In recent years there has been a lot of hype around Wingnut Wings kits. I've seen them winning again and again at scale model competitions, and I've heard a lot online about how detailed and how amazing these expensive kits are. So I finally took the plunge and started one. Does it live up to the hype? Are Wingnut Wings worth it?
Before we begin I have to set the record straight on a couple of things:
- My views are based on a sample size of one. This is the first WNW kit I've built. So my views on all Wingnut Wings kits as a whole probably aren't terribly statistically sound!
- At this stage I'm only about 20-25% into the build.
- Full disclosure - this kit was provided to me gratis by HobbyLink Japan (their website is here) to review. There has been no editorial influencing, no pressure to review the kit one way or the other, but I felt in the interests of honesty I had to disclose that up front.
So, with that out of the way, what is the kit like?
The kit: Wingnut Wings 1/32 scale Fokker E.IV
It. Is. Detailed.
So, so detailed.
I had been planning to build this quite quickly, to do it as a refresher away from what I usually build (I haven't built a WWI aircraft model in about 20 years!). But the kit is so detailed, so intricate, that you really can't rush it. To do so would not be doing justice to the engineering of the kit, to the potential of the kit.
I was all set to be quite skeptical of the hype. Surely one kit is much the same as another, right? But I have to admit that this Wingnut Wings kit is pretty special. The plastic is very forgiving - even when separating the finest, flimsiest pieces from the sprue, it doesn't shatter or snap. The instructions are an absolute joy, with a phenomenal range of references. The fit is pretty amazing.The engineering is just clever.
All that said though, there are some down sides. I won't give too much away here, you'll have to watch the video, but it's not all breathless fanboying from me here. There are compromises, and there are moments when the incredible detail is just too much - sometimes it feels like gilding the lily.
So what are you waiting for? Watch the video now! And if you like the look of it, you can purchase the kit here from HobbyLink Japan.
Video is embedded below, but in case that doesn't work here is the link:
Wingnut Wings scale model kits - are they really that good?
Cheers,
Dave
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