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View Full Version : BRONCO 1/35 Piper L-4 (O-59) "Grasshopper": a preview

Cazzie
October 14th, 2007, 18:22
This kit just might be one of the sweetest kits I have ever found this year.

Chris Mikish had it at Roanoke yesterday and gave me a good price on it. It sure looks sweet on the sprues, hope it fits as well as it looks. If it does, this could be one of those sleeper kits. I'll say one thing, unlike so many of the Chi-Com kits, this one has no sink holes!

The wonders of Photoshop. The boxart was too big to scan a full view, so I made 4 scans and allowed Photoshop to do a Photomerge.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/cazmodel/BRONCO%20L-4/boxart.jpg

Sprue A is the wings. It is too long for the scanner so I just did a half scan of the upper and lower section.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/cazmodel/BRONCO%20L-4/sprueA_half.jpg

Sprue B is the Fuselage, cowl, struts, rudder, horizontal tails, ailerons, instrument panel and panel combing.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/cazmodel/BRONCO%20L-4/sprueB.jpg

Sprue C contains interior tubing, seats, rudder pedals, control stick, engine parts, and landing gear.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/cazmodel/BRONCO%20L-4/sprueC.jpg

Sprue D is the clear parts, which I have already cut off of the sprue and cleaned.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/cazmodel/BRONCO%20L-4/sprueD.jpg

The photoetch sheet contains optional window trim for an open window. and all belt and harness buckles and latches. Belts and harnesses are to be made from material of choice (paper, tape, lead sheet, etc.) A small sheet of clear styrene is include to use for the the option P/E frame if one chooses to open the window. The P/E sheet also has the carburetor intake and radio, but IMHO, the plastic parts more to pass the test! About the only thing I shall probably use will be the optional aileron control horns other than the buckles..

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/cazmodel/BRONCO%20L-4/PE_clear.jpg


The instructions are an 8-page booklet, that are printed clearly, but one had best to study the P/E sheet, the wrong numbers are called out for in the belt and harness instructions. It's a little Chinglish confusion at first, but one gets around it and it makes perfect sense.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/cazmodel/BRONCO%20L-4/instructions.jpg

A profile for the three versions provided for by the decal sheet is included.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/cazmodel/BRONCO%20L-4/profiles.jpg

As if all that wasn't enough, also included is the most wonderful resin figure you have ever seen, no pip holes, excellent features, makes you want to build the model.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/cazmodel/BRONCO%20L-4/resin_figure.jpg

Caz
Collin
October 14th, 2007, 21:47
Hi Caz, I can tell you really like this one....(itsa gift...:costumes:).

Are you gonna give us a blow by glue account of this models construction?

Do the clear bits seem rather thick? is there any visual impairment when looked through?

The figure looks good but he's no Henry Fonda.:costumes:

Good posting Caz.

regards Collin:ernae:
Cazzie
October 16th, 2007, 14:06
Hi Caz, I can tell you really like this one....(itsa gift...:costumes:).

Are you gonna give us a blow by glue account of this models construction?

Do the clear bits seem rather thick? is there any visual impairment when looked through?

The figure looks good but he's no Henry Fonda.:costumes:

Good posting Caz.

regards Collin:ernae:

Colin, I'll have a blow-by-blow over at ModelersUnderGround, aka M:U:G, no need to clutter SOH with modeling topics, besides I can only post photo links here.

I can tell you that while tending to decals for the cockpit on my M:U:G Hellcat GB, I cut parts from the L-4's sprue that needed to be cemented together, i.e. tires, engine block, engine cylinders, main exhaust muffler, bedroll, just to check fit and to have them ready for doing a little sanding and cleaning tomorrow. The plastic is typical Chinese-soft. The engine cylinders have large pegs in the middle where they go together (all eight of the halves) that needs to be removed. Easy with a close crop of the sprue nippers and a little whittling with the X-Acto. Fit is pretty damn good. Be careful with liquid cement, use sparingly, the soft styrene will melt. I have no complaints and when Caz has no complaints, he is giving a thumbs up.

Typical of old DML kits, the cylinders have rectangular pegs for mounting into rectangular holes in the engine block and the holes are far too over-sized. I shall cut the mounting pegs, sand the mounts good and flat, and use a piece of styrene rod in each cylinder to mount into a like-sized drilled holes in the block.

One must read and decipher those Chingalese instructions, but dry fit of everything major (i.e. my tape together) looks to be right on.

Caz
Quicksand
October 20th, 2007, 22:46
Caz, that looks like a good kit. I used to build a bunch, but I haven't in the last few years. After seeing this kit, I may have to dust off the old tool kit and get back to it. Thanks for posting this.:applause::ernae::medals:
Bushpounder
February 21st, 2008, 08:09
You can't build that model Caz! It's the WRONG scale!! I think you should give it to your old buddy Don who builds "the bigger ones!" :icon_lol:

Don :ernae:

Caz - As you can see, I FINALLY was able to sign up here!! :applause: