Clunkmeister

This should be a very close match for the interior green used by Aichi.

There are NO complete Vals in existence today, although there are a few projects being restored from multiple crashed aircraft bits. Sorta like 99% of the 2 gazillion T-6s fling today, but different. 🤣

I found one very prominent ejector tower in the cockpit area. I took basic care to remove it, and although there are some scratches in the plastic afterwards, I’ll fill it with dissolved putty. The cockpit sidewalls were very cluttered on this aircraft, and it looks like Infinity won’t disappoint, there are all sorts of doohickeys, gigglers, tuckies, even the Machine that goes PING! All attached to the sidewalls.

The fuselage interior sides have a TON of detail, and there are multiple ribs and a few stringers to add on the cockpit sidewalls. I’m happy to say that everything actually fits, and fits well, although I had to adjust the curvature of a couple ribs to ensure they lay flush against the sidewall.

First blood: just for kicks, I cut out and stacked the main extra cost engine components, friction fit, to get a look at how it appears. Tomorrow I’ll stack the kit engine and compare the two. The aftermarket engine looks positively amazing! DETAIL!

So here we are. As far as I know, this is either THE first, or at least one of the very first Val’s to be built other than by Infinity and HPH product testers. This kit looks extremely promising to me, and as a guy who not only has built and finished the Helldiver, but also has the Vampire kit, I can say that quite simply put, this kit FEELS much more substantial than either of the two previous kit releases. The plastic feels and looks a lot like what is used on the 1/32 IBG P.11c, and the detail astounds. I purchased all the extra cost add on kits, thinking that I’ll need them, but the kit parts here really surprised me. In a good way. I won’t be folding the wings, and I’m going to compare the other add on kits with the kit parts, then use what I think is the best. I’d like to take this to the US Nationals in Texas, assuming it’s done in time.

Well guys (and gal). My Hurricane llb build is now at a screeching halt as I wait for a replacement sprue with the landing lights to come from Germany. I have looked at possibly using different lights from the Fly kit, but the Revell kit’s are much different, and, I think, look better. So, in the week or two I’m stopped, I’ll start on the Aichi Val.

Last Thursday, one of the landing lights, all nicely detailed, dropped onto the floor, and despite having completely disassembling my build room to find it, it is long gone. No carpet on the floor, just hardwood, and it’s still simply vanished. I saw it hit the floor and go shooting off somewhere. On this aircraft, the lights are very visible behind their covers, so they can’t be explained away if not there. I guess I’ll try to beg another appropriate sprue from Revell. 😡

I think so, yes. Everyone and their dog are building Spitfires, so away ago with the Val.

Agreed, Phil. This looks like a nice kit.

I’m unsure why the open canopy didn’t get published, but here it is. In person, it seems normal. The canopy is a lot less tall than the Helldiver, so it might look a bit thick, but it’s actually quite nice.

Hahahaha. Nope

I must be the only guy in the world who is not sent into hot flashes by the Beaufighter. To me, it’s cool and all, but I also remember people talking about it as a widowmaker. A very large number of crews set out in one, doing U-Boat suppression patrols, and just plain disappeared. No log references from U Boat Commanders or German radio intercepts, nothing. Liberators may have occasionally been the losers in some gunfights with U Boats, (not normally, though) but they generally made a big enough of a stink that U Boat Commanders were able to talk to their bases.

Martin, I think this kit is gonna be a winner for Infinity. Talk about a license to print money!

Rog, political and openly religious posts are not supposed to be on the public part of the forum. We DID do a Ukraine GB, but it was all encompassing. Maybe a mistake? Who knows, but it brought in new builders who had never been here before. I know there are comments about this and that regarding AM and kitmakers in that part of the world, but I, for one, buy from manufacturers on both sides. As far as religion, what do you refer? Personally, I say “I pray” this or that, but it’s a figure of speech. Or “I’m feeling blessed” as in something great happened, or whatever. We have a Christmas raffle. We wish Happy Easter. ’m praying for your fast recovery”, etc. If I’m missing something, let me know. Please. We build models of warplanes and armor. Plus ships, etc. that by their very nature are “political” as they have National markings. I personally despise what the crooked cross has become. But our models feature it. Please do me a favor. If you see something, say something. PM me, please. What I may see as an innocent comment, others may see as unwise. I can’t be everywhere, and neither can anyone else. We added two Global Mods to help Fran, Jeroen, and I in our jobs. We want LSM to be an inviting forum for all. Whatever Nationality, Creed, Color, Male, Female, everything. Nobody’s perfect, so please help us out!

