The Little World

I am no great fan of ” what-if ” modelling. Much of it is speculative and not a little disturbing.

I see attitudes in the builders that are not supportable in real life. But I will admit aircraft and other items that were actually built to try to win government contracts. Even if they did not pass the prototype stage, they were real things that existed. Some flew until another manufacturer won the contract or the service contractor decided to re-write the specs and drop a project altogether.

This Boeing idea was to meet a Navy call for a long-distance fighter and attack aircraft. Big – able to carry considerable armament – it survived the war and was briefly considered by the US Air Force as well. Jets won out, however, so there were only three prototypes.

I got the kit at a swap meet – not a penny purchase, but economical enough to be worth taking home – it had showed up on sales tables before.

It’s pure Valom short-run, with resin, PE, and vacform as well as the injected parts. Mould polish is not too high, but the inscribed panel lines are done neatly. The fuselage moulding is heavy, and I have hopes that it will be free of warpage.. The landing gear and wheels are on the crude side, but this is no new phenomenon.

Instructions are basic but the decals look sharp. In any case there are no complex unit markings to trouble you – just a generic insignia set and some Boeing factory logos. The dark sea blue will be semi-gloss tending to gloss for this set of prototypes and this is easy enough with the regular paint suppliers. As long as you don’t worry about them not quite agreeing amongst themselves, you can be happy with any of the choices.