This is the 2011 Trumpeter release which I obtained via Howard, thanks Howard, of a kit and plane I'd fancied making for a while. 151 light grey parts are spread over 5 sprues with an additional clear one for the cockpit, lights etc. Decals provide 3 markings, 2 from HMS Eagle, 1 of which is for the Suez Campaign, and 1 for an a/c from HMS Ark Royal. Also included is a clear film decal for the middle of the instrument panel but Trumpeter would have been better off providing etch seat belts in place of this as I had to make mine from Tamiya tape and you can't see the detail once it's in place. A comprehensive booklet guides you through the build though it does jump around a bit, as inpart way through the cockpit build it moves to the torpedo and propellers. Could it be that Trumpeter know we build other parts whilst waiting for glue to set and paint to dry?
For a highly engineered kit there are a lot of ejector pin marks most of which thankfully are hidden but the good news is the sprue attachment points for the wings are on the mating face not the leading edge which makes cleaning up a lot easier. The ejector seat is made up from 9 pieces and I went with Trumpeter's colours as online photos of Martin Baker M2B seats are few and inconclusive. Painted mostly in Vallejo Light Aircraft Grey it and the rest of the cockpit were treated to washes and dry brushing to pop out the detail. One of the things I like about this kit are the 'tongue and groove' attachments which give a positive of parts. Something other manufacturers could learn from.