Issued way back in 1974, this 1/48th Monogram Do 335A-0 Pfeil is pretty basic by today’s standard, however it still can be built into a decent display. if you are willing to put in the extra work required. Monogram's kit does seem to have the correct shape and dimensions (reportedly better lengthwise than the Tamiya kit however it is nowhere near Tamiya quality).
Notable Kit Features:
Well detailed instructions (complete with little check-off boxes)
There is an option to build a hypothetical 2-seat night-fighter version (or just a 2-seat version if you want to stray from the instructions and modify the rear pit)
Optional open engine panels to add interest (or perhaps make you break out the filler if you want to close them)
Decent half-cast engine feature
Nice raised detail for the cockpit panels (typical of Monogram)
Separate flaps which can be positioned
Old-school raised panel lines
Build Inspiration:
I don't often build non-operational or experimental types (I have to limit the collection someplace) however, I came across this kit at a very reasonable price and my "buy" threshold cut in. (Like a true styrene-junkie, sometimes I can't help myself ;) The aircraft's seldom seen puller-pusher layout as well as its late-war paint colours inspired me to finally get this kit out of the box and onto the shelf.
Heads-Up Report:
Thick cockpit glass
Several gaps in parts fit that will require filler and sanding
Rear fuselage vents on both sides create empty see-through aspect unless corrected
Gaps at the bottom wing to nose gear well and fuselage join
Poor-fitting panel on nose of aircraft will require styrene gap fill and filler fix
Poor fitting ventral intake will require sanding and reshaping
Way too shallow wheel wells
German night fighters had four ‘toasting fork’ aerials on the wings, two for the lateral beams on the port side and two for the vertical on the starboard side, therefore modification will be necessary to build the fictitious night-fighter
Kit Additions / Modifications:
Added basic seatbelts to the pilot's seat
Sanded down the raised panel lines
Glued styrene strips as required (as well as filler) to fill gaps in joins
Placed plastic card in the rear fuselage cooler area to eliminate see-through fuselage aspect
Cut open posed the rear engine’s oil cooler exhaust duct in the open/dropped position
Added nose weight (to do away with use of kit tail prop-up piece)
Added steel pin to flaps mechanism (Admittedly I broke the kit plastic here)
Used steel pin for engine hatch prop-open panel
lightly sanded flat wheels to produce "weighted" look
Finishing:
I painted my 1/48th Monogram Do-335A-0 Arrow RLM 82 / 83 over 76 using Vallejo Model Air paints. There was a lot of information on-line regarding the actual colour mix of these late war paints. I had paint chips from a research book "The Modeller's Luftwaffe Paining Guide" (Smith, Pentland & Lutz) which had been my guide for years, however it appears that these RLM colours (like many of the Japanese and VVS ones) are still being debated. As a model builder. you have to make a decision at some point to get your subject on the shelf so I went with the book's guidance as a base. The fuselage stripes and nose ring were painted on as opposed to using the decals. A gloss coat using Pledge was sprayed on in preparation for the decal work and afterwards a final matte coat (Model Master) was used to achieve the end finish. The remaining details were added and as the final touches of weathering were applied a call was placed to The Hangar crew chief to make room for another Luftwaffe aircraft.
The After-Build Report:
The use of styrene sheets plus the application of thick gap-filling cyanoacrylate glue to fix several ill-fitting areas to get this kit looking decent enough (and I could have done better given some additional patience), will strip this kit of any high-praise however, if you happen to achieve a very low cost of ownership, you should be able to produce a good result (with average model-making repair skills). If you want to re-scribe the panel lines and delve into some details, you could really make something stellar of this kit.
Full disclosure, I don't consider raised panel lines and a bit of work to get a kit on the display shelf, reason to ditch a kit. If the basic shape and fit are present and accounted for, I am good to go. Note: This typically applies for a "nice-to-have" type (as opposed to a "must-have" type, in which case I will lean towards paying a higher price for a better kit). Do whatever suits you, if this build type is not your cup of tea, build whatever makes your day.
Feel free to ask any questions - Keep on building what you want, how you want - Cheers
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