Trumpeter 1/32 scale A-7E Corsair II

Kit: No. 02231
Scale: 1/32
Manufacturer: Trumpeter, from Stevens International, 856-435-1500, www.stevenshobby.com
Price: $139.95
Comments: Injection-molded, 673 parts (19 photoetched, 6 cast-metal, 4 vinyl, 1 photo film), decals
Pros: Good detail overall, huge ordnance selection, wing fold options, posable speed brake, flaps, elevators, rudder, and ailerons
Cons: Canopy and bottom of intake is too flat, gun is invisible when installed, incorrect seat details, instrument faces too small

The first injection-molded 1/32 scale A-7 comes in a jam-packed box of 20 sprues with a photoetched-metal detail fret, vinyl tires, optional cast-metal landing- gear struts, and comprehensive decals. Typical of Trumpeter's 1/32 scale kits, there are gobs of details, and also typical, some of them will be hidden from view on the assembled model. Separate panels are given to expose the electronics bays on both sides of the forward fuselage, but there are no openable panels for the provided M61 Vulcan cannon.

Cockpit detail is good. I like the photo film gauges but the gauge openings on the instrument panel are too small. Everything goes together well. The ejection seat looks like the proper SJU-8, but has a face-curtain pull ring that was not a feature of this seat.

Half of the sprues are dedicated to an array of ordnance and racks: Mk.82 "slick" and Snakeye, and M117 dumb bombs; GBU-8, GBU-10, and Walleye smart bombs; and AGM-45 Shrike, AGM-65 Maverick, AGM-12 Bullpup, AGM-84E SLAM-ER, AGM-88 HARM, and AIM-9D Sidewinder missiles. Don't panic, there's no way to hang all of it on the model. The selection indicates that a U.S. Air Force A-7D is coming, and perhaps a late-service A-7E kit.

The photoetched details include seat harness, HUD frame, step plates for the boarding ladder, and even little spinners for the bomb fuses. There's also a piece that lines the inside of the canopy, but my sample was bent, and two of the three rear-view mirrors were twisted off.

You are offered optional white-metal or plastic landing-gear struts; I chose the plastic ones. Two large sheets of decals offer markings for CAG birds from VA- 82 "Marauders" off the USS Nimitz in 1978 and VA-192 "Golden Dragons" off the USS Kitty Hawk in 1972.

Construction was without surprises, but most mold-parting seams had a hint of flash. Cleaning it off added several hours to my build time. Trumpeter has done away with the awkward metal control hinges and wires, settling on separate control surfaces that are glued in position. Some of the details for the electronics bays and wheel ways are molded separately.

You get a complete Vulcan cannon but you don't see any of it once you close the fuselage. The intake trunk fits, but seams and ejector-pin marks inside are difficult to clean up. The bottom of the intake should be more rounded.

The separate ventral speed brake can be positioned open only if you pose the model in flight with the gear up. The refueling probe is molded separately, but there's no provision for posing it in the deployed position.

The wing center section with its separated flaps and slats went together well, but the trailing-edge flaps bump into the fuselage when dropped. A little sanding on the inner edges will solve the problem. I left off the weapons pylons until final assembly. I had to fill and sand seams on the top of the fuselage at the leading and trailing edges of the wing assembly.

The outer wing panels have the option of being posed in the folded or extended position. The necessary hinges and pistons are provided, but many of the 12 tiny cable conduits (part No. C15) broke when I removed them from the sprue. I replaced them with bent pieces of .020" plastic rod. I was surprised with the strength of the assembled folded wings.

Aside from a single hydraulic pushrod, the raised canopy has no positive attachment points. The canopy and windscreen seem to flatten out, making them look too squat.

After painting, decaling went without a hitch. I loaded my A-7E with 12 Mk.82 slicks and six Mk.82 "Snakeye" bombs with fuse extenders, and two fuel tanks - a typical load for a late-Vietnam War machine.

It took 52 hours to complete my A-7E. It's a big model (18" long) with a lot of parts, so you should have some experience before building this kit.

- Larry Schramm