Academy 1/48 KV-107-II-5
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Overview
This is the second release of Academy's beautiful CH-46 kit, this time
in the guise of a Kawasaki KV-107-II-5. The most noticeable difference
with this variant is the large sponsons at the rear. Since the majority
of this kit is the same as the earlier release, I will refer you back
to the excellent build article
by Will Riepl of the CH-46E, and the original
in box review that shows all the other kit parts, and save this review
for the new pieces and the large decal sheet.
The KV-107 Parts
 There are two new sprues in this kit over the CH-46E kit, with the
obvious addition of the large sponsons taking up a good chunk of these
sprues. The other main piece here is the different rear engine housing.
A closer look at the trees reveals a new intake front and all the requisite
mounting struts for the sponsons, as well as a large selection of pieces
labeled "not for use" in the instructions. It does not take a rocket
scientist to figure out what these parts are for, though, and I am sure
we will be seeing a Canadian Labrador before too long, with the thimble
nose.
The Decals
 This kit is exclusively a Japanese one in the decals, with two examples
included. The first is the very colorful version seen on the boxtop.
This is a special 50th Anniversary scheme and it consists of two shades
of blue on the rear fuselage. The forward half is finished in standard
JASDF colors. The second option is a standard JASDF helicopter, finished
in the colorful white and orange-yellow scheme. The decals are beautifully
printed and include all sorts of details and stenciling.
Conclusion
The Academy CH-46 family is shaping up to be quite the collection of
kits, and this one bodes well for those wanting to build models of the
large-sponsoned KV-107s. My thanks to MRC for the review sample.
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