Kit Reference: SH48117
Price around: €32.50; £29.27; $35.48USD; $46.86AUD
Review by Geoff Coughlin (October 2016)
Our thanks to Special Hobby for supplying our review sample – get this impressive looking kit here now at Special Hobby
We have a number of builds of Special Hobby aircraft kits in their pages in Aircraft-Finished Now and I’m keen that we cover more of their range in the coming months and years.
We missed the SH CAC CA-13 Boomerang the first time around and so this is a review of it second time around, although the kit might be new to you of course.
Main components first
You’ll see from the pics in the gallery here that the model has very precise, well moulded and recessed panel lines and these should look good under some nice weathering.
There is a little flash on some parts and one or two small sink marks and these are nothing to worry about and are easily fixed.
Here are some highlights:
• quality of the recessed detail
• fine moulding of small detailed parts
• inclusion of Photo Etch (PE) parts e.g. seat harness and small details
• bag of resin accessories for a detailed engine, exhaust outlets, cowl flaps, wheels/tyres and other small details.
Clear parts
The clear plastic parts are just that with no blemishes or defects apparent.
Decals
The decal sheet is well printed and colour good. Carrier film also looks minimal and these should all be very usable. Some nice subjects included too in order to make one of 7 different aircraft that flew with the RAAF in WWII.
Instructions
A neat all-colour instruction sheet is included that shows where everything needs to go. The Boomerang is quite straightforward in modelling terms and construction shouldn’t present any great problems. I haven’t read any of the on-line reviews (deliberately) so that I can bring you an unbiased opinion at this in-box review stage and then at the end of the build later on.
A little bit about the CAC CA-13 Boomerang
The CAC Boomerang was a fighter aircraft designed and manufactured in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation between 1942 and 1945. Approved for production shortly following the Empire of Japan’s entry into the Second World War, the Boomerang was rapidly designed to meet the urgent demands for fighter aircraft to equip the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The type holds the distinction of being the first combat aircraft to be both designed and constructed in Australia.
Different variants of the Boomerang were manufactured under a series of corresponding production contract numbers CA-12, CA-13, CA-14 and CA-19, the aircraft supplied under each subsequent contract would incorporate various modifications, typically aimed at improving the aircraft’s performance. The effectiveness of the Boomerang has been contested, the aircraft proving to be slower than contemporary fighter aircraft and thus rarely engaging in aerial combat.
During early wartime operations, the Boomerang was mainly dispatched to equip home-based squadrons, freeing up other fighters for use elsewhere overseas. In later service, the Boomerang would commonly be used for ground support duties, cooperating with Allied army units, in addition to secondary roles such as aerial reconnaissance and air sea rescue.
Here’s my SMN Summary
SMN Quick summary Star rating out of 5
| FEATURE | STAR RATING (out of five) |
|---|---|
| Quality of moulding | *** |
| Level of detail | **** |
| Accuracy | **** |
| Instructions | *** |
| Decals | **** |
| Subject choice | ***** |
| Overall | **** |