Special Hobby

1/72 F2A-2 Buffalo 'Yellow Wing'

Kit Number: 72133

Reviewed by  Ned Ricks, IPMS# 36013

MSRP: $25.00 When I saw that IPMS had a sample kit of one of the colorful US Navy "Yellow wing" pre-war carrier planes, I eagerly volunteered to try it out. This kit is a combination of injected molded plastic and resin. Kit box includes, separately bagged, one sprue of gray plastic parts, one sprue of clear parts and a bag of light cream colored polyurethane resin, still attached to the pour plugs. But first, a bit about the subject: the Brewster Buffalo F2A-2. The monoplane design, submitted to the Navy by the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation in November 1935, was only the second design submitted by the Long Island, New York, company that had started as a carriage manufacturer in 1810, moved into manufacturing automobile bodies for Cadillac and Ford, and finally ventured into aviation in 1932. The resulting aircraft possessed a short, stubby fuselage with main landing gear that retracted inward. Boasting increased armor protection for the pilot and fuel tank and added equipment that included a high-altitude carburetor system, the F2A-2 version of the Buffalo proved a heavier platform than its predecessor and even the addition of a more powerful Wright R-1820-40 engine failed to counter the effect on performance. Nevertheless, production deliveries of the new version began in September 1940, with some of the first F2A-2s going to Fighting Squadron (VF) 2 on board the aircraft carrier Lexington (CV 2). Famous throughout the Navy as the "Fighting Chiefs" because enlisted naval aviation pilots occupied the majority of the squadron's flying billets, VF-2 was soon joined by VF-3 in having a full complement of Buffaloes. The resin components are the really attractive part of this kit. After removing the sometimes significant pour plugs, the detail provided by the instrument panel and the cockpit sidewalls is amazing, and the resulting cockpit makes leaving the canopy open a "must" option. With easily applied washes and dry brushing, the intricately cast details really look good. The instructions were not clear on how or where these parts were to be installed, so be prepared to dry fit, sand and dry fit some more. Curiously, that super resin cockpit came with a resin seat that had no seat belts, not even decals. The True Details set 72411 easily amended that shortcoming and made a lot of difference, I feel. There were some disappointments to balance the highlights above. The gray plastic parts are soft with some flash and not precisely formed (e.g. engine exhaust pipes had no holes, landing gear broke being removed from sprue). The parts on the two sprues, one gray and one clear, were not numbered. The instruction booklet included a diagram of the sprues to designate which part was which, also indicating that some were not used (saved for the -3 version?). Some parts appeared mislabeled (landing gear supports, pilot's head rest, pitot tube and more). The instructions only show generally how the landing gear are to be assembled. There were no pictures of what landing gear are supposed to look like when extended. For a USN aircraft used for carrier operations, the fact that the kit did not include a tailhook was curious to me. The painting instructions indicate that the prop tips should be yellow, but USN sources say that the period planes had red, yellow and blue stripes, so that is how I painted mine. After reading the historical information I found at USN sources (see above), I was delighted that the kit came with the USS Lexington's "Flying Chiefs" VF-2 squadron markings. The subject is great and the resin parts make a neat difference. If you have the skills and patience to deal with some of the shortcomings, this kit will build up to colorful addition to your collection. IPMS thanks Special Hobby for providing this kit for review.

About the Reviewer: Ned Ricks is a member of IPMS Lakes Region Scale Modelers.

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