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Ron Garcia
completed this item

Ron Garcia
completed this item

Ron Garcia
completed this item

Ron Garcia
completed this item

Ron Garcia
owns this item

Ron Garcia
owns this item

Ron Garcia
owns this item

Ron Garcia
owns this item

Ron Garcia
completed this item

Ron Garcia
Having built three of Revell's Tornado kits, here are a few observations and a few quirks about this version:

1) The fit of these kits are hit or miss. I had all kinds of trouble with the first one I built (03987). Things started out well and then suddenly everything was just a bit off requiring a lot of filler for gaps. The second (04924) fit the best of the three. Why? I don't know. The kit is identical to the first so it should have been the same. I did learn a lesson about the wing roots (complete the entire wing first and insert part of the wing into the wing glove), but otherwise, I don't think it fit better because I learned any special tricks. This kit was in between. There were some fit issues, but nowhere near as bad as the first one. Some of the fit issues for this one were in strange places. The radome, for example had a gap on one side of the fuselage. Usually, this is the easiest fitting part on a kit. One thing that I found out for sure for all the kits, the join of the intakes will always be tricky. I was never able to line up these parts in this area on any of the kits so there weren't any protrusions, gaps, or seams I had to eventually deal with.

2) For some reason, part 35 (how it is numbered in this kit) can never hold a wash, while the other side can. This happened in all three kits.

3) The attachment of the moveable stabilator pins and aft section of the fuselage is painful. Unless you just decide to glue them in place, be prepared for one side or the other to always fall out until you get lucky and somehow trap them before they fall. The fit of the aft section is also not the best.

4) I don't understand why Revell didn't include decals for where the wings slide into the fuselage. Masking these sections on the top and bottom is tedious and at best, guesswork.

5) I was never able to save the microscopic molded on nose antenna on any of theses kits. If fact, I think I may have sliced it off in the first one thinking it was flash. The one on this kit lasted the longest, and I thought it would make it. Alas, as I was painting the upper fuselage, I noticed it too had succumbed to fates unknown.

6) Other than these issues, the rest of the kit actually fits pretty well. With patience, you will be rewarded with a nice replica of a Tornado.

7) There are some interesting things about this particular kit worth mentioning. This is the first one that actually shows the attachment of the HUD glass in the directions. Step 3 wants you to drill holes in the bottom of the fuselage, but nothing attaches to them except the forward one. The forward fuselage sides do not have holes for the forward pitot probes. Internal bracing blocks the forward slits for the two rear belly Skyflash missiles fins. Paring the fins down is an easy fix, but an unexpected surprise near the end of the build.

So, I suppose my impression of the kit - and the other two as well - is mild disappointment. I think I had to work harder than I should have to get the result that I wanted. The kit looks really nice once completed, and I'm glad to have it on my shelf, but I think by 2014 (the first kit) to 2017 (this kit) the manufacturing process wouldn't require me work as hard as a kit from the 90's.

Ron Garcia
completed this item

Ron Garcia
This is the second time I built this kit. I built the #03987 version earlier. If you look at that review, you'll see I had all kinds of fit issues with it. The only reason I continued on to this one is because I had already completed the preliminary build on the cockpit, intakes, and weapons as I built the first kit (I did the same for the ADV kit as well).

I have to say, this time around I had way better luck with the fit issues I had the first time. One I can identify, but the rest, I'm not sure. The one I can identify is the fit of the wings into the wing gloves. I figured out that the wings actually should be partially inserted into them instead of leaving them out. I thought the first time that the wings would slip into them after I attached the flaps. That definitely did not work. Maybe If I had played with it more the first time, I would have figured it out. Anyway, the directions should be more clear so that someone doesn't have to figure this out the SECOND time they build the kit. Also, if you're going to have the flaps up, you may as well completely finish the wings instead of waiting more than 20 steps later.

As for the rest of the build, I didn't encounter the many fit issues I had the first time around. I have no idea as to why this happened. Other than the learned experience with the wings, I didn't do anything different this time around. Weird.

I still think that this is a more advanced kit, though. The tolerance for a good all around fit is low. The wings for sure. Also, the entire intake assembly is difficult to line up precisely even after dry fitting.

The instructions are way better in this kit as the steps are in color and not as busy. Curiously, the instructions for this kit and the other Revell Tornado I built leave out the installation of the HUD glass.

