Kinetic 1/48 Fouga Magister Kit First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | July 2015 | Manufacturer | Kinetic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Fouga Magister | Scale | 1/48 |
| Kit Number | 48059 | Primary Media | Styrene, Photo-Etch |
| Pros | Nice details | Cons | Nothing noted |
| Skill Level | Basic | MSRP (USD) | $24.99 |
First Look
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The Magister entered production 1954 with over 900 examples built. A carrier-capable variant was also produced as the CM.175 Zephyr. The type was produced by Fouga in France and license-built by Heinkel-Messerschmitt in Germany, IAI in Israel, and Valmet in Finland. The Magister has seen military service in at least 25 countries and can be found flying in the warbird community today.
Kinetic first released this kit last year and has released the kit in Austrian Air Force markings. Molded in light gray styrene, this kit is rendered on three parts trees plus one tree of clear parts and one small fret of photo-etch parts.
Among the features and options of the kit:
- Nicely detailed cockpits
- Very detailed nosegear structure in the nose
- Nose hatch is removable to reveal avionics, nosegear structure, and gun bay
- Full-length intake and exhaust ducts with engine faces fore and aft
- Choice of positionable canopies or single-piece closed canopies/windscreen
- Positionable landing gear
- Positionable flaps
- Positionable ailerons
- Positionable dorsal and ventral speed brakes
- Landing gear hubs are molded separately from tires for ease of painting
- Optional underwing weapons pylons
- Optional rockets for underwing pylons
This release has three marking options:
- CM.170, 4D-YD, Austrian AF
- CM.170, 4D-YE, Austrian AF
- CM.170, 4D-YL, Austrian AF
These decals are nicely done and include a nice suite of airframe stenciling - painting instructions are provided using RAL numbers.
This is another very nice release from Kinetic and fills another gap in the trainer subject list.
My sincere thanks to Lucky Model for this review sample!