Revell 1/48 Vought OS2U Kingfisher

Instructions

Instructions are a large, 16 page “booklet” in 3 languages for this kit. Page 1 is a description of the aircraft; page 2 color guide, page 3 the parts list. The construction diagrams are large and clearly marked, show what changes to make for wheeled vs floats and including minor rigging detail. The last 4 pages are large, multi view painting guides for the two different paint schemes included in this issue of the kit.

Decals

The large decal sheet has markings for two aircraft. Colors and registration is good, though the red is (perhaps) a little dark. Decals are included for the wing walks and standing pads on the float, which you may want to paint on instead. There is also a decal instrument panel, just like the old days. The most striking decals are the large, 4 position wing insignia: Stars and bars with red surround. They seem huge – but I’m used to working in 1/72 and 1/144 so I’m sure they are the right size.

The Kit

This is, of course, the old Monogram kit re-issued yet again. The molds date back to the 1960’s which means there is raised panel lines and such instead of recessed, as everyone is used to today. THIS DOES NOT MAKE IT A BAD KIT but there are aspects that may seem primitive to the modern modeler. For comparison, I pulled out a 1990’s Monogram “Hi-Tech” release.

The kit is molded in light gray plastic instead of the dark blue plastic the older release. There is flash on several pieces, most noticeably the edges of the wings. The biggest thing I notice is that there are numerous small sink holes on a number of pieces. There are “cross supports” (for lack of a better word) in several places and wherever those pegs are, there’s a sink hole on the outside face. Those will take some time to fill. Because of the raised lines, care will be needed for any sanding required so the surface detail is not removed. The raised detail works well for the fabric control surfaces which show neatly raised ribs and light texturing.

One of the primitive features is that the assembled wing is slipped thru the fuselage instead of separate wings mounted on with side. Rather, the wing is assembled and the fuselage halves are slipped in from either end. Another old feature is that holes are pre-made for rigging.  These are large by current standards, and you will want to decide how you are doing your rigging before you begin construction. There are also a number of sprues attached to the main parts in odd locations that need to be removed and cleaned up for assembly.

Internal detail is minimal on this kit. The detail is even sparse compared to some of its Monogram stable mates of the time. The 1990’s version included a brass fret with an instrument panel, interior and engine details to overcome some of these deficiencies. For this re-issue, you will need to look for aftermarket additions to flesh out the interior.

The canopy pieces are nice and clear and cleanly molded. This plane has a large green house, so that stark interior will be quite visible. The windscreen has a large slot in it to accommodate the tube gun sight – another old time feature. I don’t know that Krystal Clear will be sufficient to disguise that.

The kit allows for building with floats or with landing gear. The central float is molded into the main fuselage, so it must be removed if the landing carriage is added. This is not a terrible task, but another one of those things that will add to the construction time. Conversely, beaching gear is provided. And even after all these years, the instructions still show you how to make the wheels turn.

Conclusion

One of my modeling goals is to go back and build the Monogram 1/48^th navy kits: Kingfisher, Dauntless, Helldiver, Wildcat, Hellcat, Corsair and Avenger. I wanted to back when I was a kid, but the $1.49 or $1.98 price tag was too much for my limited allowance. Now I have them in my basement, so may get to them one day. If done properly, they should be an interesting contrast to the new fangled kits produced today.

I believe the Kingfisher is still unique (but then I usually build 72^nd) and it will build into a nice, if simple, model as is or can be fleshed out with after market additions to “update” the kit to the 21^st century. Plan to spend some extra time to overcome the sink holes, clean up flash and repair details. With care, this should be an interesting addition to your 1/48^th model collection.

Thanks to Revell for the review kit.