Hasegawa Grumman EA-6B Prowler
K-14X

Manufacturer: Hasegawa	Parts: 4 gray & 1 clear sprue.
Kit No: K-14X	Panel lines: Engraved
Scale: 1/72nd	Cockpit: Decals and raised detail.
Type: Injection molded	Decal options: 2
Decal option 1: EA-6B, 160432, 000, VMAQ-2, US Marines.
Decal option 2: EA-6B, 160789, 623, VAQ-136, USS Midway, US Navy.

Review: This is a reboxing of the original Prowler sprues with some small improvements, a different style of weaponpylon for the outer stores is included, and the smoke canopy is replaced by a clear one. Also a new decal sheet with low visibility options is included.

The construction of this kit starts with the cockpit section which is quite simple and lacks some detail. Decals are only provided for the main instrument panels. After placing the cockpit between the main fuselage halves, these are glued together, and the lower fuselage is put on it's place. Next are the airintakes and the engine outlets, the two part wings and the tailplanes. The landing gears are tackeled next, as is the arrestor hook. Before you add the nosecone you need to add weight, the instructions say 2 gram, but some more might be wise. Aerials and the inflight refuling probe are next, and with the addition of the canopy the airframe itself is complete. The final stage is for the underwing stores. Here you can choose between fuel tanks and 2, 3 or 5 ECM pods, depending on how many fueltanks are used.

There are two decal options provided, both in low visibility and in the three tone gray scheme. The first one is for VMAQ-2 "Play Boys", the second is for VAQ-135 "Black Ravens" on the USS America. A full stenciling for 1 aircraft is included.

This reboxing has been a improvement on the older boxings, due to the clear canopy instead of the smoked version, but it still features a bit simplified cockpit interieur, which could have been updated at least with decals for the side panels and 4 beter looking ejection seats. For the rest it's a excellent kit and still the best Prowler kit available.

Niels Dol