AIRFIX 1:72 LOCKHEED U-2 A/C/D
'INBOX Review'

 

Reviewer: Myself  (rec.models.scale  
- A Built up review of this kit exists on this site - see the respective fully built kit review index to locate review

Kit Details:  Airfix No. 04028 - Lockheed U-2 A/C/D 1:72 (has also been reboxed by MPC).

Aircraft History:  The Lockheed U-2 is one of the most classified aircraft in the US inventory and began in a shroud of secrecy back in the infamous Lockheed "Skunk Works" days, when it was built for the CIA.  The U-2A is the first production of the lanky aircraft with wingspan almost twice longer than the fuselage.  It's primary role is one of high altitude photo-reconnaissance with a ceiling of more than 70,000 feet. When the aircraft was first suspected of existing, it was strenuously denied while clandestine missions of overflying the Soviet Union, China and later Cuba operated in secrecy.  The infamous shooting down of FG Powers in 1960 confirmed with an abrupt reality what the missions involved.  The U-2A and D have retired from service in the 70's but later variants with longer wingspans are still in service today.

Kit Parts: The outside of the box advises a model of 210 mm length x 339 mm span (which if accurate will make it only slightly underscale in length - spot on in span according to Airfix instructions), 52 parts, 3 versions and Humbrol paints 11, 24, 33, 60, 86 required for all versions, with 85 / 40 / 22, 40 for the 3 versions respectively.  The plastic parts are molded in a light blue-grey colour and are supplied on four sprues, two larger and two smaller.  The smaller sprues showing one for the U-2B/D and the other for the U-2C.  When I eventually get around to building this kit I will have to do a bit more research to find where the A fits into all this.  The parts are molded in a typical Airfix hardish plastic with ejector pin marks apparent on the 'inside' of nearly all the plastic.  However there is virtually no flash and the moldings are otherwise clean.  The surface detail it must be said is very little and I am sure the real aircraft had a bit more than what is depicted in the kit and probably because this kit first appeared in the early 70's.  The panel lines are very finely raised and the control surfaces are engraved.  There are five clear parts of which alternative canopies, one for the B and the other for the D, make up.  The parts are thinnish but a bit distorted.

Instructions: This is by way of an A4 8-page booklet.  The front provides a few paragraphs on the U-2 history (but nothing on the variants from the kit) in English, French, German, Spanish and another European language (dutch, swiss?) which is followed by modelling information paragraph in 12 languages and an explanation of the symbols used throughout.  Next follows the 8 large assembly views which are easy to follow and in the main, since you have locating pins on everything, fairly reasonable in ensuring you get the parts in the right position.  

However, there are going to be sections where some further study may be required with exact positioning or orientation of a piece a little vague.  It does run through the different parts for the different versions of the kit but you have to have your wits about you and make sure you follow it as it might become confusing.  For instance there is nowhere in the construction phase that it even refers to the U-2A, but it often refers to the U-2B, which supposedly is not part of the kit.  It seems that if you follow the main pictures of the instructions it is constructing the U-2D but then it lacks the sketch of the enlarged spine so it is clear other references are needed while you are going along.

The last three pages are each devoted to a four-view painting and decal information for each version in the kit.  Humbrol paint numbers only are provided throughout construction and for the external scheme as painting information.

Colour Options:  There are three (or perhaps four?) versions in the kit which are listed on the outside of the box and are as follows:

Decals:  The decal sheet is very large, covering almost the whole of the bottom of the box and is split into four sections to make it easy to know which one to use; each labelled for the version it is covering and the fourth section obviously containing decals common to all.  The USAF and long wing walk sections are each decals on their own - which means there is a huge amount of carrier film between the "- no step -" lines, if you understand what I mean.  On many kits, such as Hasegawa, these walks are usually provided as separate decals for each little line.  The colour and thin-ness of the decals looks great, and knowing Airfix decals they shouldn't be any problem to put on.  If there is an issue, as usual it is with their printing.  Some decals are not sharply printed or are a little out of alignment.  The light and dark blues of the NASA fuselage bands don't finish/start exactly together and the red bar in the USAF roundel is not in the centre, plus the blue lines are a little disjointed.  The small triangle warning symbols are blurry but otherwise it all looks good.  Some areas of the model will need their decal put on first before affixing a part which I will touch on below in impressions. 

Internal Detail:  What initially looks like a cockpit tub on the sprue is actually the nose wheel bay which has cross beams inside but nothing else.  The tailwheel section has no detail.  The cockpit is decidedly lacking in detail, the pilot gets a seat, floor, control wheel a rear bulkhead and a dashboard for instrument panel which has no detail molded onto it, or decal.  The rear navigator is just a seat!  The two pilot figures supplied in the kit will obviously be needed to fill the space in.  One area that does have some scribed detail is inside the speedbrake housing where there is a bit of plumbing provided.  The intakes and the rear exhaust pipe all lack any internal detail.

Optional components:  Apart from the parts for the different versions (eg: alternative canopies) the only option really is that you are provided with a couple of seated pilot figures.  Actually, since the speedbrakes are separate these could be displayed open too.

On the Sprue Impressions:  There's a 1983 (C) stamp from CPG products on the inside of one of the wings, so I am not sure that this relates to but possible gives a clue on the tooling of this particular kit.  The looks and feels like an Airfix kit, I think will present a few challenges in the fit department in areas, my inner wing sections for instance, don't line up correctly but will at the end of the day provide a really good talking point next to the SR-71!  The kit does lack detail in many areas but the moldings are pretty clean given the age.  

Breakdown of the kit as you can see in the supplied images is pretty standard, the fuselage halves are split vertically with the tailfin molded integrally on one half.  The wings come in upper and lower halves, with the lower halves really just inserts, because the upper wing halves are nearly molded in full.  The trapeze for the wingtip skids are provided but you will need to affix these after you put the decals on the underside of the wings, which the instructions indicate to you.  Likewise the decals around the speedbrake need to be applied before you affix the speed brake.  If you want the speedbrake open then you will have to cut the decal around the housing (or perhaps put the decal on with the speedbrake closed, but not glued, and then use a knife to cut around the panel line).

Accuracy:  As already mentioned above, if the kit measures out exactly as Airfix claim then it should be very close to being spot on (the length would be closer to 210mm) and as usual other facets of the aircraft are hard to tell before it is fully built.  

However, before undertaking research which I generally do as I build the kit I think there are a few questions on the accuracy of the kit.  Most of which I think will come from studying the instructions so you don't miss a component relating the kit you are building.  It's also confusing when nothing in the kit, other than a four-view version diagram, talks about the U-2A yet often mentions the U-2B, a subject not mentioned on the boxart, but alas the kit has been released as a U-2B/D before.  I am sure some of these things will become more obvious as the project is being built.  My suggestion of course is to have your reference material close by.

Conclusion:  I'm not aware of any other U-2's in mainstream kit form other than Airfix's and I am certainly not unhappy that I have purchased one, even if it might be a little bit of a challenge to build and perhaps lack a bit of current standards in detail. 

 

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