Microscale Modelkits kit #MS4-4, 1/60 scale YF-102 Delta Dagger |  | One release of an abortive effort by Krasel Industries to enter the plastic kit market, this kit of the Delta Dagger prototype was a 1970s reboxing of the old 1950s era Allyn display model as were the other Microscale model kits except for the 1/144 scale Convair 880 and 990 models presented in an earlier column. Others in this small and short-lived series were a 1/48 scale F4D-1 Skyray, XA2D-1 Skyshark, and XF-92A Dart. The first two have been superseded by excellent kits from Tamiya and Dynavector respectively and the YF-102 was done in an odd scale, leaving the two airliners and the XF-92A as the only really desirable Microscale kits.  The model is molded in a grand total of 5 (!) white parts; upper and lower airframe halves, the nose-mounted pitot tube, two wing fences, and a clear windshield/canopy insert along with a two-piece black stand. My kit is missing one of the wing fences but has an extra canopy part to make up for it...
There's no detail whatsoever - none, nada, zip. There are no landing gear wells, no cockpit details, and the only scribing of any kind is very faint raised lines for the control surfaces - the landing gear door outlines are decals, not being scribed on at all in any way, shape, or form! The intakes and exhausts are blanked off but extremely shallow and the clear part is as thick as a Coke bottle which makes little difference in view of the utter lack of any cockpit detail at all. To top it off, it's ill-fitting and designed to be inserted into the molded-in frame detail before joining the upper and lower airframe halves.  Speaking of the decals, these are the high point of the kit. That's not surprising considering that aftermarket decals were Microscale's main business and that they were one of the premier decal manufacturers of the time. Complete markings are given to provide a choice between two aircraft, including some stenciling and a nice label for the display stand base. The decal sheet in my kit appears to still be in excellent condition and quite usable thirty years after it was printed.
 The instructions are very well done, especially considering how simple this kit is, featuring complete painting and markings details and nice four-view line drawings. Interestingly, Microscale suggests that their foil adhesive be used along with household aluminum foil to reproduce a realistic metal finish. A natural enough plug for their own product but the process would require extensive reference photos and/or better drawings that show panel line detail, which would then have to be carefully scribed into the model - a lot of extra effort for what is essentially a presentation model. Still, the model is accurate and unique enough to warrant consideration if the odd scale doesn't put you off. I've seen these around for $30 or less so it wouldn't break the bank book to give one a shot if the subject matter appeals.
Microscale once had plans for an entire series of 1/72 scale kits but poor sales of what was a series of very basic kits at a time when the industry standard was becoming increasingly more sophisticated apparently put paid to the whole idea, a real shame as some interesting subjects had been announced. One wonders what could have been if Krasel Industries had invested the money for even minimal updating of these kits to add some basic detailing and panel scribing.... Till next month, "Build what YOU like, the way YOU want to".
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