AMK’s beautifully crafted Kfir kit in 1/72 is the latest addition in my collection. I love the way this kit is prepared, molded, detailed, the abundant loadout and 2 airframe versions with 5 decal options it provides, all at a very affordable price.  Just look at the loaded box!

8 part trees for the airframe itself, 4 types of weapons in more than sufficient quantities and large decal sheet for 4 different operators.

Instruction sheet: long fold-out affair rather than a booklet. Simple black and white diagrams with enough space for notes, logical sequence and clear part placement.

Color callouts oddly enough are in FS numbers ONLY at the beginning of the sheet, though on individual paint schemes are clearly associated with Gunze paint judging by numbers in tiny green font next to the FS index. Each profile gets its own decal guide as well.

Onto the parts. The biggest part tree is Sprue A, complete with main airframe components – lower wing and fuselage halves.

It also hosts parts for wheel wells and cockpit. You can see the 2 optional instrument panels below, and the detail in the wing center section.

The intricate 3D shape if the Dassault wing is beautifully represented from the blended fuselage, through the gearbox bulge to the drooped wingtips. The only opening molded in are the gear well and those for the flap actuators in case you want a clean build.

Note separate details for gear well walls with hydraulic piping you won’t need to simulate with wire and stretched sprue 🙂

A lot of panel lines and recessed rivet detail on the fuselage as well. Note cockpit rear wall is a separate part, rather busy for the scale, and still looking rather nice instead of just “boxes” typical for… other manufacturers 😉

The rudder is only molded on the right fuselage half, and there is an inset that would depend on the version you are building.

Sprue B’s main features are the aft turbine face, flame stabilizer and exhaust nozzle. Despite being a 1-piece affair you can see the latter is beautifully detailed inside and out.

Also present are undewring pylons , a single MER, and a host of landing gear parts. If you were to tilt the sprue you may notice some sinkholes running down the length of the larger part, although the individual features of the pylons have not suffered.

Sprue C: upper wing panels, intakes, canards, fuel tank parts, more pylons and the Kfir’s peculiar nose cone. Appropriately much less rivets here, but again everything is nicely molded and detail is very sharp.

Of particular interest to me is the twist in the wing’s leading edge, that is delivered at no compromise with the wing’s integrity or complicated part split. My only concern so far – the small locating openings for main gear legs.

Sprue D (x2) has the large wing drop tanks, and engine halves with some basic details on the inside. Of interest are also the TERs and the host of sway braces.

Tires for the main gear legs are 2-piece, HOLLOW ones, something I don’t remember seeing in the scale so far.

Depending on the version there are 2 separate ejection seat types. Sprue E has the Martin Baker Mk.10 for the C7.

Albeit “just” 5 parts the seat luiks suitably busy even on the frame. Unfortunately most of this will be hidden with the bang seat set in place in the cockpit.

Sprue D has the bit more fussy Martin Baker Mk.6 to go on your C2s.

Again – nice detail and a separate seat cushion you can paint and glue when the rest is done. No pilot harness is provided, but straps can easily be produced out of tin foil or Tamiya tape strips.

Onto the plentiful weapon stores. AMK provides 6 Mk 82 bombs despite the layout in the instructions featuring 6 pieces on the MER, 2 on the intake pylons and 2 TERs on the wings. Still the bombs look very nice for the scale and most importantly only have 2 SMALL sprue gates and NO mold parting lines.

This will reduce cleanup effort, save on puttying time, and should result in more satisfactory end result.

Also included are 4 pieces of another Mk 82-based store – 4 GBU 12 Paveways. Again 1-piece , minimal cleanup THIN fins back and front.

No more crooked stabs and seeker heads thanks to a 5-piece slide mold – 4 for the sides and 1 for the rear!

Same applies for the IAI Griffin 500-pounder, and there are 4 of them, so one way or another you can have a busy Kfir.

Last but not least are 4 Python 3s, which feature beautiful details in their wings including the rollerons at the rear – nice work, AMK!

Decals: one of each Israeli C2 and C7, a private US-based C2, Ecuadorian C2 and a Colombian C7.

Decals are printed in bright colors without crazy tints, appear to be well in register, glossy, maybe a bit on the thick side – that will be determined during the upcoming build.

I am extremely pleased with the kit and am looking forward to building it within the next few months. Highly recommended for quality of detail and molding, abundant stores and multiple build options.