Sweet 1/144th FM-2 Wildcat
   

 

  
  One side of box.... ....and t'other side.  
Sweet is a very appropriate name for this company as the kits are very - as Cartmann would say - Sweeeet. I have most of the 1/144 aircraft they have released and they are just amazing little kits. Very fine recessed panel lines and beautifully detailed, accurate mouldings that rival any larger injection moulded models.
There are a few new features in the FM-2, a couple of really nice ones and a couple of somewhat bizarre ones. As usual you get two complete kits in one box, in this case two gray sprues and two dark blue sprues. For the first time though a seperate clear sprue is included for the two canopies. Previously, as in their Hurricane kit, Sweet included two canopies on each sprue but one complete aircraft was moulded in clear which means you got two 'solid' canopies and two clear canopies. The Mc. 200, which was their first kit, only included two 'solid' canopies which need to be painted to resemble clear parts - never a favourite method of mine even in this tiny scale.
There is no cockpit detail except for a headrest and seat-like structure moulded into each fuselage half, but with canopy closed I think it would suffice in this scale. The more adventurous (aka: completely loopy) of you may want to vacform the canopy and add interior detail. Pictures of your efforts are very welcome and please include the address of the institution where you are being cared for so I can visit some day. ;-)

Click, damn you, click!
 
The other new feature that I quite like is the carrier deck printed on the decal sheet (and a set of chocks is included on the sprues). This would look very effective stuck on an appropriately coloured base although I have to say it doesn't look big enough to me. Perhaps the idea is to buy another kit in order to get a large enough deck section? Sneaky....
The decals are a big improvement over previous efforts which were typical japanese kit decals: well printed but rather thick. These are printed by Cartograf of Italy and are quite thin. The registration is perfect and they have little or no carrier film. Markings are included for 5 US Navy aircraft. I'm told a later release will include parts and markings for Royal Navy Wildcat VIs.
And as for the bizarre features.....
Well, let's start with the box. I'm not at all sure about this japanese predilection for anime girls in slinky clothing and I have no idea why they thought it would be a good idea to include one on the box top of a model airplane. "Yuki", as she appears to be named, looks to be about twelve years old yet is clothed in a rather provocative sailor suit and hot pants on one side of the box. This is at best odd, and at worst somewhat disturbing. She is also curiously sporting the word NASA on her Mae West and sailor hat. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe NASA didn't evolve from NACA until well after the FM-2 was put to pasture so I haven't a clue what the relevance is.

(Ahhh!! See Yasuhiro's comment in the guestbook for the explanation - 29/03/03)
The other odd thing is the cutesy little animals populating the flight deck. I'm not sure what exactly they are; some sort of cat and/or rodent perhaps? The really odd part is that you get two of these little critters in the box - complete with decals for the bow ties, bellies and eyes. And if you scaled them up they would be monsters - about 6 feet tall and so darned cute and happy you'd run screaming at the sight of them. Well, I'd run screaming anyway.....
So, another brilliant little scale model from the likes of Sweet with a couple of sickenly cute features that really should remain in toyland. Given the quality and relatively high price (£8.00 here in jolly old England) I don't believe these kits are aimed at youngsters so I have to wonder at the inclusion of the little girl from NASA and her menagerie. Perhaps if I could read the japanese instructions all would be explained.....