Reviewed by: Pablo Bauleo (IPMS #46363)
Review Product Type: Aircraft
Review Type: Kit
Scale: 1/72
Manufacturer: Platz
Manufacturer website: www.platz-hobby.com
Mfr Stock: 59002
MSRP: $39.98
Provided by: Model Rectifier Corp
Vendor Web Site: http://www.modelrec.com/
Kit Review:
Chinese manufacturer Platz has expanded its UAV line to cover several versions of the Predator. This review covers the MQ-1A one, which is the armed one.
The kit is molded in light plastic and two sprues. You get 6 marking options, but there are plenty of extra decals in the sheet, so you can probably find enough markings for almost any predator in service.
Wings are one piece, helping to set the proper dihedral which is critical on an airplane with such a long wingspan relative to the fuselage.
Given that there is no cockpit, assembly is quick and easy. It took me about two hours to prepare the parts and assemble them. I left the landing gear out the kit for ease of painting.
Both tail surfaces have molded-in pitot tubes (or at least I think that is what they are) which are fragile and I've bump them a few times during construction. I was lucky that I've never broken them, but be careful when handling your model. Speaking of which, I've actually managed to knock off the nose antenna.
I've painted the kit with Model Master Enamel Light Gull Gray and I've applied the decals on top of a coat of Future. The decals behaved nicely and reacted well to the MicroSol/MicroSet system.
The kit really has no vices I've used not filler at all on the kit and if there is any problem with the model, it is my fault, not the kit.
Recommended to modelers of all skill levels, assuming you can handle small parts.
I would like to thank Platz, Model Rectifier Corp and IPMS/USA for the review sample.
