Just wrapped up a set of 1/285 scale planes from I-94/Raiden. A flight of P-47’s and Bf 109’s. My thoughts on the sculpts are mixed.

The Bf 109’s were just not great sculpts. I can’t recommend them. There was notable bubbling on the body and the canopies were not well defined.

The P-47’s on the other hand were great! Deep panel lines and the canopies were well defined. I-94 sent me one (visible in the shots below) with a distinctly different canopy, though, which I found odd. I’m unsure if I’m just ill informed and this is a reasonable variant. At the very least it is good quality.

It bears noting these are $3 a craft, but you can get planes for Blood Red Skies (1/200 scale) for the same price point per craft, in plastic, with excellent quality.

I find myself in an odd spot. I like the scale and the fact that they’re single piece models, but they’re hard to recommend. Quality control doesn’t seem to be a focus, which leaves me thinking further orders will likely continue to be inconsistent.

My planes did come out decent, though. I hand painted the bodies, masked, and then hand painted the stripes. I varnished, decaled, varnished again, and applied an oil wash to bring out the details.

It was fun and a great break from the 6mm Napoleonics (photos to come later this week) I’ve been painting.

I still have 8 more planes to do (P-51’s and Fw 190’s). Their sculpts are better than the Bf 109’s. Honestly, I’ll likely continue to buy from I-94, so call this as “Buyer beware.” I think they’re passable, and considering the price and scale, probably a fine purchase, but I will look for alternatives before my next batch.

And man, I’m loving Check Your Six!, so there will likely be a next batch.

Anyway, planes: