Piper Cub L4H (0-59)

Bronco, 1/35 scale

Reviewed by Luke Pitt

Bronco's 1/35 scale Piper Cub will be available online from Squadron.com
 

Bronco is a relatively new Chinese company that has, up until recently, only released 1/35 scale armour kits. It is most welcome then that they have seen fit to branch out and do and aircraft in the now “standard” 1/35 armour scale.

The general outline and shape of the aircraft conforms well to published plans.

The plastic parts are moulded to a high standard for the most part but, strangely, have some parts that are either over scale or not moulded as well as the others. Take for example the engine cylinders. The flutes of the cylinders are way too thick and should be replaced but the top of the wing features subtle fabric texture that is very well done.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

The cockpit is presented to a fair standard but I would have liked more detail. A photo etched instrument panel would have helped here but alas this is not included on the photo etch fret provided. The seats are fairly basic (as they were in the real aircraft) and would need to be replaced if you wished to detail the interior. However, the real aircraft was very spartan on the inside so it should be a simple matter to detail it with plastic card.

The main parts fit well and there should be not much need for putty. You will need putty for the lower wing however as Bronco has seen fit to mould the access covers on the bottom half of the wing as huge recessed holes (they look more like large formation lights - the underside would look like a Christmas tree when lit up if they were - ed.) when in fact they should be flush.

The clear parts are done well for the most part but seem to be a tad thick. I guess Bronco may have chosen this route to support the weight of the wing. Even so, the clear parts are very clear and free of distortion.

The photo etch provides items like the seat belt buckles, radio faces and some replacement cockpit framing should you wish to model the aircraft with the side hatch open.

A resin figure is included and for 1/35 scale he is quite tall, scaling out at around 6’ 4”. I guess he’s a Texan . The detail on the figure is only fair.

The decal sheet is printed by Cartograph and 4 marking options are included on the decal sheet.

1. The first is for an aircraft that operated in Africa during operation Torch that which is olive drab and grey with a yellow nose. This machine has the early yellow boarded national insignia.

2. The second machine is again in olive drab and grey and has the latter style star and bar insignia.

3. The third machine is a well-known example that operated over Normandy and includes invasion stripes. This machine is featured on the front cover and page 39 of Squadron's “US Liaison Aircraft in Action”

4. The last aircraft is in overall silver dope and operated out of England.

In summary, this isn’t a bad kit, nor is it a kit that can’t be fixed easily.

I guess we modellers have come to expect a great deal of late. If this kit was released maybe 10 or even 5 years ago it would have been greeted with much fanfare and praise. I think it should be noted that this kit, if painted well, would be a showstopper right out of the box.

I recommend this kit as ideal for a younger modeller (due to the small number of parts, size and ease of construction) or even a less experienced (or less fussy) modeller who wants to put his basic modelling skills to use.

Thanks to Bronco Models via Terry Ashley for the sample.

Review and Text Copyright © 2007 by Luke Pitt
Page Created 04 January, 2007
Last updated 24 December, 2007

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