New construction (Hasegawa Eurofighter, A Model Starship)

After struggling a bit with my two remaining single-seat Eurofighters from Revell, being rather disappointed with what I believe is mold deterioration in only a few years of releases, I decided to spent some money on a Hasegawa version. The differences are unbelievably stark. While the parts layout and building process is very similar - as you might expect - the engineering differences are miles apart. Everything so far on the Hasegawa kit has fit snugly and positively. Detail is good, though there is always scope for an aftermarket cockpit set if you are so inclined. I am really happy with the kit, and fear that I am now getting spoiled. I've still got planned another half dozen Eurofighters to handle all the commemorative markings and remaining RAF squadrons. At $38 per as opposed to $14, that runs up quite an extra bill. But the fit and buildability are super.

I've got the cockpit installed and the fuselage together. Next comes the completion of major assembly, primarily wings, intakes, and canards. The Hasegawa approach to the intakes looks the same as Revell's, but we'll see how much struggle the newer kit eliminates. More as this progresses.

Further down on the buildability scale, I've got the major bits together for the A Model Beech Starship. Now I love Rutan designs, and am (as always) appreciative that A Model has decided to bring this and the Avanti to styrene actuality. But be fair, no one is going to confuse Hasegawa and A Model engineering. There is a great deal more cleanup involved, and small bits are often difficult to even remove from the sprues, given that his is short run molding technology. Current A Model kits have evolved for the better over the years, but they still require more forethought and handling (and putty) than more mainstream kits. But bless em, I'd rather have to struggle with a Starship than have 10 flawless F-4s in my queue. And that's a fact.