I got mine from Battle Hobbies yesterday. Here is a quick first impression.
By far and away the best Blue Max kit yet. The surface detail is very
nice: crisp raised detail with recessed panel lines and rivets. A little
flash but this is easily removed, very little warping compared to earlier
Blue Max kits. Only one very minor sink hole. The quality of these pieces
is even better those in the Pfalz kit.
Plastic parts (the same soft gray stuff used in Pegasus kits)
...Fuselage halves, one piece lower wing, two piece upper wing, tail
surfaces, cabane struts, landing gear assembly, tail skid, propellor
White metal parts (very nicely done)
...Very nice engine with the 9 cylinder heads cast separate from the
crankcase. Cowling, interplane struts, interior framing, seat, joystick,
rudder bars, dashboard, venturi tube, and Lewis guns.
Thin piece of Contrail strut material for the tail braces
Decals for two machines: Uhmmmm...(brain spasm) the first American
Ace.... Campbel? - Number 10 from the Hat in the Ring Squadron with
standard French 5 color scheme; and a Swiss air force plane in overall
silver-grey if you don't want to do all that painting.
Comments: Hey, an INTERIOR - I guess these kits are being upgraded in
features to compete with other limited run kits - Eduard, Tom's, etc.
The sprue gates are a bit thick - remove parts with a razor saw and
use a sharp XActo blade for cleanup. No Big Deal.
A bit of mold shift on the wings. Again, No Big Deal. Cleanup is easy
with sandpaper.
The dry fit of parts after cleanup seems very good.
I was so pleased with the kit I stayed up until 1 a.m. working on it.
Now, I just want to sleep.....
Merry Christmas,
--Jesse