No weapons other than sidewinders are a major disappointment. I mean, this aircraft was designed for bombing, and to leave out any sort of air to ground weapons is a big omission. I thought only Hasegawa cornered the market in this area!

With patience, you'll end up with a nice looking Tornado. I can't give a recommendation either way. The kit is pretty unforgiving. I suppose it all comes down to how badly you want a Tornado on your shelf. I appreciate its historical significance, so I'm glad to have it in my collection.

Ron Garcia
completed this item

Ron Garcia
I have three Revell Tornadoes in my stash, so this being the oldest, I started with this one. After competing it, I'm still going to finish the other two (mostly because I completed the cockpits, canopy masking, and weapons for all three kits at the same time), but I'm not so excited about it.

Revell lists this as a skill level 5 (out of 5) model. I'd say that is accurate. It's a tough build because the tolerances are so unforgiving that you will likely have issues with gaps no matter how many times you dry fit the parts.

The instructions for this kit made me feel like I was reading some sort of flow chart. If you do this, then skip this step, but do this step instead that is 20 steps later. Not to mention that steps are very busy with part numbers, paint numbers, and decal numbers all jumbled up together with the pictures, arrows, and instruction symbols. What a mess!

Having said that, everything went fine for me until I got to the intakes. I just could not get them to fit smoothly no matter how many times I dry fitted them. I eventually cemented them together and used a bunch of putty to clean things up.

After that, I ran into a lot of fit issues. Almost everything else always seemed slightly off so that had to fiddle around to get an assembly almost there, but not quite.

The worst part of the build was when I went to install the flaps. They wouldn't fit! I followed the instructions for step 21 and did not remove the extra amount from parts 55 and 56 required for a swept wing pose because I wanted my wings extended. I also lined up the wing mechanism correctly. But when I tried to put the flaps on - flaps up - the end that butted up to the fuselage would not fit because parts 55 and 56 were in the way! Well, I glued them in on step 21 and step 47(!) is where you add the flaps. That was several sessions back, and no way was I going to be able to tear everything apart at that point. I ended up carefully clipping and clipping the flaps until I could get a nice tight fit butting up to the fuselage. On the other two Tornadoes I have, I'm still going to have the wings extended, but I'm definitely cutting away the excess plastic and deal with a small gap if I have to. Carefully trimming the two flaps for this one was tedious, time consuming, and very frustrating!

Because of all the fit issues I had, I just cemented everything together, including the engines, so I could add putty before I painted it. That required more masking, but helped with my sanity!

The decals are nice, and there are surprisingly not that many. Of course you'll need a good decal setting solution for the fin decals. Once set, a few small strategic slices and more setting solution will make sure the decals fit snugly around any protrusions.

So was it a fun build? NO! Did it take me way longer than a 1/48 scale airplane usually takes me? Heck yeah! Did I let it sit for a while because I got sick of the fit issues and sanding? Definitely! Does it look good after I finished it? Yes - and even my wife liked it! But ultimately, was it worth it in the end? I'd have to say no. However, I'm committed to finishing up the other two I have, so maybe they'll go together better. Other than the issue with the flaps, I don't really see where I could have done something different to get a better result with the fit. I think sometimes luck plays a part no matter how skilled you are at building. Maybe I'll get lucky with the next two - but I'm not counting on it.

Ron Garcia
owns this item

Ron Garcia
owns this item

Ron Garcia
completed this item

Ron Garcia
Before attempting to build this kit, be forewarned! There are no identification numbers on the sprues. This forces you to go back and forth from the sprues to the instructions to locate the pieces. To me, this was VERY frustrating!

I decided to build both the gun and the tank. It has been a long time since I built an artillery piece (Tamiya's 25 pounder in the '80s, maybe?). The gun took longer to build than the tank! Lots of small pieces and directions that didn't clearly show where pieces went. I left off a handwheel because I simply couldn't figure out where it went. When I finished it, the gun leaned forward instead of back for some reason and no amount of fiddling with it helped me figure it out. I finally just snapped the gun from the carriage and glued it at a better elevation.

The tank was a fast build. No PE which was nice. Individual track links are very fragile and several broke when cutting them from the sprue. Don't discard them! After using two for the spare tracks, I think I only had four left over - and this was after gluing the broken ones back together. The coaxial MG is very fragile and it broke when I barely touched it. No painting instructions or decals. The tank looks pretty good once finished. Recommended for those who have a few tanks under their belts. Lots of small and fragile parts make the build a bit tricky - not to mention the lack of identifying numbers on the sprues!