Take a look and chime in.

A bit of history on the Aichi D3A The Aichi D3A Type 99 (Allied name Val) was an Imperial Japanese Navy carrier borne attack bomber that instantly became infamous with the Dec 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. The design was the result of a 1936 IJN request for a modern, long range attack and dive bomber capable of operating off of IJN carrier decks. The prototype first flew in 1937 and was found to wholly unsatisfactory, which meant a major redesign. The aircraft was slow, underpowered, had poor maneuverability, and was directionally unstable. After the redesign to include a much more powerful engine, all issues were fixed except for the directional stability, which was later solved on the -1 with a long strake ahead of the fin. The D3A1 became famous literally overnight as it was one half of the two pronged air attack on Pearl Harbor which seriously crippled the US Pacific Fleet. The D3A served throughout the entire Pacific war, and was used in every major Naval Aviation operation by the IJN. It proved to vulnerable to attack due to its light construction and lack of armor plate, self sealing fuel tanks, and a total offensive gun capability of three .303 caliber machine guns: two fixed in the cowl to fire forward, and one for the observer on a flexible mount. . However, the D3A turned out to be a quite competent dogfighter due to it’s uncanny maneuverability. The Kit. Infinity Models announced last year that their next release will be the Aichi D3A1 Val, which would then be followed by the Nakajima B5N2 Kate, the other half of the double pronged attack on Pearl. Large scale modelers worldwide have been hoping for these two aircraft in 1/32 scale for many years, but until HPH announced it in their Infinity line as a short run kit, no manufacturers showed the slightest interest. If you want a large scale Val, here it is! There have been many negative comments from modelers who claim to have had major issues with Infinity Models kits. Poor fit, incorrect parts, etc. Most swipes were unfair, but a couple had merit. However, there have been fixes published here, which now prepare a builder for that to expect and how to fix it. So How Does it Stack up, Compared to the Previous Infinity releases? Well, let’s look…. The box itself is typical Infinity: Sturdy! A beautiful full colorblind painting of the aircraft in action over Pearl Harbor is on the box top. A small logo proudly announces that the model is a product of the Czech Republic, and another small logo states that the plastic is provided by HPH. The side of the box let’s it be known that this kit is not for beginners. Instruction booklet The instruction booklet is a well organized and attractive presentation in standard 8 1/2 x 11, and is offered in well drawn black line isometric illustrations. A brief history of the type is provided on the front cover, in Czech and English. PaInt call outs are given in MRP and AK codes. Cross referencing to Gunze, Tamiya, Mission, or any others is simple enough. The wing alignment should be pretty easy here, or at least easier than most short run kits. The wing is held steady by a massive u shaped spar that holds the center section to the outer wings. The Sprues. Plastic is offered on 8 sprues of light neutral grey styrene along with one sprue of clear parts that appear beautifully clear. Two small PE frets are included that mostly include seat belt parts. All moveable control surfaces, including the flaps, are molded separate so they can be posed off neutral. One HUGE improvement Infinity has achieved is a great reduction in the size of the sprue attach points to small, fragile parts. Well done, HPH, this right here is a huge improvement. The plastic itself reminds me of IBG Models, or even Mini Art. The texture is smooth, molding details are superb, and the plastic is not quite Hasegawa hard. When shilling parts, it cuts positively. No shattering, a d NO mashing of a part because of soft plastic The instrument board is decently molded, and should respond well to paint and kit decals. If you’re like me, Airscale decals will work as well. Closed canopy is provided molded shut, or a multiple part open unit There are lots and lots of molded on details, and much more to add. Some mold marks do exist, but that’s simply discoloration Fuselage interior shows a lot of detail. Ribs are provided individually for the builder to install. Ejector pin marks, are, thankfully, few and far between. There has been a lot of online griping on the various forums regarding test build pictures posted online, regarding supposedly excessive oil canning. I’m glad to point out that those people knew not of what they whined about, because the surface it textured with a slight oilcan effect, it’s VERY mild, and will look superb under paint. I expect the din of those people will never go away, so my advice is to simply ignore them 🤣 Fuselage oilcanning looks really, really nice. A coat of primer and paint will tone it down nicely. Be careful on the washes, this detail means lots of spots for it to collect, and it’ll overdo the effect. I will point out the only place where the Sprue gates ARE too big: on the fuselage. They’re