L-39 ZO Albatros
Interior Set

CMK

Reviewed by Brett Green

Last month's review of the CMK L-39ZO Conversion Set piqued my curiosity to the extent that I went out and bought the MPM kit. This is evidence of a strange malady suffered by this reviewer. Other examples include reviewing the 1/72 scale Liveries Unlimited C-97 decals and buying two of those enormous kits, and now a previously unknown urge to buy the Trumpeter A-10 after seeing Cutting Egde's cockpit.

MPM's 1/48 scale L-39ZO Albatross is a nice kit. The outline looks good, surface detail is crisply engraved and consistent, and the plastic is smooth. However, one of the obvious shortcomings of the kit is the cockpit. Detail is mediocre at best, and this will be very obvious even if the large vacform canopy is left closed.

CMK's Cockpit Set comes to the rescue. 15 parts in well-cast resin and two photo-etched frets will vastly improve the Albatros front office.

Resin parts include a large tub cast in a single piece covering the floor, side consoles and rear bulkheads for both the forward and aft pilots' positions, two identical (including the harness drape) ejection seats, two instrument panels and coaming, control columns, and four upper sidewalls. 

The photo etched frets contain the instrument surrounds (instruments are supplied on a separate acetate sheet), throttles, switches, harness fasteners, and a frightening array of canopy mounts. One fret is devoted to internal frames for the kit's vacform canopy. I can't help thinking that bending these frames into the perfect shape to mate perfectly with the flexible vacform canopy might be more trouble than it is worth. However, the kit does supply a spare canopy, so if you feel like a challenge, you can risk it!

The main tub is a particularly impressive casting. Side consoles are appropriately detailed, and the bulkheads are criss-crossed with plumbing. The floor features panel lines, and the lower sides of the console even have the stamped metal pattern in place. The separate upper sidewall pieces are equally nice. The quilted texture looks very realistic. The seats look a little plain on their casting block, but will look much busier with the addition of 17 etched parts!

The only real disappointment with this set is the lack of definitive colour reference beyond a Humbrol reference number.

I see that CMK have now also released an inadequately-labelled "Air Intake Set" for the MPM Albatros. This includes not only the intake, but the engine face, exhaust and wheels. There won't be much styrene left if CMK keep releasing L-39 detail sets at this rate!

CMK's 1/48 scale Interior Set will be a valuable enhancement to anyone building the MPM L-39ZO Albatros.

 Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Squadron for the review sample.

CMK's 1/48 scale L-39 ZO Albatros Interior Set  is available online from Squadron.com

Review Copyright © 2001 by Brett Green
Page Created 23 May, 2001
Last updated 22 July, 2003

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