Curtiss XP-62

Anigrand, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by John Doerr

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Anigrand Craftswork has built a tradition of releasing unique resin models that main stream companies do not cover.  I can’t imagine, given their esoteric subject matter of experimental and prototype aircraft that the major companies would ever sell enough to recover their investment.  The release of these aircraft does fill a niche that somewhere, at least one or more of their kits would appeal to most modelers, to complete their particular collection.  Also to their credit Anigrand has a reputation of high quality, well fitting casting.

History

The Curtiss Airplane was in deep trouble.  They had been the leading fighter producer with the P-36 and P-40s but it seems they suffered from a hardening of the corporate arteries.  As much as they tried to update their P-40 line or advance new designs, it seems that their designs just never seemed to be good enough to warrant both the investing money into the programs and upsetting the wartime production quotas.  XP-62 was built to fulfill the high altitude interceptor mission.  Only one was built and quietly scrapped before even completing the test program.  The XP-62 was the last Curtiss designed prop fighter.  Below are links to two sites that cover the history of the XP-62.  Both sites present good brief histories of the XP-62

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_XP-62

http://www.anigrand.com/AA2076_XP-62.htm

The Anigrand XP-62 kit consists of 30 pieces, nine of which are the engine and prop.  The moldings are done in a tan resin with crisp petite recessed line lines.  The parts come loose, as in the photo, with very little flash and no pour reservoirs, just a few stubs.  Clean up of the parts appears quite minimal and easy.

Dry fitting the fuselage halves together revealed an outstanding match up.  The resin canopy was just slightly cloudy bit no worse than most plastic kits.  A dip in Future and it became crystal clear.

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Problems

There are some problems, but most are unrelated to the kit.  One is there is no parts diagram, just a vague exploded drawing.  It is a bit disconcerting when opening the bag and assorted rod shaped pieces of resin tumble out.  The examination of the drawing leaves much to be desired.  However, after much comparing and head scratching I discovered only two of the many rod-shaped pieces are necessary, the control stick and antenna mast.  The seat is very generic looking and so is the control stick.  If I were building this kit for my personal collection I would replace both with plastic that had more “character”.   There was a large unsightly blob of resin on the underside of the left wingtip and the right wing tip had a few holes.   A few minutes of sanding and some gap filling CA will take care of those areas.  The other major problem is the subjects themselves.  In the Case of XP-62 I found very little in the way of photos or documentation and will be basing my painting on general practices of the time.

Given the simple nature of the kit and general ease of construction, I would recommend this kit to modelers of average abilities and the financial resources to afford it, and the interest in unique airplanes.   This kit would be an excellent introduction to those who have not built a resin kit before. 

Recommended.

Thanks to Nostalgic Plastic for the review sample
Parts layout photo from Anigrand Craftswork; www.anigrand.com

Review Text Copyright © 2008 by John Doerr
Page Created 21 May, 2008
Last updated 21 May, 2008

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