Summary and tips
Having now finished this build it has certainly had its ups and downs but, when finished I have to say that I’m pleased with the end result, especially the weathering. Almost inevitably, I think the model looks better than it does in the finished photos you’ll find here, despite some hard work on my part I can assure you, but you should be able to see the model sufficiently to make a judgement about how it’s turned out.
I did enjoy the process and most of the build, except the correction work I needed to carry out because something didn’t line up properly fairly early on in the project, meaning that the fit of the fuselage side panels and canopy were affected. I still can’t for the life of me see what I could have done differently, everything seemed to be in its correct location hole, slot, pin or tab. My strong advice to you is check ahead, as far as you can with dry-fitting to make sure all will go together as intended.
A big plus, must be the subject matter – how different is that? I hadn’t really realised the J7-W1 existed before ZM released this kit! The quality of the moulding is very high, with good levels of detail across the board. Where there are problems, like the prominent ejector pin marks on the inner faces of the flaps for example, you can minimise these by bending the flap locating tabs so that they appear just cracked open, rather than fully deployed. If you want the latter option, just take your time cleaning and sanding the circular moulds off each part.
You can remove the upper engine bay cover and display the detail and that’s probably a good idea after all your hard work, at least the underside of the engine can be seen through the main gear bay openings. As for finishing your model with gun bay doors open, that seemed to me less inviting as you would need to add further detail to make this area look convincing and the graceful lines of the fuselage would be lost – but this is just personal preference.
On balance, what you can see of the generally hugely detailed interior makes all the work worthwhile, especially the cockpit and engine.
Geoff C.
SMN Quick summary Star rating out of 5
| FEATURE | STAR RATING |
|---|---|
| Quality of moulding | **** |
| Accuracy | **** |
| Instructions | **** |
| Decals | **** |
| Subject choice | **** |
| Build Enjoyment | *** |
| Overall | **** |
Gallery
Below are a series of images of the completed model. Click on a thumbnail to see the enlarged image.
