Scale: 1/32
Manufacturer: Airshow Models, www.airshowmodels.com
Price: $85
Comments: Multimedia, 38 parts (14 resin, 8 cast brass, 6 white-metal, 8 photoetched metal, 2 vacuum-formed canopies), decals
Pros: Something different – an aerobatic airplane, good detail, sturdy construction, beautiful decals, good canopy
Cons: Multimedia construction requires several glues, and parts must be primed, large decals can be difficult to apply
I enjoyed the exciting aerobatic performances of the famed three-plane Eagle aerobatic team several times at the annual EAA convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It flew Christen Eagle Is, a single-seat version of the Christen Eagle II, from 1979 until the team retired nearly 20 years later. The Christen Eagle II is a small, nimble, colorful two-seat aerobatic biplane. The aircraft was designed by Frank Christensen and marketed as a home-built experimental aircraft kit.
This 1/32 scale model kit is the first of a series of aerobatic aircraft that Airshow Models says it plans to produce. Plans include the Pitts S2B, Pitts S2S, and a modification kit to produce the Team Eagle I from the Eagle II kit.
This is truly a multimedia kit – a mixture of resin and metal with a pair of fine vacuum-formed canopies (one is a spare). The extensive decal sheets allow you to model the full-feather scheme or the tapered-feather scheme.
The excellent eight-page instructions feature numerous small color photos and a common-sense assembly sequence. However, no three- or four-view drawings are included, so the exact location of parts such as the aileron drive arms isn’t clear. Following the construction sequence exactly as in the instructions is highly recommended.
All the resin parts must be cut from their molding blocks and cleaned. Filing and test fitting is necessary to get a good union of the one-piece lower wing to the fuselage. I filled small defects with Squadron White Putty, which adhered well to the resin and sanded easily.
External and internal details are well executed. The fuselage, engine cowl, horizontal stabilizers, and rudder must be fastened with five-minute epoxy. The landing-gear struts and wheel pants should be glued on after careful test fitting. You must work quickly and make sure alignment is correct.
The cockpit interior can be added at any time through the large opening. Airshow cast the seat belts into the seats. The instrument panel consists of a decal placed behind a perforated resin panel. I thought the panel was too thick, so I sanded the back side until it was thin enough for scale. Airshow’s attention to detail included little “Experimental” decals that go inside the cockpit.
The vacuum-formed canopy must be carefully cut out and test fitted to the fuselage.
I primed the entire model with Testor Acryl gloss white, and after allowing it to cure for a couple of days, I applied the decals. The markings are beautifully printed by Microscale. If you choose the tapered-feather scheme, as I did, watch out – the fuselage design has to work around the horizontal stabilizers. It’s probably easier to mount the stabilizers after decaling.
Perhaps the trickiest part of the project is attaching the three brass V-shaped cabane struts to the white-metal fairing on the underside of the top wing. I used super glue here, then when all was aligned, I added the interplane struts with epoxy.
The photoetched metal rigging wires are a nice touch but require some patience and effort to get the landing and flying wires and braces properly aligned.
My reward for all this effort is a handsome colorful replica of a famous aerobatic biplane. Even though the kit is 1/32 scale, it is smaller than many 1/48 scale World War II fighters. I spent a little more than 40 hours to build it and recommend it for modelers with multimedia kit experience.