoetched parts
are dedicated to the cockpit and torpedo.

The four-page pictogram instructions
are not clear about parts placement, and
they reveal little about cockpit detailing.
Decals are provided for one aircraft.

In the cockpit, the seat seems small,
but the photoetched belts hide this problem.
The control column is too long, and
the side consoles lack locators for the photoetched
levers. Although the photoetched
instrument panel face is nice, something
isn't right about its position. Maybe an
instrument panel glare shield is missing?
No gun sight is provided, and the remaining
details are oversimplified.

The resin torpedo needed a little clean
up, but the photoetched fin and props are
a nice touch. I added the simplified crutch
to the fuselage before painting. When you
add the torpedo, be sure to tilt its nose
down for correct ground clearance.

The fuselage assembly is straightforward
if you remember to slide the cockpit
into the fuselage from below before
attaching the wings.

You have to shim and tweak the fit of
the outer wing panels to establish the 5-
degree dihedral. Also, the wing and center
section trailing edges need to be thinned
from the inside.

I also had to shim, fill, and sand the fit
of the wing center section to the fuselage.
I left off the out-of-scale cannons and the
torpedo-drop camera (R1). I added aerodynamic
shrouds for the exhaust stacks
that were visible in photographs.

The main-gear struts are delicate, with
nice detail, but the retraction braces are
oversimplified and must be trimmed to
fit properly. There's no detail in the wells
or on the insides of the photoetched gear
doors. The tail wheel is incorrectly located
at the forward end of its well.

I used a combination of Xtracolor,
AeroMaster, and Testor paints to apply
the extra dark sea gray, dark slate gray, and
sky camouflage scheme. The instructions
incorrectly show the upper camouflage
wrapping around the leading edges when
it should be a sharp line on the center.

The decals are thin but slightly off register.
They have an incorrect letter style for
the "Royal Navy" and the serial number.
The yellow on fuselage roundels is translucent.
I replaced some markings with ones
from my spares box.

Finally, I added the
antenna, torpedo, replacements
for the poorly molded
main wheels, and a replacement
propeller. The kit prop
blades are _" too short.

This kit will be a challenge for
inexperienced builders due to minor
fit and alignment problems, and working
with small detail parts. I spent about
20 hours on it.

- Ross Whitaker