PV-2 Harpoon U.S.Navy

Special Hobby, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Glen Porter

 Special Hobby's 1/72 scale PV-2 Harpoon will be available online from Squadron.com
 

Background

After the Hudson's early war success with the RAF, Lockheed decided to design a new bomber based on the bigger Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar. This aircraft entered service with the RAF as the Ventura Mk.1. The USAAF eventually acquired some and called it the B-34 and B-37 Lexington (depending on the engines fitted) and in the US Navy it was the PV-1. The Navy ordered a new version with heavier armament, lengthened wing-span, bigger tail-plane and increased fuel capacity. This was known as the PV-2 and adopted the name Harpoon. Although its speed and rate of climb dropped, its range and load capacity increased.

The Model

The first thing you will notice is the box. Not the usual end opening affair we get from MPM/Special Hobby, but a nice sturdy top opening item. The four main sprues are beautifully moulded with subtle engraved panel detail, the tiniest amount of flash and a few ejection pin marks that may have to be cleaned up to allow parts to fit together.

The “A” sprue has the two fuselage halves, nose cone halves plus a “not for use” eight gun nose from a later Mk, most of the interior parts and armament. B and C sprues are almost identical with an upper and lower wing halve at either end and in between are all those parts where you have identical bits left and right, one on each sprue. The D sprue carries tail-plane, fins, drop tanks, engine nacelles and a few other bibs and bobs.

The clear sprue comes wrapped in its own plastic bag, another thing I haven't noticed from Special Hobby before. Two of the decal options have no armament in the ventral position so you get an optional clear cover for those aircraft. All parts on this sprue are very thin and commendably clear.

There are only six resin parts, the two engines, two carburetor intake grills and two oil-cooler intake splitters. Again, all parts are well moulded in cream coloured resin and separately bagged.
 

Decals, by Aviprint, are up to the usual excellent standard we've come to expect and cover four options. A and B are both late-war aircraft in the three colour scheme, A in the Aleutian Islands, March 1945 and B, Hawaii, April 1945. C and D are post-war in over-all Glossy Sea Blue with the red bars in the national insignia. C is at NAS Los Alamitos, California with no date given and D at NAS St. Louis, 1950.

The colour guide is another new feature from Special Hobby in that its in colour, although a little on the dark side, its still better than the old line drawings we've seen so far.

As far as I know, there hasn't been a Ventura/Harpoon in 1/72 scale since the old Hobbycraft kit. Where Hobbycraft was not noted for either detail or accuracy, this kit from Special Hobby has got to be a big improvement.

Highly Recommended.

Thanks to MPM/Special Hobby for the review sample.

Review Text Copyright © 2007 by Glen Porter
Images Copyright © 2007 by Brett Green
Page Created 03 June, 2007
Last updated 24 December, 2007

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