MisterCraft MCD26 1:72 Scale Gloster Javelin FAW Mk.7 Model

I wasn't expecting much for the price but I have to say I was impressed by this one.Javelins are thin on the ground (I really wanted the 1/48 Airfix but I'm not paying the ludicrous 2ndhand market prices) so I thought I'd give this a try.Glad I did.

Nice little kit, bit heavy n thicker then most. But still looks more fun build than just add glue n paint and finished in minutes. This will take time but will be worth it.

I already have the Heller/Airfix one made up in the display cabinet. I also have the Airfix 1/48 big one waiting to be made one day if we move to a larger home. And as it so happened I have a spare set of decals for a 1/72 Javelin. This seemed a really cheap and simple kit (not with dozens of tiny decals) that would be a fun uncomplicated build just like when I was young in the 1980s. Just thrown it away ~ oh the disappointment. I knew this was ye olde mould from yesteryear, but that did not prepare me for what is in the box. The pieces are heavy and thick, in fact the whole aircraft would weigh the same as two 1/48 Spitfires! The wings attach strongly and at the right dihedral, good. Unfortunately there were trenches where the wing attached to the fuselage, the same is said of the tail, big gap. Okay, I can fill those in. At one point I was going to buy some more "filler" because I knew I would need more. I had to scrap away plastic for the tail and rudder to have them fit more or less correctly without "big" gaps. Then came the pylons. Attaching them to the wing had them point upwards at a steep angle. Having just scrapped away the excess plastic around the joins of the wings, tail, and fuselage, this was too much. Yes it is a model of the two gun FAW.7 (do not use the refuel tube), and it has engraved panel lines, but life was getting too short. After so many kits that seem to contain more parts than the real thing, and have dozens and dozens of microscopic decals, this kit was going to be fun - I really wish it was....

I'm unsure who did the original mouldset for this (Frog, perhaps?) but thiskit totally shows its age. Don't hold high hopes for an easy build of this one:it was need of lots of cutting, sanding and filling!As far as production goes, it must have been so easy to inject the plastic,as the parts are tethered to the sprue by some gargantuan channels,which prove annoyingly inconvenient/difficult to remove.If the example I bought is anything to go by, you'd best source some after-market decals as the ones shipped with the kit are really thin andbrittle and self-destructed when I tried to apply them.I gave up at the 'decal' stage...That said, It's cheap as chips and if you put in time (lots) and effort (lots & lots)it builds into a quite substantial kit!

I'm in the process of assembling it. There are a few niggles, but nothing too painful / difficult yet

This seems to be an old frog kit with some re-tooling and for the price you can't really fault it, given the rarity of the subject in this scale. The panel lines are mostly recessed and a trifle deep but a couple of primer coats will reduce the impact somewhat. It went together reasonably well and is more of a starter kit than a 'display' model, but it filled a few hours and honed a few skills not needed on most modern issues

delivered quick,nice kit,only wish it was bigger,well pleased

Makes a nice little model,but takes patients