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Background
Developed
in the late 1930s as a modern monoplane replacement for the US Navy’s biplane
observation aircraft, the OS2U Kingfisher was the standard shipboard observation
and reconnaissance aircraft used by the Navy during WW 2. It was a catapult
launched, two-seat (pilot and gunner/radio operator) floatplane, with a
large central and two wingtip floats. Fixed wheel, land-based versions
were utilized as well. Just over 1,500 aircraft were produced by Vought.
It had a relatively low powered engine offering modest performance, yet it excelled in scouting, gunnery observation, flight training, ASW reconnaissance, and air-sea rescue missions. It was used on the US Navy’s battleships, its heavy and light cruisers, and with the Navy’s coastal air stations. It also served notably
with the US Coast Guard, the US Marine Corp., the Royal Navy ‘s Fleet Air
Arm, the Soviet Navy, and several lesser navies.
It’s
replacement, the Curtiss Seahawk, began arriving in the fleet in late 1944,
but most Kingfishers remained in service throughout the conflict.
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Review
Item
Released
in Sept 2020, these are the first aftermarket replacements for the OS2U
Kingfishers that I know of. Made of a medium gray resin plastic, they are
packaged three aircraft to the set. Each plane comes on its on sprue, with
center and wing floats attached.
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There
are two configurations. Two of the aircraft come molded with full canopies
and recessed canopy frames. One aircraft comes with its canopy cut away,
ready to accept one of the photoetch canopy frames included with the kit.
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The
aircraft themselves have properly sized wingspans for this scale, but are
nearly devoid of any detailing, save for the canopy frames on the enclosed
versions. Their profiles are very good on shape. Propellers are cast as
part of the engine cowling, but there are no panel lines, and the wing
surfaces appear as if fabric covered, probably resulting from the surface
of the molds. There is an excessive amount of flash, and very prominent
horizontal seam lines along the fuselage. The open cockpit detail on the
aircraft with the cutaway canopy appears simplistic but satisfactory.
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There
is a separate brass PE fret with a catapult, catapult mechanisms, air craft
handling crane, crane components, catapult launching cradle and aircraft
canopy frames, which feature both open and closed frames. The catapult
matches those used on the New Mexico class BBs, and might be applicable
to some of the earlier standard BB classes. However, they are not applicable
to the later TN and CO classes. The crane appears to be the same rear aircraft
handling crane used for all the standard battleship classes.
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There
are three sets of PE canopy frames. Two sets are segmented, meaning that
they can be positioned with a portion of the frame open (both for pilot
and observer sections). The remaining frame is completely enclosed for
both sections. Three PE propellers are also provided; each within its own
miniature fret.
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Instructions
These
consist of one sheet printed in black and white, front and back. There
are only a handful of panels, each pertaining to one major component. All
panels show exploded, three-point perspective views. The instructions are
very straightforward. There are no decals.
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Opinion
This is the first item from Orange Hobby that I’ve ever purchased or reviewed. Quite frankly, I was quite surprised by the poor appearance of these aircraft. I found the amount of flash unexpected and excessive, particularly from an aftermarket company whose products carry a sterling reputation. The horizontal mold seams on the fuselage were also a bit of a surprise, but less so then the extent of the flash. I purchased three sets (nine aircraft in total), and all were identical in their production appearance. "Just out of curiosity, I Googled the ‘net for possible alternative
reviews. While there were none known as of this writing, I did happen to
re-read to Steve Backer’s excellent review of the Orange Hobby 1/700 USS
New Mexico 1944 on Steelnavy.net As far as I know, these aircraft were
released as part of that kit in late 2020. While that kit earns high praise
in this review and elsewhere, these aircraft get barely a mention. However,
a photo of this fret in that review shows an identical amount of flash,
in marked contrast to the rest of the New Mexico kit.
Even more bothersome to me was the way the set has been presented by virtually all the websites that offer it. There’s one view, and it’s an upscaled version of an illustration used in its instructions. This view is a three-point perspective showing the aircraft set on the catapult with its canopy frame set over an open cockpit. It’s a crisp and handsome illustration. There is no actual photograph of the aircraft. So, one is led to the expectation of receiving a crisply, cleanly molded aircraft with an open cockpit ready to accept a photoetch canopy frame. I think it highly misleading, and led to a major disappointment on my part. Not recommended.
In good conscience, I can’t endorse these aircraft. While their scale and basic shapes are sound, they require much clean-up, lack detail, have difficult to correct seam lines, and two of the three aircraft require surgery to the cockpit areas in order to enable replacement by PE canopies. In short, I don’t see them as an improvement over styrene versions that typically come with their respective kits. This set came courtesy of my wallet. I don’t see this set currently offered for sale by US distributors, but the cost at HobbySearch (www.1999.co.jp) was approximately US$13, plus shipping. However, they are currently out of stock in most locations. They are available on Ebay.com as of this writing, though for more money."
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