Ron Garcia
Nice big kit. Takes time to build. Though it can be built with some of the hatches open, the instructions show all of them in the closed position. I closed mine up. Doing so saved a lot of time.

LOTS of PE. A PE bending tool is a big help. None of it was too horrible, but a few pieces could have probably been molded in plastic. Make sure to bend PE-A26 with the two ends meeting as shown in the drawing in Step 32. If you don't, you'll end up with a nasty visible seam.

Part D15 sat high in my build. Since most of the major subassemblies have a tab I'm not sure why that happened. A bit of putty filled the void.

In Step 19 the part that holds the rear license plate is not called out. It shows it suddenly attached in the middle of the sequence but never references it. Also, Step 26 has you make some subassembly with parts P6, P9 and PE-B5. I had no idea where this went so I left it off.

If you want something unusual on your shelf, this is the kit for you. Recommended if you're not expecting a weekend build and have experience with PE.

Ron Garcia
This was a nice, easy build. I barely had to use any putty. The only issue I ran into was trying to get the intake assembly's nose wheel well to mate flush with the openings on the two fuselage halves. Since the cockpit is in the way, I couldn't push down on the assembly to make a better fit. The opening is so narrow that even though I was a bit off, it's not really noticeable.

You'll figure this out very quickly, but a warning ahead of time. Since the plastic is very soft, cutting next to the attachment points can leave some divots.

I've always wanted to have this iconic interceptor on my shelf because of the stacked engines. Removing the upper one must have been a chore! The ease of construction and nearly perfect fit makes this a good kit even for a beginner. So you 341 modelers (as of this writing) who have it in your stash, go ahead and build it already!

Ron Garcia
completed this item

Ron Garcia
This kit is really about the paint job and decals, so I'll confine my comments to these two items.

If you use the Gunze paints and mixing suggestions, the colors will perfectly match the kit decals. I've built seven of these iDOLM@STER kits now, and I have to say, the paint color choice is the least inspired of all of them. I understand why it was chosen as the anime character is outfitted in grey, but it does make a rather dull, rather than eye popping, color scheme. The stripes, as well, are a metallic grey, so they kind of blend into the background.

I usually paint all the white sections rather than using the decals, but you could probably get away with using the decals this time. I like to paint them because you'll end up painting the leading edges white anyway. However, they are designed better than the other kits because they leave appropriate gaps where necessary. The sole exception is the large white stripe on the belly. There should be a cut out where the inboard elevon actuator is, but it is absent. It requires a bit of care masking, but it will be easier than trying to make that stripe conform over that section.

The decals are nice but a bit uninspired. The roses look good, but the red petals(?) look like red splots. They look nice after they are all applied, but they don't have the wow factor of the decals on the other kits. As usual, they are very stiff so use plenty of decal softener to get them to conform to the surface.

Overall, the kit looks very nice once completed. It is not quite as eye popping as the other kits in the series, but it does look good. I built the Bronze Tiger Eurofighter and I have to say, the Bronze Tiger looks better than this one. However, my wife does like this kit, so that's a bonus. If you have built the other kits in this series, you may bit a little disappointed by how it looks compared to the others, but it is still worth your time to have this kit in your collection.

Ron Garcia
completed this item

Ron Garcia
Oof! This model will definitely test your decaling skills! The kit itself is pretty easy to build. Any problems with it I already detailed in the comments section of the 04568 version, so I'll concentrate on the decals.

First of all, leave off anything that will protrude before you start applying the decals. This includes the landing gear doors and maybe even the nose landing gear itself. Besides the obvious stuff like antennas and such, I left off all four parts B76, both parts B77, both parts A38, and both elevon actuators. All these things will definitely interfere with decal placement. I already attached the landing gear doors but had to snap them off (luckily, I always use CA glue for those after they are painted) because the decals butt right up to the landing gear wheel wells.

Decal 23 fits over the nose landing gear wheel well. I had to carefully cut the clear film from it so I could slide it over the already installed nose landing gear. Decals 60 and 61 also required surgery to make them fit on top of the intake. I sliced all the stripes apart and jigsawed what I thought made it look nice.

