AMX Single Seat Fighter

Kinetic, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Mick Evans

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This release from Kinetic depicts an injection moulded kit of the AMX developed by Aeritalia-Aeromacchi of Italy and Embraer of Brazil as a joint venture.

The AMX is a light attack aircraft with a main role of ground attack in visual and marginal weather conditions.  The primary roles for the AMX include long range strike and interdiction, close air support, reconnaissance and armed patrol.  The AMX can carry up to 3,800kg of weapons both air to air and air to ground.  It is powered by the Rolls Royce Spey Mk 807 non-after burn turbofan engine.

Kinetic’s 1/48 scale kit represents an AMX and A1-A.

The kit contains over 180 light grey injection moulded parts, 15 etched metal and 13 clear parts. 

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Thumbnail panels:

Surface detail is fine and restrained. Kinetic seem to improve with every kit they produce.  The detail represents the panel lines of the AMX without being overdone but also accurately represents the heavier rivet detail around the engine exhaust where the airflow would have already separated from the fuselage skin. 

The fuselage is made up from two main assemblies with optional front fuselage areas to represent the twin cannon armed A1-A, or the single rotary canon armed AMX.  The intakes have full intake ducting back to the engine compressor face and this is a big plus.  The intakes look to be a tricky assembly which will require time and patience as the two intake halves need to be assembled within the fuselage halves before the fuselage halves are assembled.

The cockpit looks very busy with the detail supplied.  The cockpit builds from 13 parts with alternate instrument panels and shrouds to match either the A1-A or AMX.  The ejection seat also has great detail making up from 6 parts including etched metal harness assembly.

The wings are a complex assembly with panel detail that looks great and correct.  Separate leading edge flaps are provided and can be positioned in the up or down positions.  Also included are separate ailerons and trailing edge flaps which include a complex flap vane assembly.

Separate elevators and rudder are also supplied and makes it easy for the modeller to display these in the displaced position.

The wheel wells look good with sufficient detail in the nose wheel well and excellent detail in the main wheel well. 

Wheels are provided in typical Kinetic style of separate wheel hubs sandwiched between two tyre halves.

The transparencies are crystal clear and well moulded and the canopy is broken into two parts to allow the canopies to be positioned in the open position.

Ordnance

The stores supplied for this kit are as follows:

• 2 x 580 lt underwing fuel tanks

• 2 x 1100 lt underwing fuel tanks

• 2 x AIM 9L Sidewinder Missiles

• 2 x AIM 9X Sidewinder Missiles

• 4 x AMRAAM

• 2 x MK-20 Rockeye cluster bombs

• 2 x GBU-12 Laser guided 500lb bomb

• 2 500lb bombs

• 1 x centreline reconnaissance pod

Not all weapons are used.

Markings

There are 3 schemes provided by Kinetic for this kit are as follows:

• Aeritalia-Aeromacchi Embraer A1-A of 1/16 Grupo de aviacao-esq. Adelphi based at Rio de Janerio Brasil in 2008.  The aircraft is finished in Dark Green FS24092 and Medium Grey FS26176 overall camouflage.

• Aeritalia-Aeromacchi Embraer AMX of 51 Stormo “Black Cats attached to the International Security Assistance Force Task Group based in Afghanistan in 2009. This aircraft is finished in overall Sky Grey FS26280.

• Aeritalia-Aeromacchi Embraer AMX of 51 Stormo – 132 Gruppo Caccio Bombardleri Ricognitori based at Treviso Istrana in 2007. This aircraft is finished in overall Sky Grey FS26280.

Decals are in register and colour looks good. They are printed by Cartograf.

Overall another excellent kit and a big kudos to Kinetic for this release.  The kit allows the modeller to build both single seat versions of both the AMX and A1-A, but by the breakdown of the kit a dual seat version may be in the wind.

At less than USD$30, it represents outstanding value too!

Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Lucky Model for the samples

Review Text Copyright © 2015 by Mick Evans
Images Copyright © 2015 by Brett Green
Page Created 12 June, 2015
Last updated 12 June, 2015

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