Fascinations Metal Earth F4U Corsair 3D Metal Model Kit

I built this model 6th out of the 8 I've constructed so far. Relative to the other kits, I would say this kit is about average. The ending model itself is quite nice. The construction is pretty fun and the number of pieces is average.For difficulty in building I'd give this a 3.5 - 4 on a scale of 1-5. The most challenging part of this kit is the tail assembly. Attaching the vertical stabilizer and tail to the fuselage is tricky and a touch frustrating. The ending fit on my model was a little weak. The other challenging part of this kit was the rounding of the engine cowl. The instructions imply that you should be able to round the cowl. I chose to leave it in its octagonal shape to avoid trying to round pieces that were also being folded. If you enjoy WWII planes, I would recommend starting with the Mustang or the Zero before building the Corsair.This kit is built from a single sheet of metal (as reflected by the price) as compared to the 2-sheet models that are more complex. Therefore the construction is quicker and more straight forward than some of the more challenging kits.Disclaimer regarding bad reviews by others (I'm starting to post this on all my Metal Earth reviews now): Be careful when reading the bad reviews posted by some. Some people blame their inability to complete this style kit on the kit itself. Don't be fooled, the kit itself is very high quality. The detail is superb, and the metal pieces are sturdy if you don't bend them repetitively (as you would if you made a mistake). Hence, I continue to recommend these kits to experienced builders with good manual dexterity. This is probably better suited to adult builders.

Teeny, tiny, tedious, but a very nice model / decoration when complete. If you possess the patience of a saint, the eyesight of an eagle, and the manual dexterity of a brain surgeon, then you will find these easy to assemble. If you are like the rest of us, then they will present some challenge. I recommend using tweezers, small wire nippers, a magnifier to see small parts better. I cheated on mine by using clear multi purpose glue to make them more durable. The metal is well detailed with a almost mirror finish. The instructions suck, but you can figure it out from the pics. Amazon did a great job getting this shipped. CAUTION: Some parts have fairly sharp edges.. not for unsupervised children.

This product and all of the Metal Earth items are not toys. They are an intricate model that takes patience and skill to complete. They were not FUN to put together but challenging. The result s very satisfying and the models striking. Do not give this to a child or anyone who has a short attention span or gets frustrated easily. They are fragile before you start building, during the building process and after. The metal bends very easily and care must be taken to properly shape those pieces that require shaping. The right tools are essential. You will need fine needle nose pliers, tweezers, straight edges for bending, a shear cutter to remove the pieces from the metal sheet and a good magnifying lamp. The effort will be worth it.

This small model is an excellent example of quality design and craftsmanship. The manufacturer used the appropriate material and executed precision cutting when creating the pieces from one solid piece of steel. The build process did indeed take a few hours to complete and was not without moderate difficulty, but that is more the builder's issue than design related (poor tools and shaky hands from drinking too much coffee). This is not recommended for younger modelers, a good degree of experience, steady hands, good lighting, and precision tools are highly advised.Once the basics were established I did find that a small pair of needle-nosed pliers, tweezers, a straight edge (a ruler works fine), and a few wooden round toothpicks were the tools required. Additionally, I used a pair of precision wire snips to loose the parts from the connecting frame. Without these tools you may find making this model less than enjoyable.

While the finished model is quite nice, it is a real challenge to put together. The instruction are very basic and there are times when not following them makes assembly easier. For example, rather than fully close the main body in the first step, keep it slightly open (enough to get tweezers/needle nose pliers) inside the body to secure the tabs for the vertical stabilizer and cockpit piece. Also, be very careful with the fold lines as they break easily. I broke the cockpit where the window ends, but was still able to complete the model. Finally, not all the tabs line up with the holes and some creative approaches to get them to line up are required. In particular, the holes in horizontal stabilizer did not line up as it was to big (the front of the stabilizer was cut to large and I couldn't insert it far enough) and I had to trim it to get it to fit. Overall, a nice looking model when completed.

The description of the product says “easy to follow instructions”. This is a big lie. The instructions are very basic, do not mention important steps such as (do not bend the body until you added a few other parts). You tend to learn how to build using common sense which is better than the instructions, but by then, the parts tend to break.The slots are small which is ok except there is almost no room to bend the tabs.This is pure garbage.Not worth the money unless they fix the problems.

Really fun and kinda hard i didnt expect this to be this difficult. But after the first 3 pieces i got the hang if it. Need more then tweezers had to use a mini ruler and a multi-tool and some snips. But over all i loved it and im gunna get some more of these. If u buy it just remember to have patience and have fun.