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Grumman JRF Goose

 

Czech Model

S u m m a r y

Catalogue Number: CM4812
Scale: 1/48
Contents and Media: 63 parts in short-run injected grey styrene; 28 parts in cream-coloured resin; 12 part in injection-moulded clear plastic; decals for four aircraft.
Price: USD$44.97 from Squadron.com
Review Type: FirstLook
Advantages: Previously unavailable subject in 1/48 scale; high-quality plastic; injection-moulded clear parts are thin and free of distortion; cabin detail including passenger seats is supplied; good detail; crisply engraved surface features; well-cast resin parts; effective use of multi-media.
Disadvantages: No locating pins or tabs - "butt joins" for large parts; peculiar interpretation of blue on national markings
Recommendation: Recommended to modellers with some experience working with short run kits.

 

Reviewed by Brett Green


Czech Model's 1/48 scale Grumman Goose is available online from Squadron.com

 

FirstLook

 

Considering that the Grumman Goose was a widely-used military and civilian flying boat from the late 1930s, through the Second World War and well into the post-war period, it is perhaps surprising that we have not seen this type offered as a 1/48 scale injection-moulded kit before now.

Czech Models' 1/48 scale Grumman JRF Goose fills this important gap.

Czech Models' Grumman Goose 63 injection moulded parts are presented on three sprues of glossy plastic; with another 12 injection moulded parts in clear styrene and 28 parts in cream-coloured resin.

 

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:


The grey plastic is well up to Czech Model's recent high standards. The parts are crisply moulded with very little flash. Panel lines are sharply engraved. Fabric texture is very subtly rendered. There are some raised ejector pins on the inner surfaces, but these can quickly be despatched with a hobby knife or sprue cutter. The wing trailing edges are fairly thick and will benefit from sanding prior to mating the upper and lower halves.

Clear parts are presented in thin, distortion-free injection-moulded plastic. This will greatly simplify the installation of the big windscreen and the small cabin windows.

 

 

Resin parts are in the familiar style of True Details, with good detail, high quality casting and a simple parts breakdown. These resin parts are mostly destined for the cockpit and cabin, including four comfortable-looking passenger seats. A set of very delicately detailed engines and bulged resin wheels will replace the plastic versions on the sprues. Two resin bombs are also included.

 

 

Engineering is typical of limited run kits. There are no locating positions or tabs, so extra care and time will be required to ensure correct alignment and a secure bond, especially for the horizontal tail surfaces. The full-span upper wing half will help this critical join.

 

 

Four marking options are included - two in US Navy tri-colour scheme, one in overall Gloss Sea Blue and an RAF Coastal Command Goose during 1943, surprisingly still sporting early-war roundels and gigantic fin flash. The decal film is thin and markings are all in register, but the blue of the various national markings looks a little too green to my eye.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Czech Model is one of an exclusive band of companies that has transformed the nature of limited-run kits.

Their new 1/48 scale Grumman Goose is a perfect example of this "next generation" limited-run model, with its high quality injection moulded parts featuring fine and consistent surface features, supplemented by excellent resin details. The increasingly common inclusion of injection-moulded clear parts makes these kits even more accessible to a wide range of modellers.

Czech Model's 1/48 scale Grumman JRF Goose will require more preparation and care than the latest  long-run injection moulded kits from a company like Tamiya or Revell. However, the extra work should not be beyond the skills of a modeller with a few completed kits under his belt.

This is another nicely presented package of an important but otherwise neglected subect by Czech Model.

Recommended.

Thanks to Squadron.com for the review sample.


Review and Images Copyright © 2004 by Brett Green
Page Created 04 February, 2004
Last updated 05 February, 2004

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