Tornado GR1 RAF Gulf War Fighter

I’ll get this out first and foremost - I am NOT a fan of Revell - the last kit I made from them was DECADES ago, with poor mounding, detailing and more flash than Flash Gordon. If the brand alone is enough to deter you from this kit, know that it’s still Revell (Germany) - not Tamiya or Hasegawa - but it is FAR BETTER than the Revell of old - so don’t write it off yet. The Good * Panel Line Details are phenomenal - rivets and lines are very nicely done - when you can see them - see below * Minimal flash - except for some of the clear parts and the weapon sprues * Good instructions - though some mistakes on the assembly * Decals are nice and conform very nicely to kit with minimal need for Decal setting solutions * Fit is up to Tamiya Hasegawa level * Canopies are clear with no lines or defects * Value - Nobody is going to beat this kit in value at this price point. The Bad * Shallow Faint Panel Lines - a lot of the panel lines are very thin and faint - which will not survive well after priming, let alone painting and clear coating for the wash to make them stand out. You will easily get to spend hours to make the panel lines pop out a bit more. * Instructions are inaccurate at some places - pay close attention to the main wheel struts - the parts are inverted * Pin and Ejector marks in obvious spots - nice panel lines on the wings marred by ejector marks - D’Oh!!!!! * Seat assembly is tricky (at least for me) - lotsa dry fitting required to even figure out what it should look like The Fugly * The Disappearing Panel Lines - From the top, the panel lines are clear - turn it on it’s side, they completely disappear. So you have better be good at scribing missing panel lines from different sources in the internet - ‘cuz you will easily spend more hours re-creating them! * Questionable engineering decisions - Mounting the swing wings to the fuselage is an exercise in patience - why would anyone in their right mind make those mounting holes so… small? * Questionable engineering decisions 2 - Pylon mounting mechanism on the swing wings is an inelegant engineering hack. The C-clips can break very easily (and did for me). Could have been done a lot better Assembling this kit is a labor of love - because the panel lines drove me insane! I must have easily spent 5-10 hours fixing these issues - and learning how to scribe lines better. Had it not been for that glaring issue of the disappearing panel lines and the need to rescribe the panel lines, this would have been a thoroughly enjoyable kit. Revell gave this a difficulty rating of 5 because of the lines - otherwise, it is a very easy and straightforward kit. Are there better kits? Definitely! Italeri’s GR4 tornado is out, and those clearly learned from Revell in terms of panel lines and wing assemblies - but it is also well north of $100 - so that’s a judgement call you will need to make. Overall, I consider this to be a GOOD KIT - for the detail, the size and the price you pay for it. This kit simply cannot be beat - but you will REALLY need to put a lot of work to make it shine - and definitely a labor of love