In Box Review of Williams Bros. 1/32nd Scale Seversky P-35/S2 Fighter
Kit no. 32-135
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $28.95
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $28.95
THE KIT:
Williams Bros. is now based in Round Rock, Texas. At the time my kit was released they were based in San Carlos, CA.
The kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box. The box art shows 2 P-35's flying above the clouds. The one in the foreground is overall bare metal with a yellow cowling front, red and white alternating horizontal stripes behind a dark-blue vertical bar on the rudder. It has a black PA over 96 on the rudder, a black eagle on the fuselage sides and black PA 96 above the left wing and below the right wing with the word ARMY and black wing walk areas.
The P-35 behind it is a R2 racer. It is overall medium-metallic-green, with a yellow cowling and fuselage band, bare metal propeller blades with a black rear-side on them, a black anti-glare panel in front of the windscreen. yellow pinstripe down the side of the fuselage with a large yellow 77 on it. A small black NX70-Y on the rudder flap and also in black above the right wing and below the left.
One side panel has a one-paragraph history of the P-35, over the kit features: "Parts and decals to allow building either a military pursuit or a civilian racing aircraft, 2 types of wheels (hard and flexible tires), 2 types of canopies, detailed interior." Kit is for experienced modelers, over Williams Bros. street address when they were in San Marcos, Ca.
Williams Bros. is now based in Round Rock, Texas. At the time my kit was released they were based in San Carlos, CA.
The kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box. The box art shows 2 P-35's flying above the clouds. The one in the foreground is overall bare metal with a yellow cowling front, red and white alternating horizontal stripes behind a dark-blue vertical bar on the rudder. It has a black PA over 96 on the rudder, a black eagle on the fuselage sides and black PA 96 above the left wing and below the right wing with the word ARMY and black wing walk areas.
The P-35 behind it is a R2 racer. It is overall medium-metallic-green, with a yellow cowling and fuselage band, bare metal propeller blades with a black rear-side on them, a black anti-glare panel in front of the windscreen. yellow pinstripe down the side of the fuselage with a large yellow 77 on it. A small black NX70-Y on the rudder flap and also in black above the right wing and below the left.
One side panel has a one-paragraph history of the P-35, over the kit features: "Parts and decals to allow building either a military pursuit or a civilian racing aircraft, 2 types of wheels (hard and flexible tires), 2 types of canopies, detailed interior." Kit is for experienced modelers, over Williams Bros. street address when they were in San Marcos, Ca.
There are 4 color box arts of other aircraft kits that Williams Bros. manufactures: a Gee Bee R-1, a Wedell-Williams racer, a Caudron racer and a Gee Bee Z and engine and machine gun kits.
The other side panel has 5 more color box arts of aircraft kits Williams Bros. makes: a Douglas World Cruiser, a Boeing 247, a Northrop Gamma, a Martin B-10B and a Curtiss C-46. No kit numbers or scales are given for any of these.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX:
The kit contains 2 medium-gray trees in a sealed clear cello bag and black vinyl tires and the clear parts in another sealed clear cello bag, 2 loose medium-gray fuselage halves and a white strip of thin plastic, the decal sheet and 2 instruction sheets and IPMS USA membership application blank.
The kit contains 2 medium-gray trees in a sealed clear cello bag and black vinyl tires and the clear parts in another sealed clear cello bag, 2 loose medium-gray fuselage halves and a white strip of thin plastic, the decal sheet and 2 instruction sheets and IPMS USA membership application blank.
I also bought the Model Technologies brand brass PE set of 1930's style seat belts & buckles for $3.50 and will add these to this model when I build it.
Parts fit the kit tight in all 4 directions and some of them have broken off the trees.
The decal sheet is huge at 9 1/4" x 7".
The decal sheet is huge at 9 1/4" x 7".
The first instructions consists of a single sheet printed on both sides in large 11" x 17" format.
The face side has black and white photos at the top of an actual P-35 that show the schemes offered in this kit, over the history and specifications for them
The reverse side of the sheet has line drawings to use for decal placements on either version. Sheet is folded several times to fit the box.
The second instruction sheet is printed on just one side. It has 2 exploded drawings that are very, very busy and confusing to use for assembly. Bad move Williams Bros. !!
Trees are not alphabetized or illustrated in the instructions.
What hasn't broken off the first large medium-gray tree is: the cowling, wing tops and center section, rudder etc. (12 parts)
The face side has black and white photos at the top of an actual P-35 that show the schemes offered in this kit, over the history and specifications for them
The reverse side of the sheet has line drawings to use for decal placements on either version. Sheet is folded several times to fit the box.
The second instruction sheet is printed on just one side. It has 2 exploded drawings that are very, very busy and confusing to use for assembly. Bad move Williams Bros. !!
Trees are not alphabetized or illustrated in the instructions.
What hasn't broken off the first large medium-gray tree is: the cowling, wing tops and center section, rudder etc. (12 parts)
The second large medium-gray tree holds: the main wheels, tail wheel, other wing and rudder halves, landing-gear legs etc. (15 parts)
The third small medium-gray tree holds: the joy stick, machine guns etc. (23 parts)
The loose medium-gray parts are the 2 fuselage halves.
The clear tree has alternate cockpit canopies and wing light lenses on it (8 parts)
The rubber tires are an alternate to the plastic ones.
The loose parts are the engine, propeller blades, cockpit bulkheads and seat and a fire extinguisher I have painted.
Nice raised detail. Flaps are all molded solid.
Recommended.
Recommended.