Friday, August 9, 2013

Hasegawa Hobby Kits Horde



Before I get started with these hobby kit reviews let me catch my breath.  Why you ask?  Because there are bunch of new model releases coming out from Hasegawa Hobby Kits that’s why!
 
Breath, breath, breath—OK I’m ready-here goes.

For all you 1/12 Scale figure collectors out there Hasegawa has just the thing you need to keep your diminutive figures in shape.  Are you ready for this?  It’s a School Vaulting Box Kit.  Yep, you read right.

Miniature figures can now perform acrobatics with their very own School Vaulting Box that includes a padded Vault Box and Spring Board for launching.  Pre-painted and made of snap together pieces you’ll have your collectable figures sweating up a storm in no time!

The Vaulting Box even has a padded top and height numbers running down its sides.  It can be disassembled to make three smaller Vaulting Boxes! 

It’s time to scale things up a bit (actually a lot) with Hasegawa’s Museum Model Sopwith Camel F.1 W.W.1 British Fighter.  What a stunning model!

The 1/16 Scale model recreates the famous Sopwith Camel used by the Royal Naval Air Service during W.W.I.  Considered a highly manueverable and fast combat aircraft the Sopwith Camel proved to be a formidable for against the German Albatross.  It also was an excellent nighttime air raid attack craft.

The model, when assembled, is stripped of its outer covering revealing the complete strut assembly, with silver-plated cowl parts, a rudder that actually works, flap parts, machine guns, rubber tires and full cockpit details.

Once assembled, full wire supports, propeller, instrument panel, undercarriage and rear wing and rudder look as if they were a part of the actual aircraft shrunk in size.

Like all Hasegawa Hobby Kits the Sopwith Camel features precisely detailed parts, complete assembly, paint and decal instructions and clean part detachments from part trees with little or no flashing.

Take a moment to look over the full color photos of the model on the back of the box and soak in the details and imagine the talent it takes to make and package such an intricate hobby kit.

The 59th and 11th Flight Regiments Nakajima Ki27 Type 97 Fighter (Nate) ‘Normonghan Aces Combo’ recreates the Japanese aircraft used in the battle with Russian at Khalkhin Gol, Mongolia during the late 1930s. It proved to be far superior to the Russian aircraft even though the Japanese lost the battle.

Two variations of the aircraft can be made with the kit with differing paint and decal details.

The sleek aircraft features wraparound wheel assemblies, a fully enclosed cockpit with sliding canopy, full interior details including seat and control panel, a large single blade propeller and details so precise you can even count the rivets on the aircraft’s fuselage.


Get ready to impress everyone when you purchase and assemble Hasegawa’s AH-64D Apache ‘Royal Netherlands Air Force Special Marking’ helicopter.

Copters have always fascinated me, even as a child.  I took my first copter flight when I was about ten and I’ve had the good fortune to ride a few times since then.  It’s always a thrill.

Considered the most famous helicopter in the world the AH-64D Apache, mainly due to the Royal Netherlands Air Force's Solo Display Team, which has won several flying awards for its incredible aerobatics.  

The Limited Edition AH-64D Apache model comes packaged on 13 part trees-all of which are easy to detach parts from, make cross referencing numbers from the instruction sheet a snap and fit precisely together when assembled with minimal fuss.

 One look at the assembly instructions and you immediately recognize the complexity of the model right down to its propellers, weaponry, landing gear and interior cockpit details.  I am impressed.

A two-man crew is included as are colorful decal sheets to dress out your AH-64D Apache.
Put this baby on display and you’re sure to get a few lookers and compliments.

For some hand-to-hand and grunt and ground warfare be sure to check out Hasegawa’s GroBer Hund Ausf. K “Cyclops” power suit.

It’s massive armor  and weapons make the Cyclops a formidable head basher.  Highly mobile its lasers, missiles, fully-integrated arm and leg assembly make it possible for its human remote operator to kick some serious behind.

The model is a high-tech wonder in itself with its futuristic deign, realistically engineered structure and attention to detail.  Look for paint, decal and assembly instructions along with a history of the part the Kyklop’s played in W.W. IV.

The Fuji T-1A/B ‘Old fashion’ has the distinction of being Japan's first jet.  The outcome of W.W. II restricted Japan’s advancement in aircraft and weapons of war.  But once the restrictions were loosened the Japanese made up for lost time.

Fast, agile and effective the Old Fashion was nonetheless impressive even though only six were manufactured.

The aircraft’s long sleek canopy, cigar-shaped fuselage, low profile and short wing span made the craft a bullet in the skies.

The model features a three-wheel landing gear in up or down position, full decals for three versions of the aircraft and complete paint and assembly instructions.

The Saab J35 Draken ‘Demonstrator’ was a jet fighter far ahead of its time-the 1950s.  Its double-delta wing configuration made it highly maneuverable at any speed easily outpacing any aerial threats.

So impressive was the aircraft that it stayed in operation all throughout the 1960s and 1970s.  During that time it was upgraded with the latest technology including an infra red target acquisitions system and Falcon missiles resulting it its ‘F’ designation.

The model is scaled at 1:48 but the details are all there including its unique two-tone underbelly, near to full length jet intakes and massive discharge tubes.  Paint it, glue it and decal it and you have a Limited Edition piece of art. Two variations can be detailed.

What has two seats, is faster than most aircraft, highly maneuverable, agile, state-of-the-art and packs a punch? The Eurofighter Typhoon Two Seater, that’s what!

Serving the Luftwaffe for five years the training aircraft is a twin engine, missile launching mass of meteoric mayhem about to happen.  

I just love the fuselage details on this model with its various flaps, juts, fins, instrument protrusions and weaponry.  Alost baby blue in color the model is an angular aerodynamic aircraft with armament and attitude second to none.