Pro Resin 1/72 Convair XF-92A (Late)
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Overview
Last month, Bill Powers reviewed the companion release to this kit,
the early version of the XF-92A, which included markings for the plane
as it was painted up for the movie “Jet Pilot.” Pro Resin
has released a second version of the kit, depicting the XF-92A as it appeared
late in life. The main visual difference between the early and the late
versions is with the rear fuselage. The aircraft originally was fitted
with an Allison J33-A-23 engine, rated at 5200lbs of thrust, but that
was not sufficient to push the aircraft past the sound barrier. The aircraft
was then upgraded to an afterburning J33-A-29, rated at 5900lbs of thrust
(7500lbs with water/methanol injection), and that engine allowed it to
dive through the sound barrier. The former is what makes the “Early”
kit, while the latter defines the “Late” kit. The differences
are quite visible around the exhaust, with the early style having a much
more tapered cone shape.
The Kit
 As
the majority of this kit is identical to the Early kit reviewed last month,
so for an overview of that I will refer you back to Bill Powers’
review. Rather than repeat what he has said, I will try to supplement
it with this review. I concur with the previous review in that the surface
detail is absolutely superb in this kit, and could easily be an injection
kit from a mainstream manufacturer. The cockpit is nicely detailed, with
a one-piece tub, seat, instrument panel, and control stick. The vacuformed
canopy, however, will hide much of this, as the framing (which is nicely
captured) is thick and will obscure quite a bit. Of course, one way around
that would be to open the canopy, a simple matter of using a razor saw.
 As
the vertical fin and wings all have flat butt joints, the use of a jig
will be of immense use in assembling this model. Also, no mention is made
of using nose weight in this kit, but given the amount of solid resin
behind the main gear, this kit will likely need a bit. There is plenty
of space for it, though, as the intake is blanked off with the splitter
plate piece. Once the fuselage is together, this kit should be ready for
paint remarkably fast.
While the Early option has the colorful ‘movie star’ scheme,
this variant is also interesting, with a combination of white and natural
metal. The plane was painted overall white, while the control surfaces
were natural metal for the most part. Depending on the time frame, you
might come across a photo or two showing the starboard elevon finished
half white, half natural metal, with the demarcation running diagonally
across the span. I have not found any note explaining the reasoning behind
this, but it would make for an interesting example. The decals are pretty
basic, as aside from national insignia this aircraft did not have much
else adorning it.
Conclusion
Whether you choose the Early or the Late XF-92A kit, you will not be
disappointed. The quality is superb, and the subject matter quite interesting.
My thanks to Pro Resin for the review sample. |
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