Scale: 1/144 - about 8"/ 20cm long assembled

Parts: 24 resin + base and brass tube

Instructions: 5 pages (text & photos) + marking guide

Decals: 1 sheet, ALPS-printed waterslide

Molding Quality: 9 - no defects and only small mold seams

Detail: 8 - raised bumps & engraved lines -

Accuracy: 9+ - looks dead on to me

MSRP: $65.00 US + shipping, available from Federation Models

Overall Rating: 9+ - great subject, great kit.

What You Get

Inside the sturdy box with the attractive artwork are a hollow cast fuselage, 23 other parts in a zip-lock bag, resin base, decals and instruction pamphlet.

The model itself consists of the fuselage, flying surfaces, intakes, landing gear doors and three four-piece engines. Detail on the parts consists of engraved lines (some quite thin and fine) and raised "bumps". The engines borrow heavily from the Revell-Monogram Starfury kit .... which is only fitting, as the actual CGI model did as well. Open landing gear wells are provided, along with gear doors. The wells are featureless, so it's a good thing they'll be covered up by the doors (a set of metal landing gear will be offered separately at a later date). Casting quality is top notch; there were no pits, buggles or other casting flaws in my sample, and only the barest mold seams apparent on any of the pieces.

Decals, printed by JTGraphics, are of the ALPS-printed waterslide variety. Markings are included for a Presidential transport, as well as three sets of EA flashes and three different serial numbers/ tail codes. The fonts all look correct; the Presidential Seal decals are far better than those that came with the Starfury kit. My only nit is with the EA flashes - as I recall, the top of the "A" should not show (i.e., there should be no bump across the top of the "E"). That's the way it is with Starfuries, anyway. Regardless, it's a 1/2 second job with an eXacto blade to remove it, so no worries there. There are no stripes provided for the markings on upper fuselage and flying surfaces; those will have to be masked and painted.

Instructions are very nicely done - I wish all kits had something this comprehensive. The consist of general assembly tips, parts list, 9 detailed assembly steps, and a paint and marking guide. Each step in the assembly process is clearly illustrated with b/w photos of a kit being constructed.

Assembly and Finish

Is It Worth It?

All-in-all, this appears to be an excellent kit, one that can be built by novice or expert just as easily. Given the quality of the moldings, the size of the completed model, and the fact the fuselage is roto-cast, $65 is not an exhorbiant price. Recommended!