Wingnut Wings | #32035: 1/32 AMC DH.9

Reviewed by Kevin Futter

New Zealand firm Wingnut Wings continues its prolific release schedule of WW1 aircraft with the AMC DH.9. The company had previously released the DH.9A as one of its early kits, and has now followed up with the earlier version. For more information about the various versions, please refer to the Wikipedia article on the type.

The kit itself is presented in the company's now-familiar style, with terrific box art and a packed-house of quality parts inside. It's surprisingly weighty, with the sprues almost springing out at you when you remove the box top!

What's in the Box?

Parts breakdown is as follows:

7 x grey plastic sprues
1 x clear plastic sprue
1 x photo-etched fret
2 x decal sheets
1 x sumptuous instruction manual

Plastic Sprues

The quality of moulding is on par with the expected high standard from Wingnut Wings, being clean, crisp and free of any noticeable moudling imperfections.

Photo-etched Fret

Inside the bag that houses the decals is small photo-etched fret (labelled "P") that contains some parts for the cockpit:

Decals and Markings

The kit's markings are supplied on two decal sheets - one massive sheet plus a smaller supplementary sheet.

The large sheet carries all the main markings for each option in the kit, while the smaller sheet consists mainly of the white panelling and stripes featured on some of the options represented.

These are the five markings options covered by the decals:

DH.9 B7620, JA Gray & JJ Comerford, A Flight, 211 Sqn, June 1918
DH.9 C6293 "3", 144 Sqn, August 1918
DH.9 D2989 "Lobster", 49 TDS, February 1919
DH.9 D7211 "Spetsai", HNAS, 1919
DH.9 D7302 "N", RSS Ingram & AW Wyncoll, C Flight, 108 Sqn, August 1918

Instruction Booklet

The instruction booklets supplied in Wingnut Wings kits have become legendary, and with good reason. The production values are equivalent to a glossy magazine, and to refer to them as mere instruction booklets does them a grave disservice.

The cover features a potted history of the type, and a specifications table at the bottom. This material is also available on the Wingnut Wings webpage for the kit.

The content features colourful and highly-detailed annotated assembly drawings, complemented by captioned reference photographs and painting instructions. It's worth noting though that, unlike some other Wingnut Wings releases I've encountered, the instruction booklet in this one is not housed in its own plastic bag (perhaps this practice has been discontinued).

Conclusion

This kit represents everything we've come to expect from Wingnut Wings: exceptional moulding quality, excellent detail, superb decals and industry-leading documentation. What more could you ask for? Highly recommended.

Review sample supplied by Wingnut Wings.