Hasegawa Egg Planes: SR-71 Blackbird, A-6 Intruder & AV-8 Harrier
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Overview
Setting the way-back machine to the 1980s, I remember when Hasegawa released their Egg Plane series. Quirky, humorous, and fun to build, the ones I remember came not only with the aircraft but also creative display bases. The Space Shuttle had an earth base and a floating astronaut figure, The F-4 Phantom had the Phantom figure holding a Vulcan cannon, and the Fw 190 was piloted by a wolf, chasing Little Red Riding Hood. As an all-around package, these kits made for a fun diversion from the seriousness of the hobby. Now, Hasegawa has been re-releasing these old classic Egg Planes, as well as coming out with new examples. This review will cover some of the original first edition Egg Planes.
The Kits
For those that remember the original kits, these releases will bring back pleasant memories, as all their quirkiness is still there. However, they are missing those unique display bases and figures, which is really a shame as those truly made these Egg Planes enjoyable. Still, these kits stand up on their own, and the creative opportunities are still there for some fun.
SR-71 Blackbird
One wouldn't think the sleek SR-71 Blackbird would yield an attractive egg plane, but Hasegawa has proven otherwise. This is one of the better looking Egg Planes out there, with its chunky body and stubby wings still managing to capture that menacing look. Molded in black plastic, this kit is the only one of the three that has the original figure: a Soviet man complete with fur-lined hat and binoculars. The globe stand, though, is not present.
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Construction is pretty straightforward. The fuselage is split into upper and lower halves, as are the engine nacelles. The engines have separate shock cones and exhausts, and the vertical fins are also separate. Stick on the canopy and the landing gear and break out the black paint, because you're done. The decals provide markings for two aircraft: 967 in high-vis markings with a lightning bolt/1 on the tail, and 975 in low-vis markings with a snake-wrapped 1 on the tail.
AV-8 Harrier
While the SR-71 might seem an odd egg subject, the AV-8 Harrier is the opposite: already tubby, it transitioned perfectly into an Egg Plane. This one originally had a British man in a Holmesian attire, along with a small dog and a fire hydrant, sadly all missing from this release. What you do get is an egg-shaped fuselage split in half, with separate exhausts, cockpit tub, and intake walls. The vertical tailplane is molded with the fuselage, but the stabilizers and wings are separate. For the landing gear, the struts are molded with the fuselage, while the main wheels are separate as are the outriggers. Two fuel tanks and two rocket pods are available to hang under the wings.
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For markings, this kit comes with both British and US options. The US option is from VMA-513, with a blue rudder with white stars. For the British, there are two options, one from an operational squadron and one from the Harrier Conversion Unit. All three are finished in green and gray on the upper surfaces and light gray on the lower. In addition to the unit markings, the decals contain some of the ubiquitous stenciling found on the Harrier.
A-6 Intruder
Also transitioning to egginess quite well is the A-6 Intruder. This kit is a bit more complex, though, due to the challenges of egging up. For those remembering the original release, this one had a gas pump and an Arab attendant, which are not in this release. What you do get is a three-piece fuselage. The forward section is split into right and left halves, while the rear end is molded as one piece. There is a separate cockpit tub, and the intakes are separate. All the flying surfaces are separate, as is the main landing gear. This makes the A-6 the Egg Plane with the highest parts count, even before we get to the underwing stores of two fuel tanks and six bombs.
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For marking options, there's one Navy and one Marine option. The Navy one is off the USS Midway with the NF tailcode, while the Marine one is from VMA(AW)-242 with the DT tailcode. Both are finished in the original high-vis scheme of gull gray over white. Like the AV-8 Harrier kit, the Intruder decals come with a handful of stenciling to help add realism to the finished model.
Conclusion
While these don't have the superb caricatures found in the original release (if you still have those molds, Hasegawa, PLEASE do a special release of those!), they will still provide lots of enjoyment for a weekend build. My thanks to Hasegawa USA for the review samples.