This is the sweetest thing I have ever seen, well maybe not EVER, but, this makes most Tamiya kits look sloppy, and I love Tamiya's kits. I had a little trouble getting the Fuselage on the wings because the build calls for putting the gun charging handle inside the fuselage (up front and set under the instrument panel and aft shelf of the cockpit also has to be fitted in the fuselage. Then after the two fuselage halves are assembled you mount it on the wing. After doing it, if I did it again, I would set the right half of the fuselage on the wing in the correct area, and then mate the left half to it. As it was I had to lower the gun charging handle under the instrument panel and jimmy the fuselage back over the set till the aft section fell into place. It wasn't bad but a little awkward and I had to take it off because I pushed the seat back down under the shelf. The fit is incredible on this kit, I can't say that enough.
ONE SWEET LITTLE KIT. I did not do half the kit. You can build it with the engine displayed, or with the cowls on. The engine looks to be a true work of are and a kit by it's self. If you build the engine, then you also have the engine mount and framing around it. There are 12 to 13 steps for the engine and mounting. 14 if you count the gun mounts. I just did the cowling.
I set my search for 1/48 Zvezda and lowest price including shipping. I picked up the BF-109F2, La-5FN, and the Pe-2. I bought the first two from the same seller at $9.99 and 6.99 but the killer was the 8.00 and 10.00 s&h, I got them to kick back a couple of bucks ($2.16). The Pe-2 was listed at $28.88 with a buy now or make an offer, I threw in a $25 offer, they responded with a $26 and I bought it, total +s&h, $33.77.
Still both the kits were under $20 each and we think little of dropping double that on a good kit. Well I do but, you know. A Tamiya P-47 will hit you for triple that plus s&h.