I suggest that you apply the decals in this order: pylons and external fuel tanks, the entire bottom, and finally the entire top and sides.

Start with the pylons and tanks just to get some practice in so you know what you're getting yourself into! Decaling the fuel tanks was actually quite difficult because the decal numbers are repeated in several different views. The first one you do will probably be quite confusing.

The next session, tackle the bottom but give yourself plenty of time to finish it so you can line everything up with the other decals. This session was the most time consuming because of the sheer amount of decals that need to be placed. I cut off a molded on antenna near the aft section because I was unsure of where to slice the decal to drape it over it (I glued it back on afterwards). There is another molded on antenna near the radome, but it is too tiny to cut off. However, if you carefully slice decal 99 lining up the two center squares on it, it'll slip over it with no problem.

Finally, do the top and sides at the same time so you can line everything up. There are less decals so this section isn't as tedious. The only trouble I ran into here was on either side of the fuselage in the crack above the intake, the decals that go there just wouldn't line up. I cut the stripes apart on them to make them look right.

Whew! That was it. It was a very time consuming job to say the least!

There are a few other things I should mention.

This one is a no brainer, but use decal setting solution! There are lots of nooks and crannies that the decals need to conform to, so this is a must. The decals worked perfectly with Miro Sol and Micro Set.

I painted my kit Tamiya X-33 Bronze. I then overcoated it with Tamiya X-26 Clear Orange. This combo is not as orange as the real paint scheme, but I knew it wouldn't be since I tested it out beforehand. My version looks like a very shiny warm bronze, and I liked the look of it when I tested it out.

Not all the decal stripes will line up - I know, shocker! - but they will be close enough that a small touch up of black will do the trick.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention Alistair and his company Aerocraft Models. The canopy has a nasty seam on it that needs to be removed. I buffed it out, but in the process I must have over stressed the plastic. When I test fitted the canopy over part E83 it suddenly cracked at least a few centimeters. Luckily, Aerocraft Models came to the rescue. I ordered the Eurofighter EF-2000A replacement canopy from them. The canopy was crystal clear and fit perfectly. It does require a steady hand with a Dremel cutting disk to remove the excess resin so be careful if you go this route.

Once finished, the kit looks great. It really stands out next to the many grey aircraft on my shelf. My wife even liked it, so there's that. Was it worth it? I think so, but it took a lot of work. If applying decals isn't your thing, this kit is an easy skip.

Ron Garcia
completed this item

Ron Garcia
If you have this version of the kit, the first thing you need to do is download the decal instructions for the one that says "2 Points" on the box. The decal numbers in this on are all wrong! Since the download instructions for the 2 Points one are really bad looking, it's worth 10 minutes of your time to transfer the correct numbers onto this set. Speaking of the decals, slice the formation lights on the rudder (decal 162, incorrect) in two vertically before you apply it so they can be applied on either side of the fin. Otherwise, the thickness of the fin doesn't allow the decal to wrap around to the correct position on either side (ask me how I found out!).

I found putting the kit together rather easy. I read some online reviews that said the intakes were a bit difficult, but I thought they were fine. Part 27, required a fair amount of putty to conform to part 26 so I suggest taking care of that before adding parts 29 and 30. While working on the intakes, you should paint part 26A (metallic? black?) just to give the illusion of depth. Otherwise you'll have two (grey in my case) blank engine faces. Not noticeable unless someone picks it up or you set it on a high shelf. However, Revell could have done a better job with this. If you've built any of Hasegawa's 1/48 F-4's, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

I don't think I installed the main landing gear wrong, but parts 67 and 70 didn't fit next to the wheel wells correctly without some interference from the main landing gear struts.

There is a nasty seam that runs the length of the canopy so be prepared for some careful buffing to remove it.

Revell provides a good amount of weapons. However, if you go with the pylons in step 39, depending of what weapons loadout you choose, you'll probably be short two weapons. I scrounged a couple of missiles from Hasegawa's anime version.

The painting instructions leave a lot to be desired as they are all (understandably) Revell's brand. I looked at a lot of online sources and matched what seemed reasonable.

Overall, a solid kit and well worth building. It goes together well, so even a beginner can make a decent looking Eurofighter from this kit - just make sure to get the corrected decal numbers first!

Ron Garcia
completed this item

Ron Garcia
owns this item

Ron Garcia
owns this item