I picked this kit up at a swap meet. I like the British camouflage on US naval aircraft more than I like the US schemes. Plus, one of my goals for this year was to complete a Hobby Boss kit. I've only completed one before, that being a Bearcat, although I've tried several that ended up FUBAR. Although this one didn't turn out perfect, I was pleased that I was able to complete it.

Hobby Boss kits, like a lot of modern kits, are very intricate. I had to test fit and sand more than I usually do. I was also able to leave out some parts that are not visible on the completed kit. Also, based on a web search, it is unlikely this subject would have carried bombs or rockets (both of which are included in the kit), so I left them off. You can build this kit with either extended wings (as I did) or folded wings.

There are two subjects offered, one Royal Navy and one New Zealand. Interestingly, the Royal Navy subject is shown on the box art without invasion stripes. I have a Hasegawa kit of the Royal Navy subject, so I went with the NZ subject. Plus, I didn't have to paint the invasion stripes! The bottom was painted Tamiya XF-21 Sky and the top was XF-24 Dark Grey and XF-13 JA Green. The grey is perhaps a bit darker than it should be. From a purely visual point, I would have preferred more contrast between the colors on the top.

I had a mask left over from the Eduard kit that I had botched, but I decided to save that for a build that turned out better than this one. So I mask the canopy by hand, in steps. I first masked and painted the vertical segments, then, after that was dry, did the horizontal segments. The Center section took two iterations; the windscreen took three. The decals went on well.

Page last updated August 2, 2026.