I did cut open the sticker under Rochelle for the stand.
The stands give a nice nose-up attitude and could be modified for other use, which is probably what will happen with mine over time.
These are "good" kits, when you accept what they are - snap-tite & stickers. I have noted several times the detail on the kits, so they didn't skimp there, the engineering of the snap-tite stuff, and the over-all fit of things.
The kit boxes say not recommended under 3 but the parts are so small it would be silly to even suggest a 3-yr old, even under 6.
I'd say 6-7 is OK with parental help and 8-9 might be the lower range for solo, with supervision. There are small parts, motor skills are necessary. In several cases you have to manage several parts at once. Some strength is required snapping certain items, and some gentleness in other places to prevent snapping other parts. The stickers stick and can be almost impossible to reposition if put down firmly. For the purists in the crowd, and I know you are out there, some stickers overlap control surfaces and should be scored appropriately. Instructions are OK, but could some sequencing - "put this on before that". Fit is tight and one needs to carefully test so you can pull something apart and either open a hole or sand a pin/shaft down a bit - but not so much it looses tight-fit and you need glue. Do the fuselage/wings first, then the stickers, then add the gear, etc -- prevents unnecessary & unneeded damage.
But, you can have some fun with these - as some of you have noted, your kids want them. You get a little card with each one giving maneuver costs and there is some sort of board game available, so you can play after.
And as an adult, you just might want to do a little AMS-y thing on some of them -- some glue, some seam filling/sanding, replace stickers with paint, different schemes, etc .... If you were to do that, even a single one might make a good Blitz subject - they have as many parts, if not more, as some I've seen over the years.
I do wish they would do a few more - Bulldog, an English-theme DH.88, in particular. Also interesting would be Ned/Zed, Ishani, Leadbottom (biplane), and some of the cars (Brent Mushtangburger) and support equipment like forklifts, tugs, etc. Again, they'd be fun do do as "real models", glue & paint ....
Well, that's probably it for me and this Blitzbau, much of this month is tied up in other things and I probably couldn't have carved out one of my traditional "real days" to do something complex. I did enjoy these - SWMBO & I sat in the living room watching basketball, no fear of glue or paint spill, no pressure - I needed this, frankly.
Thanks for your support !!!
