The Falke is an outgrowth of the Maschinen Krieger/SF3D lore. As a fan, I was excited by the pre-release artwork. The kit has a pilot with optional helmet, crew chief, and rotary cannon, and the crew compartment hatch can be opened and closed. Included are painting and decal-placement placards for the six markings.
I started with the figures because the pilot has to go in the cockpit after the first step. They are multi-part with sizeable seams and gaps. I used the pilot's "A.I." helmet for a more futuristic look. Both figures were painted with Tamiya field gray and flesh, and weathered with Tamiya pastels.
I followed the instructions' order of assembly to the letter. In the cockpit (Tamiya German gray with a gloss black instrument panel), the backrest (Part D20) needed to be cut so the hinge could lay flat. I found this out the hard way after assembly, when the hinge was not going down all the way. I used a motor tool to remove plastic for a better ft.
The hardest part of the top and bottom halves of the hull was where the seam divides the plates on all four corners. I found the best solution was to make new plates from .010" plastic and sand off the mismatched plate.
With six paint schemes to choose from, I settled on JG5 Unt. Offz. Wesley "Ghost" Smith's black stealth scheme. The model was painted overall with Floquil grimy black, with Testors marker-red recognition stripes (with a little white added). The antigravity globes are Testors RLM 76. Testors Metalizer burnt metal, aluminum, and titanium appear in the hot section at the rear of the aircraft. For the cannon, I used burnt metal and burnt iron. The decals went down OK over a gloss coat, except the skull decal did not fit - so, I painted it with Tamiya flat white. I flat-coated the model with Testors Dullcote.
If you're tired of building World War II stuff, this kit is a refreshing change. Armor and aircraft modeling skills can be put to use without worrying that the model doesn't have all the panel lines, rivets, or correct shape. Just build and enjoy! It's a little tricky, so I recommend this kit to intermediate-and-above modelers. It took me 25 hours to complete.
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