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Review by: Dave Coward
Our thanks to Model Wholesale UK (www.modelwholesaleuk.com) for the sample
Check out the full In-Progress Review (IPR) by Dave…coming very soon to a screen near you!
First thoughts on opening the box is there is a lot of plastic in here. The box contains 13 sprues of grey plastic and 1 clear which are all nicely moulded with little or no flash present and all ejector pin marks appear to be in hidden areas. The main fuselage halves are an impressive size which gives you an idea of how big the Hawkeye really is in real life. One point to note is the sprue attachment to the kit parts is rather substantial and care will need to be taken when removing them in order to prevent scaring to the plastic parts. Another initial observation is the panel lining is quite deep and may not be to everyone’s liking although the riveting on the wings and tail plane is nicely done. The rotadome comes in two pieces and has the option to rotate if you desire it to.
The transparencies are well moulded and clear with the main canopy produced as one piece with two separate top escape hatches.
The kit comes with the option of extended or folding wings and deployable flaps. If the wings are folded the wing blanks are well detailed and there are attachments included in the wing tips for attaching the wings to the tail plane.
Another nice touch is the fuselage entrance which opens up with the option for some nice internal detailing although the kit supplied blank has sufficient detail for most modellers.
The cockpit is quite basic but little will be seen through the windows so this should not be an issue but some seat belts would definitely improve things. The wheels and undercarriage are nicely detailed and a nice touch is that the wheels are all moulded with a flat area to give that weighted look to them.
A slightly disappointing part of the kit is the fact that it only caters for the older 4 blade propeller configuration and not the newer 8 blade NP2000 option. Also included in the kit but not mentioned in the instructions are two SATCOM aerials (E1 E2) and CEC under fuselage Antenna (B1). These cater for later E-2 Group II versions and the Hawkeye 2000 (HE2K).
Quote from ARC from a Hawkeye technician:
“On the E-2C Group II Nav Upgrade (which this model represents) the SATCOM is a simi-sphere that sits dead centre on top of the dome. On the E-2C Hawkeye 2000 the SATCOM antenna looks like a tall cone with a flat top. We call it the clown hat antenna. HE2K birds also have the CEC antenna fairing on the bottom and do not have a trailing wire antenna.
All VAW-112, 113, 115, 116, 117 are Group II Nav Upgrades. VAW-121, 123, 124, 126 are HE2K. VAW-120, the training squadron, operates a mixed bag of both. VAW-125 is the only Group II squadron on the east coast but they have Group II Nav Upgrades with the same mission computer and back end displays as a HE2K, they also have the clown hat antenna but no CEC.”
Kinetic produce two versions of this kit, the US Navy version (48013) and French Navy version (48015). The French Navy version has both French and US decals whereas the US one only has the US navy decals. The decals provided are for VAW-112 Golden Eagles 1995 and 4 Flotille French Navy. Both these aircraft are non SATCOM fitted Group II aircraft. They are all designed by Fightertown decals and produced by Cartograph. Rumour is Fightertown will be releasing further decals that will allow you to utilise the parts for the later E-2C and HE2K.
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Final thoughts on the kit are it is very well produced with lots of options on the sprues for later versions (even if they are not referred to in the instructions). A lot of thought has gone into it by Kinetic and this is reflected in both its accuracy and the quality of the moulding. It will make into an impressive rendition of the E-2 straight from the box but also has lots of possibilities for future versions and different markings both from the manufacture and after market retails.
Overall a great kit that is highly recommended
