WARRIOR MODEL 1:72 AM-X
'INBOX Review'

 

Reviewer: Johan De Wolf (rec.models.scale)   

Kit Detail

History

Around 1973 Alitalia started a design study for an aircraft that would be able to replace the Fiat G.91 and that would be a cheap addition to the larger more complex and expensive Tornado. The initial design, G.292, was an improved G.91. Around the same time Aermacchi was looking into designing a lightweight fighter. Towards the end of the seventies Embraer was working on the design of a long range light attack aircraft for the Brazilian airforce called the A-X. Aermacchi, already having a strong presence in the FAB with their MB.326, proposed their MB.340 light strike design to be developed with Embraer. However the MB.340 did not meet the requirements of the Italian airforce. Aermacchi withdrew from the project and Embraer unable to finance development on its own terminated the project.

In 1978 Aermacchi and Alitalia teamed up to answer a request of the AMI for a design that could replace the G.91 and F-104G/S. By 1979 a contract was awarded for the development of their AM-X design. Early 1981 Embraer joint in to see if this new design could also be adapted to fulfil the FAB requirements. The result was positive and in July of the same year contacts where signed that would see 187 machines built for the AMI and 79 for the FAB. The first Italian built example took of for it first flight on 15 May 1984. Just 15 days later it crashed on its 5th flight fatally wounding the pilot. To combat the turbine surge that caused the crash, Rolls Royce modified the engine. The second prototype flew for the first time in November of the same year soon followed by the 3rd machine. The first Brazilian built machine, the 4th prototype first flew on 16 October 1985.

Introduction into AMI service in 1989 was troublesome with many technical and mechanical problems. However these have been ironed out since and the AMX performed flawlessly during intensive operations over former Yugoslavia. In Italy the AMX was dubbed Ghibli (a dessert storm). Other airforces often refer to it as the pocket Tornado because of its accuracy and impressive weapons array. Despite its formidable capability at an affordable price no export orders have been booked for the AMX. Design studies for an electronic warfare version, AMX-E, based on the two-seater are now well underway.

The Kit

The sturdy box contains 7 bags with resin and metal parts. Casting is crisp and bubble free on the resin parts. The metal bits show very fine detail but need careful cleaning up. The vacuform canopy is very clear but the mould must be damaged because my example had two “scratches” on it. The larger parts fit well, however the interior parts need careful trimming to make them fit. Construction notes are in Italian only (except colour notes which are in English) include a history, a single construction diagram, a 3-view scale drawing and a “see through technical drawing”. The impressive decal sheet comes with its own 6 page instruction set. The quality of printing of this decal sheet is the highest I’ve seen in a resin kit so far.

Accuracy

The fuselage is slightly too short (3mm) but it is not noticeable. Span is spot on. Detail like the panel lines and various smaller protrusions are highly accurate. The metal landing gear is also an excellent representation of the real thing. The ejection seat is perfectly usable, but to do the rest of the kit justice it should be replaced by a Martin-Baker mk.10L from the Aeroclub range. One notable omission from the kit is the emergency arrestor hook, bit it will be easy to scratchbuilt it. The blister for the 20mm Vulcan cannon is molded on, so to build a Brazilian machine some minor adjustment is necessary. Brazilian AMX’s have 2 30mm DEFA cannons. Also a suitable IFR probe needs to be found. Because of the small airframe and the relatively large canopy the AMX has a bit of a caricatured look about it. The kit captures this look very well.

Construction

This is a pretty straight forward affair. The gear wells are fitted first. Take your time making them fit at the correct angle, or you’ll run into trouble later when fitting the gear legs. The cockpit is made up of 4 resin parts and a white metal control column. There is finely raised detail on the side consoles and instrument panel, which will show up nicely after dry brushing. As mentioned earlier the cockpit assembly will need some trimming to fit between the fuselage halves. It is not noted on the construction diagram, but to be safe add some weight to the nose. The tailpipe is closed which doesn’t look very realistic. So drill out the rear end, and install a piece of pipe of the appropriate diameter. The intakes are moulded without a seam and look very good. Next the wings and tailplanes can be added. The fit is very good so little filler will be needed. The landing gear is very delicate and a bit fiddly to install, but it should be strong enough to support the model. The gear doors need to be sanded down a bit as they are too thick. Use some thin clear plastic from a blister packing to scratch  build a HUD. Dry fitting the canopy revealed a good fit at the first try, pretty exceptional for garage industry kits. A full set of wing pylons is provided in addition to the wingtip launch rails with their sidewinders. Finally a multitude of antennae, pitots and small intakes (some scratchbuilt) can be fitted.

Colours and decals

The instructions mention a few colours, in humbrol numbers, for major details. The smaller details are left up to the modeller. The instruction sheet of the decals offer some more colours for the outside of the aircraft in FS numbers. The decal sheet offers options for no less than 6 aircraft. 5 Italian machines, all in a single grey colour, and one Brazilian example in a two-tone grey scheme. The Italian machines are:

-         51-16 and 51-35 of 103rd  gruppo 51st stormo based at Treviso-Istrana

-         RS-13 of 13th gruppo 32nd stormo based at Villafranca

-         3-05 of 132nd gruppo 3rd stormo also based at Villafranca

-         2-04 of 14th gruppo 2nd stormo based at Istrana

The Brazilian machine is FAB 5501 of 16th gruppo 1st escuadrao. This is the first Brazilian production machine. It is from before American style tailcodes were introduced and it is devoid of the interesting squadron emblem.

Conclusion

This is a very nice kit. It is better than the Aeroclub offering and certainly more detailed. I would say it is on the same level as the latest CMK offerings if not better. Besides perhaps Italeri it seems unlikely any mainstream producer will ever offer an AMX. So if you have to have one in your collection, this is the one to go for. Warrior offers an AMX in 1/48 scale too and it is as good as its smaller brother.

 

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