Manufacturer: AA (China), available from International Hobby Supply, P.O. Box 426, Woodland Hills, CA 91365, 818-886-0423.
Kit: No. A-001
Scale: 1/48
Price: $24.98
Comments: Injection molded, 93 parts, decals.
Pros: Interesting subject, good exterior detail, good selection of external stores.
Cons: Poor fit in spots, vague and incomplete instructions, poor cockpit interior, assembly sequence odd in places, decals missing crucial markings, outline inaccuracies.

A twin-engine derivative of the prolific MiG-21 series, the Shenyang F-8II “Finback B” – originally designated J-8II – serves in small numbers as an interceptor with China’s Peoples’ Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). Decade-long attempts to export the design have proven fruitless.

A new Chinese manufacturer, AA, recently released a slew of 1/48 PLAAF jets, among them this “Finback B.” Of the parts provided, two comprise a clear plastic stand and 48 appear to be a standard weapons selection common to other AA models. All sport fine, recessed scribing, minimal flash and – with few notable exceptions – generally good fit. In fact, the oversized locating devices secure the parts so well that many larger components go together in “snap-tight” fashion.

For those wishing to cover the kit’s rather featureless exhaust areas, AA even provides afterburner can covers – but no intake shrouds. Gimmicky touches include a hinged canopy section and positionable MiG-23-style ventral fin.

Beneath the clear parts lies a basic interior with problems. The floorboard section of the cockpit tub is offset to port, resulting in a corresponding misalignment of the squat-looking ejection seat. The control column is literally several scale inches thick, and the entire cockpit is clearly too shallow. Experienced enthusiasts may want to replace the interior with aftermarket MiG-21 components.

Don’t toss the tube of cement AA provides. I suspect that the kit plastic is ABS – not typical styrene. Easy to cut and sand, it nevertheless failed to bond securely with Testor liquid and tube cement. AA’s tube glue worked well, but there wasn’t enough. I ended up using Ambroid Pro Weld liquid cement and super glue.

Correcting blemishes in the moldings will slow construction. Scribing is occasionally irregular and mis-aligned. I sanded and polished the plastic’s fine, pebbly finish, and filled assorted dimples and dents. The ejector pin marks on landing gear wheels and doors proved especially difficult to fix. While you’re at it, consider thinning the kit intakes and exhausts, and the disproportionately thick wing and stabilizer trailing edges for better scale appearance.

AA’s vague and incomplete 11-step instructions fail to include critical items such as the instrument panel, control stick, and inner main gear doors. It also suggests installing the cockpit subassembly after mating the fuselage halves – an impossible task – and it recommends attaching the main gear struts before cementing the wings to the fuselage, rendering alignment equally impossible. Instead, lightly glue the cockpit tub and nose wheel well to the starboard fuselage, then dry-fit both fuselage parts and center the tack-glued components. When positioned correctly, secure with additional cement and add the remaining interior parts. Add the landing gear after joining the fuselage and wing subassemblies to ensure alignment.

AA’s pylons lack proper aerodynamic cross-section. And since their dorsal mating surfaces don’t match lower wing contours, the fit is poor. Major transverse sink marks are on the leading edges of both lower wing halves. Instructions also call for each pylon’s ordnance attachment points to be trapped between the stores they carry – unnecessarily complicating construction. Just trim back the locating pegs and attach AA’s weapons selection after painting. Don’t add the small empennage ram intakes (parts C25) until you’ve metallized the exhaust area: they should be painted light gray.

Aside from initial problems with adhesives and molding flaws, construction posed few difficulties. Parts fit at intake and fin junctures proved tricky, but the majority of remaining components went together well.

AA’s “Finback” suffers outline problems. According to dimensions in Air Force Magazine, the kit is a scale foot short in span and length. The “coke bottle” appearance of engine intakes isn’t pronounced enough, the canopy shape is inaccurate, and the oversized nose gear rides too high.

Using Polly Scale shades matched to photos in Aviation Week and World Air Power Journal issues, I finished my kit in the overall pale-gray scheme. Though slightly off-register and translucent, kit decals went on well. Unfortunately, AA provides only four undersized national insignia – not the required six. My spares box also failed to yield correctly styled serials to replace the manufacturer’s inaccurate “rounded” codes. So my model awaits lower wing markings and nose numbers.

The assembly glitches dampened my enjoyment of AA’s F-8II. Construction consumed 20 hours – longer than I expected, despite the rather plain paint job. Experienced modelers can easily handle this one. But novices – and MiG-21 purists – won’t enjoy it.

David L. Veres