huge, but being where they are, it’s an easy clean up. Wheels and spats look great. Unladen spatless gear legs are also provided for those who like going in the nude. The wheels come in two halves, and that detail will all be hidden behind the spats A close up of the wing texture. There was bound to be oilcanning on these aircraft, as they were VERY lightly built. The engine itself looks decent, with a nice gearbox and reduction drive, along with decent intake pipes. The exhaust itself is closed off on the end, so you’ll need to either hollow it out, or install a resin replacement part, available from HPH. The VERY prominent prop hub. The D3A1 is not use a spinner over the hub and it’s counterbalance weights. A spinner is included, though, in case you are modeling an aircraft that had been retrofitted The spinner, which wasn’t factory equipment till the D3A2 A personal nit to pick. The cowl flaps are molded shut. I like open cowl flaps. I expect the aftermarket will supply them to those who want them. More small parts. Fuselage ribs, and interior goodies. I think, at least looking at what I see here, this kit is going to be a real winner! Assuming it all fits, Infinity may be easily the most improved kit maker I’ve ever seen. This looks GREAT, y’all, and I have a feeling I may have bought some unneeded AM. Yes, there is a bit of flash to trim, but such is the case with short run kits. Color schemes and decals Infinity offers two color schemes in the kit. The fist is what I would call the classic Pear Harbor raid scheme of IJN light grey with an off black cowl. The aircraft pictured includes decals for one operating from IJN Kaga on Dec 7, 1941. We’ve all seen the pictures of the light grey Vals attacking Battleship Row, a d this is what pops into my mind when I think “Pearl Harbor.” Well, this, and Arizona exploding The second scheme is a bit different, and oneI have never seen before; a green D3A operating from IJN Soryu on Dec 7, 1941. I have a feeling there will be more than a few of this scheme built. The decal sheet is nice. Having built the Helldiver, and with Smitty having built the Meteor, I can attest to Infinity’s decals being really, really nice. They’re in register, they’re thin, tough, and settle down nicely under Micro Sol. One strange spot that has me scratching my head. Where the sprue attaches to the dorsal fin, the gate is heavy. The fuselage sides are the only areas with heavy sprue gates, but this area has an oddball flow pattern. It almost looks intentional, but I’m pretty sure it isn’t. Thankfully, it’s a 30 second swipe with a sanding stick. Area affected? About 3/8 inch. SO HOW DOES IT FIT? So, being that Infinity has developed a (mostly) underserved bad reputation, I wanted to go a bit further here, and show you if, in fact, stuff actually fits together. Are the fuselage sides the same size? Are the bulkheads actually for the D3A1, or instead, fo, say, a Fokker Trimotor? Let’s see…. VERY nice here. A bit of a gap here, but the assembly has been quick with no attempt to line it up perfectly. No matter, a bit of Evergreen if needed, and this is the best place to deal with it Tell me this doesn’t look good? It has really nice fit down here. The wing roots show a bit of a gap, but I have a sneaking suspicion these will close up nicely once the big spar is installed A nice, sturdy lip is provided to aid in wing root alignment Look at that surface detail! Bulkheads and Cockpit Floor. The Helldiver bulkheads needed rework, (heavy sanding), but can be made to fit. So, just to see where we’re at when it comes to these. The fuselage has three main bulkheads, plus a firewall and cockpit floor. I installed them without any cleanup other than cutting off the sprue nubbies and insuring the edges were square. Absolutely NO other prep was performed. These just drop into place With the bulkheads, floor, and bottom center section. VERY nice fit so far I tried the center section to verify it’s not pushing the fuselage out. It’s Not. Conclusions? Well, at first glance, and as I got a bit further into it, this kit had been planned, thought out, developed, engineered, and kitted by people who really like doing that they do. Gone are the few issues that plagued the first two releases: incorrect parts, parts way too big or way too small, massive sprue gates on tiny parts, etc. I found one, yes, ONE issue, and that was a half inch area with plastic that needs knocking down flush on the dorsal fin. The surface detail is superb, stuff appears to fit, decals look great, instructions are awesome, and we have two VERY classic Type 99 schemes. I see very little need for aftermarket: maybe some cowl flaps, that’s it. I’d grab a few of the smaller accessory packs from HPH: the 3D printed rear .303, some resin exhausts, HGW seatbelts, and maybe the PE panel just because I like PE. Other than that, I’d build this out of the box. It’s that nice. I’d dare say that this kit maybe the kit to save Infinity. This is a gloriously nice kit, and as soon as I find the Hurricane landing light I dropped on the floor, I’ll finish my Hurricane and jump right on this. I want this done for the IPMS-USA Nationals this year. BUY THIS KIT. IT’S THAT NICE.

