As promised here's a review of the Skale Wings AD-5W that I was lucky enough to acquire at Cosford last weekend.
For those not acquainted with this company, Skale Wings are based in Ukraine and their kits are distributed by Modelsvit. So far the Skyraider is the only kit they've produced but there is, apparently, an Israeli 2-seater F-16 in the pipeline. This one is a special edition kit with a wing-fold kit and what-if decals included. There is another edition with no wing fold and a separate wing fold kit available, assuming that you can get your hands on any of them of course.
First a quick tour around the box.
Distributor address:
Marking option 1:
Marking option 2:
Marking option 3:
Kit no. and "Vietnam Series" legend. So far it's a very short series
Compulsory safety info. (This is not edible/don't chop your fingers off etc.)
On opening the sturdy box you are faced with a well-stuffed zip seal bag of bits.
And with the parts squeezed out of the bag it's time for a look at the instructions. This is actually the first proper look at this kit that I've had a chance to take.
The instructions come in the form of a glossy A5 booklet with some colour illustrations. Paint schemes are on a separate sheet.
There are no real surprises in the instructions and construction looks quite conventional for a model of this type.
We start off with a parts map a la Hasegawa/Fujimi. There are an awful lot of parts crossed out which would seem to indicate that Skale Wings have designed this with future Skyraider variants in mind.
The marking sheet is very nicely printed and easy to understand. The main scheme, which is oddly listed in third place on the box is for a USS Forrestal aircraft (from VAW-12) and the reason why I was so pleased to get hold of this kit.
Colour callouts are in FS and Humbrol which will make cross-referencing to other manufacturers a doddle.
The other schemes are overleaf and include an aircraft from VAW-11 aboard the USS Kearsage and a "what if?" scheme for a Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force machine. Personally, I'm not overly keen on the WIF scheme and can't really see the appeal of it but I'm sure somebody will like it.
And here are the decals:
These are quite nicely printed and look to have good colour density and register. However, they're quite flat and have a fair bit of carrier film around them. Only application will tell how good they really are.
Now, on to the styrene.
There's quite a pile of it!
There are actually nine small sprues of light grey, fairly soft styrene. Detail isn't too bad although it is a little soft in places.
In no particular order:
Not bad detail on the fuselage halves although there is some minor variation in the panel lines and the styrene is a little grainy. Hopefully this won't present a problem while sanding. One good thing is that the sprue gates are quite small so should be quite easy to clean up.
Next sprue contains a big chunk of wing.
And some really nice wheel well detail on separate inserts.
The tops of the wings look equally good.
And why settle for one pair of wings when you can have two!
No, it's not some mythical biplane variant of the Skyraider . It's the parts you use if you prefer to have the wings folded. One thing to note here is that the holes for the pylons are all opened up and this is incorrect for the AEW Skyraider. Again this indicates that there are other variants planned but it's something that will have to be rectified with filler/styrene rod during the build.
Next we have the big radome and the fuel tanks. The tanks are all this aircraft carried underwing. There are no apparent issues with these.
The next sprue has a plethora of parts that are, for the most part unused in this variant.
And then we have another busy sprue but, this time, a worthwhile one as all these parts are required.
And although the kit is generally not too bad in this department there is a little flash evident here.
The final grey sprue contains cockpit and undercarriage door parts. This is the only sprue that I've spotted any sink marks on. Disappointing but sometimes inevitable. Also, the cockpit detail is a little sparse and could do with a bit of livening up. Seatbelts, at the very least, will be a must for this kit.
The clear parts:...
I have to admit, I've seen better. These will certainly benefit from a dip in Klear to help them along. One other issue is that they have very poor definition around the glazing which means that it's going to be a pig to mask for painting. I had hoped that there was a masking set in with the final item...
...unfortunately it's just a bit of yellow cardboard to back up the etched sprue with the wing fold detail. This is a lovely piece of etch and, in having it, I can't see how the builder wouldn't want to use it. I appear to have two sets in my kit. Not that I'm complaining
In conclusion, I'm not really sure where Skale Wings sit as far as kit production goes. This has some of the hallmarks of a limited run kit but there are some features that indicate a more mainstream approach to design and quality. Wherever they sit, this is a kit I'm glad to have and one that I'm very much looking forward to building.
Skale Wings AD-5W Skyraider.
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Skale Wings AD-5W Skyraider.
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Re: Skale Wings AD-5W Skyraider. Very Picture Heavy
Excellent In-Box Review, thank you !
John Ratzenberger
It's my model and I'll do what I want with it.
It's my model and I'll do what I want with it.
Re: Skale Wings AD-5W Skyraider. Very Picture Heavy
Very nice, indeed. I certainly hope it is mainstream, and becomes as easily had as ice cubes.
Re: Skale Wings AD-5W Skyraider. Very Picture Heavy
Nice. Now I want one. I have RN decals lined up for it already.
All the best
Greg.
All the best
Greg.
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe.
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.
Albert Einstein
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.
Albert Einstein
Re: Skale Wings AD-5W Skyraider.
Got a heads up from a friend on here that it's not the correct version for an RN bird. Ho well. Will still get one anyway.
All the best
Greg.
All the best
Greg.
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe.
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.
Albert Einstein
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.
Albert Einstein