Review by Geoff Coughlin (May 2013)
Our thanks to Revell for supplying our review sample. Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit www.revell.eu or email ukbranch@revell.de
A little bit of inspiration and reference here…
The Revell Kit
This has always been a nice kit – well detailed, pretty accurate shape and decent level of options and is now available in ‘Tigermeet’ special markings; the kit being originally released by Revell back on 2000.
The grey sprues (including the clear one) feature recessed panel lines – looking restrained in this scale plus a look and feel of good quality moulding with parts crisp and sharp.
Box and contents
The Revell box artwork is usually impressive enough and that’s the case here – an image of a German aircraft in this special scheme climbing away looks suitably appetising.
Let’s go inside
The grey sprues are packaged well and no damage is apparent. Taking the main components first, they are well tooled, recessed panel line detail and having a quality feel, and not too heavy for the scale as I’ve said. No distortion was apparent and a dry fit of the upper/lower laterally-split fuselage promises a decent fit; the initial impression is one of a lot of detail parts that will go to make up an impressively large model in 1:72 scale.
Cockpit and interior
Decals are available on the decal sheet to add to the instrument panels in the cockpit, and, to be honest, I think this is perfectly acceptable in this scale. Raised detail is there too for the side panels and they are nicely moulded. The seat is quite well detailed and will add a fair bit to the eventual look.
Engine cans
These will look good under some Alclad2 metallic paint and a good opportunity to add some of their ‘Hot Metal’ colours in the process. The engine face is located suitably far down the jet exhaust to feel and look realistic.
Undercarriage units
Impressively detailed units are supplied that will be highly visible on your finished model – as is typical of the type. The hydraulic lines are moulded there too and some simple cleaning up should see them usable as is.
Stores
2 X HARM Missiles, 2 X AIM-9L AAMs, 2 X wing tanks plus other pods as you can see in the Gallery Grid photos – all perfectly acceptable in this scale.
Nose weight
Worth adding a little to make sure your Tiger doesn’t sit on its tail!
Clear parts
The clear parts look clear and the canopy / windscreen is provided as a two-piece moulding. The rear section also has the MDC moulded into it and this looks pretty restrained and that’s good in 1:72.
Instructions and decals
The decals look to be good quality:
• Tornado ECR 46+33 NATO Tigermeet 2011-12
Stencil detail is also provided and is almost always well worth adding, even in 1:72 scale to add additional interest to your completed model, but I suspect you’ll have your own views on this. All the colours are in register and colour density looks impressive and carrier film limited, so I wouldn’t expect any problems with application. The scheme is simply breathtaking and the sheet alone looks stunning. Looking at the manufacturer’s completed model (see attached photos) the decals will look great when carefully applied.
Conclusion
This is a good subject and will provide all modern military fans with an opportunity to expand their collection; especially if you like your aircraft colourful or are creating a collection of ‘Tigermeet’ aircraft. The inclusion of quite different colour schemes on Revell’s decal sheet is attractive and the model itself looks to be well engineered at first glance and from the dry/test-fit. Moulding is good and the panel detail perfectly reasonable for current 1:72 scale kits.
Recommended for all scale modellers.
Geoff C.
SMN Quick summary Star rating out of 5
| FEATURE | STAR RATING (out of five) |
|---|---|
| Quality of moulding | **** |
| Accuracy | **** |
| Instructions | *** |
| Decals | ***** |
| Subject choice | **** |
| Overall | **** |