Peter, the Felix was a really easy build. It’s just that there’s a whole lot of it there. That kit NEEDS structural flying and landing wires. EZ line won’t cut it on that one. It’ll just fall in on itself. The Helldiver kit is very much like the prototype aircraft. (And I use “prototype” as used in Model Railroading, it refers to the full size machines) The prototype aircraft were very complicated, squirrelly, and hard to master, but once crews learned how to fight the aircraft, it became the most potent weapon system the USN had in WW2. In its short front line Service Life, the SB2C sank more tonnage than any other aircraft in the entire war. Crews and aircraft working together were positively lethal towards the enemy. It’d reward competence with amazing results, but fight you every step of the way, and simply kill, no questions asked, no second chances, the incompetent or poorly trained.

Waiting for UPS to show up with the bloody Val! The ONE day I want it here on time, he’s bloody well late, the sodding fool! OK, I’m a tiny bit perturbed. 😡🤬😡🤬😡🤬

I don’t understand the willingness of so many to simply accept the constant bullying, personal attacks, and disparaging remarks. They, for the Love of God, finally recently banned Jennings and one or two other perpetual troublemakers after living with it for the best part of a decade of abuse and reports made. I remember once over there I was suddenly attacked by an apparently less than 100% sane individual, who, because of a hobby of mine involving collecting and displaying antique military arms, stated that I personally have the blood of every murdered child the world has known, on my own hands. He was simply asked to take a few weeks to reevaluate himself, and I was told not to respond. LOL I choose not to a part of the Romper Room Crowd. I’m damn near 60, and I’m sick of that crap.

Peter, good take on that. In all honesty, I’d say that John, even though he’s stopped chasing problems and now just builds mostly for fun and to fill his case, is a more accomplished builder than I am. He has built THREE HPH P-63s, where I built barely one. I enjoy the challenge of resin and short run kits. My big thing now is to work a problem kit and try to find ways to do work around a that’d be easy for an average builder to accomplish. I’m of the opinion that nobody at Infinity actually sat down and built the Helldiver from start to finish, using only the kit parts without modification, because I know for an absolute fact that can’t be done. The little triangular bulkhead in the fin root behind the gunner does not fit without a stretching machine, and yes, the famous canopy issue. Both are fixable: for the bulkhead, make one from Evergreen card stock, and the canopy can either be sectioned or use the resin kit parts. The rest is easy peasy, just measure and sand stuff to fit, as the airframe basics fit beautifully.

Hopefully Leeroy has 3 teefs and a rotten stump in his mouth, is 7 ft tall, tips the scales at 280 and they call him big man, and not because he’s physically imposing.