So, my order showed up early.
Who says this forum doesn't have a world-wide reach?
This kit is a nice little enigma, and has always been pretty rare.
The kit is pretty basic. There are the two hull halves (in case you were wondering, yes, its a Bronco alright). Still, the fit will need some work but it is better than their Ohio class. You also get another sprue with parts for the sail, shrouded pump jet thig-a-majig, bow and stern planes, masts, and a two-piece stand. For the masts, you get two scopes, two radio masts, a snorkel, and the "mystery mast" which Bronco thought was a Soviet-era radar.
There are also "leopard spot" decals for the scope and radio fairings. There is no photo-etch and all of the plastic is black.
The scale looks good so far although the top of the sail is mostly set up for an "on the surface" look and also looks a little flat.
Its a Bronco and they really should have launched a line of sand paper, files, and putty.
As far as how old this kit is, that's where the "enigma" stuff starts to kick in.
Dates on the box, instructions, and decals fall somewhere between 2009 and 2018 and Bronco has a habit of "re-poping" their molds every couple of years, so your guess is as good as mine. One nice touch on this kit is a "for sale only in mainland China" stamp inside the box.
The decals are sealed and look to be in good condition. You get marking options for SSN-21 and SSN-22 plus the dreaded DSRV markers and full scope and antenna fairing details.
Surface details and panel lines- This is NOT a Hobby Boss kit, it comes from an earlier generation which means that you'll want to have a good scriber and some thick surfacer on the shelf. There is, however, a very thin scribed water line to separate the top and bottom colors on the hull.
Someone got confused on the stern planes and rudders. The stern planes are smooth while the rudders have a scribed "hinge line".
The bow dome has no "break line" with the hull, so defiantly measure three times before you paint it. One thing I still want to check, the bow dome should be pretty close to the width of the bow on the Ohio kit and the bow dome on the Ohio kit has always bugged me. At this price point (while the supply lasts) , you may want to pick up a couple Seawolfs if you want to build the SSBN and hack off the domes of both kits.
Minor stuff- The fixed cleats on the hull are molded as blobs but they can easily be filed off and replaced with some shirt pins. Decals are supplied for the wide array sonar on the hull, so double check which paint you want to use for the lower hull. The hull red isn't really right, I'm aiming more for (Tamiya) NATO Black with a solid black upper hull and sail and (Tamiya) Tire Black for the bow dome.
So, its a Bronco and has its flaws BUT its quite in-expensive and best of all, its available again (at least for now). It should be an OK build for new modelers, especially if you want to learn how to file and fill seam lines.
Otherwise, its still your ONLY shot at a Seawolf in 1/350th scale and what you get isn't that bad.
