Reviews : Meng J-20 Stealth Fighter 1-48

The Meng 1/48 Chinese J-20 Stealth Fighter, Kit LS-002 has a copyright year that is listed as 2023. Shortly before the release of this Meng kit, Trumpeter had released their 1/48 model kit of this same aircraft. In my opinion, the Meng kit is the better of the two options due to crispness of the molded parts, precision fit of the parts, ease of build, and high-quality decals. Two clear canopy parts are included in this kit, one of the canopies has raised surface detail on its inner surface to replicate the detonation cord. The other canopy is a clear smooth part to be used with a photo-etch detonation cord part that is supposed to be bent into the appropriate shape and then installed beneath the canopy. I opted for painting the raised surface detail on the inside of canopy for my build of this aircraft. I also assembled and installed the seated pilot figure that is also included in this kit. Instructions are provided in a booklet type format with easy-to-follow step by step instructions. Although the kit builds up relatively quickly, some deviation from the order in the instructions is necessary to facilitate painting. I did experience some difficulty with the canopy frame fit to the fuselage, however with some pressure glueing I was able to obtain an acceptable fit. If the builder opts to build the aircraft with the canopy open, then this is not an issue, however, this was slightly problematic for me because I wanted the canopy closed with the pilot seated inside. The clear canopy part also did not precisely fit into the canopy frame, so I had to use Micro Krystal Klear to seal up some gaps along this seam line. As I opted to build all of the missile bays open, I experienced some difficulty attaching the weapons bay covers in the open position on the belly of the aircraft. The cheek missile bay covers were less difficult to install. I had to study the instructions carefully to figure out how to install all of these covers correctly. Landing gear assembly was also challenging; however, fitment of these parts was precise. To replicate the tri-tonal camouflage paint scheme on the aircraft, I used acrylic Vallejo paint applied free hand using an Iwata HP-C Plus airbrush with a 0.3 mm needle at 20 psi. Colors used were Vallejo Model Color 70.905 Blue Grey Pale, Vallejo Model Air 71.049 Sea Gray and Vallejo Model Color Sky Grey 70.989. To paint the detonation cord on the clear canopy part, I used a toothpick dipped in the Sky Grey paint to apply the paint to the raised area on the interior canopy surface. I then used a clean toothpick to clean up areas where necessary. There is also a targeting system clear part behind the nose cone on the undersurface of the aircraft that has a complex frame that requires painting. I used the same toothpick poking technique to paint the framing on that part. Just use the other clean pointed end of the toothpick to remove excess paint. I airbrushed Tamiya Clear Yellow on the inside of this part as called out for in the kit's instructions. I also used an airbrush to apply Testors Clear Green to the clear HUD part in this kit. Simulating the complex paint scheme on this aircraft required careful masking of all the edges of the flight control surfaces of this aircraft. Some areas of the fuselage also have to be carefully masked off. Tamiya Masking Tape is highly recommended for this purpose. It is also highly recommended that the builder allow ample drying time between color applications to prevent color peeling during paint mask removal. This model also has several sensors that have red-tinted clear parts that are installed inside the fuselage. I used Hasegawa Liquid Mask to mask off these parts prior to paint. Decals are of excellent quality and will work well with Micro Set solution. I did not have to use the stronger Micro Sol for these decals. I used three types of cement for this build: Tamiya Extra Thin, Tamiya Regular and Gorilla Cyanoacrylate Glue. For the clear and red tinted parts I used Micro Krystal Klear to prevent fogging. Due to the complicated paint scheme, extensive decal sheet and complex subassemblies encountered during this build, this model is recommended for intermediate to advanced fine scale modelers with patience, assembly, airbrushing and decal application skills.