I just finished my second Hobbycraft Skyhawk...this time a USMC Scooter. I really love these little kits. Sure, they don't quite have the detail the much more expensive Hasegawa kits do....but they sure do pack in a punch for 20 bucks. They are loaded to the teeth with ordnance and have tones of build options. These kits get amazingly bad press which is completely unwarranted. I read a review of this kit where the reviewer stated his reasons for not giving it a higher score was that you couldn't model it with the canopy open and the speedbrakes were molded closed. Well boys and girls....that is just ignant. First of all....as my pics prove...the canopy can be posed open....secondly, Scooters speedbrakes were always closed when parked. The only time the brakes would be deployed is in flight.

The kit puts itself together....very few seams and nothing that can't be filled with Mr. Surfacer. The cockpit details and seat is a little weak, so I reached into the spares box and pulled out a pilot from an old Monogram kit. The pilot works wonders to cover up the poor details. It should be noted that the Monogram cockpit will work, as will Hasegawa or aftermarket parts for the Hasegawa are virtually a drop in replacement. Once the pit was finished and the pilot was seated, I tacked together the fuselage halves and slid the wing assembly into place. I found it easier to add the horizontal stabs after they are painted, that way you can easily mask them. The model was finished with Tamiya Surface Primer and Model Master gull grey. Decals were a mix Eagle Strike (intake warnings and walkways) and Superscale.