Gino Dykstra’s Classic Viper

Recently I obtained the new Viper II from Moebius Models and was immensely impressed with the quality. Of course, this forced me to take out and re-evaluate the old Monogram Viper. Although I do now have the re-release with clear canopy and cockpit, I wanted to examine the kit from the standpoint of what, if anything, could be made out of it. Perhaps I’m just cheap, but it galled me to simply throw away a kit because it was no longer “top of the line.” Oh well, if nothing else, I could use it as a test bed for some airbrushing.

What you see is the result. Obviously, I’m going to make the upgraded version as well as the Viper II, but it was surprisingly fun fixing up this old chestnut. Just because something is obsolete doesn’t make it unworthy of modeling consideration! A nice, simple build of all of an hour and then a few hours painting. A great weekend project.

Gino Dykstra