falcon20driver Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 I grabbed the 1/48 Eduard P-39 weekend kit with Air-A-Cutie decals for a good price. Does anyone have any experience with this kit and any building tips? Seems pretty nice from what I've seen in the box. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hal Marshman Sr Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 I haave built it multile times. @ biggest faults? Doors cannot be installed closed, and wing trailing edges are too thick. Buying the weekend edition, you probably didn't get the weight that Eduard provides in the more expensive kits, to hold own the nose. Need LOTS of weight up front. Decals are not opaque enough Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted July 31, 2016 Author Share Posted July 31, 2016 (edited) Thanks, do you happen to know how much weight is provided by Eduard? Edited July 31, 2016 by falcon20driver Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hal Marshman Sr Posted August 1, 2016 Share Posted August 1, 2016 No, but it fills that entire nose area, from the gear well to the top, spinner to firewall, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
seawinder Posted August 2, 2016 Share Posted August 2, 2016 I agree with Hal's assessment. I enjoyed the one Weekend Edition I built some years ago. I didn't do anything about the trailing edges and don't think they detract that much from the look of the model. I really wanted one door closed, but ended up having both open after struggling with them for some time. It's certainly possible to get the model to sit on its nose gear without the Eduard weight(s). I used a bunch of lead fishing weights -- no problem. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted August 2, 2016 Author Share Posted August 2, 2016 Thanks guys. I'll be starting it today. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ikar Posted August 2, 2016 Share Posted August 2, 2016 Also, if you take a piece of clear thin plastic you can roll down the windows. I did it with the Monogram kit a couple times. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
billw Posted August 2, 2016 Share Posted August 2, 2016 In addition to what has already been said, there's another minor flaw that you need to know about. On my example the rear portion of the clear canopy was a bit narrower than the fuselage, leaving a 'step' edge showing. Some careful sanding will fix most of it, but I didn't quite get rid of all of it on mine. I did build mine with the doors closed. It took some sanding and scraping on the doors and fuselage because the curve in the doors them selves don't quite match the fuselage. Also had to trim the throttle quadrant and notch the port-side door to get it to close. It was a little bit of work, but the closed doors turned out acceptable, if not quite perfect. Actually the kit itself went together very well overall (except for the doors & canopy). And good advice on the nose weight. Stuff all you can in everywhere. It took way more than I expected to balance it. BW Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted August 2, 2016 Author Share Posted August 2, 2016 Thanks BW. I did some test fitting today and it seems if I glue the doors closed before joining the fuselage halves they'll close up relatively easily. Hopefully I don't regret that decision later. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
billw Posted August 2, 2016 Share Posted August 2, 2016 Thanks BW. I did some test fitting today and it seems if I glue the doors closed before joining the fuselage halves they'll close up relatively easily. Hopefully I don't regret that decision later. The problem is when you put the canopy on, the upper part of the doors will stick out. If you align the upper part, the bottoms of the doors will stick out. At least that's the way my kit was. If the doors had been regular styrene instead of clear, I would have just bent them a bit for more curve (vertically), but was afraid to try that with those clear parts. If I ever do another one with the doors closed, I'll probably cut the upper window part off the door and put them in separately. Good luck with yours. BW Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WymanV Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 The problem is when you put the canopy on, the upper part of the doors will stick out. If you align the upper part, the bottoms of the doors will stick out. At least that's the way my kit was. If the doors had been regular styrene instead of clear, I would have just bent them a bit for more curve (vertically), but was afraid to try that with those clear parts. If I ever do another one with the doors closed, I'll probably cut the upper window part off the door and put them in separately. Good luck with yours. BW I did it with the ones I built. I held the piece rolled around my thumb with my index & middle finger with just a bit of pressure and let body heat bend the door until it was where I wanted it. And it was just the left door as it was the one usually kept closed (throttle assembly was in the way on the real ones and the door didn't see much use). It took a bit of time, but it worked. Ken Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lesthegringo Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 I built three, and while the doors do need a bit of careful fettling, they are not difficult to make fit. I managed and I really don't consider myself to be a good modeler. Just take your time and remember that the door edges are not square to the surfaces. The thing to watch out for is that if you glue the wing upper surfaces on to the fuselage first to ensure no gaps, the wingtips will have a step as it makes them mismatched. Again, not insurmountable Cheers Les Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted August 3, 2016 Author Share Posted August 3, 2016 Thus far it's building up really nicely. Good fit, my door closing plan is working so far, and it seems like 14 grams of weight will do the trick. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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