The Little World

It is said that comparisons are odious – or in the case of British cinema chains, Odeons.

Be that as it may, I intend to contrast and compare the Airfix vintage classic kit of the Aichi Val dive bomber with the Fujimi example that I built earlier. The prices are rather similar, so it was just a matter of chance that I got to the Japanese kit before the British one.

This kit is of the rivet era; 1965. Airfix have presented the box art as before and restricted the decal choice to one scheme. The instructions are new-ish but not up to date.

Is there flash? Yes, Are there sinkholes? Yes. But is it a worse kit than the Fujimi ( a re-boxed Hasegawa )? No – and for a very good reason. The Fujimi kit tried to box too clever and provided alternate parts for two versions of the aircraft. The fuselage parts to do this were poor fits, and the model bore a great deal of filler as a consequence. It remains to be seen whether the Airfix product is better.

I note the provision of part-work clear canopy parts. This being the case, and seeing that Airfix have included fliers with the kit, I shall see if it can be modelled open.

To make a difference between the kits in the collection, I’ll use the extensive decal sheet from the Fujiumi kit to deck out the plane in a colourful green and yellow scheme.