Alliance 1/72
'Enemy Mine' BTA Fighter

Background

From the screen, Alliance sends this highly detailed rendering of Will Davidge’s BTA fighter zooming through the mail to your workbench! Set during the war between the Dracs and the Bi-Lateral Terran Alliance, the movie follows fighter pilot Willis Davidge, played by Dennis Quade, as he battles the Dracs and crash lands on planet Friene IV, a volcanic wasteland.

Lou Gossett Jr plays Jeriba Shigan, aka Jerry the Drac, who also survives to befriend Davidge. Jerry gives birth to Zammis and dies, leaving Davidge to care for the baby Drac. For those who haven’t seen the film, I’ll leave the rest for you to discover and enjoy.

The Kit

New to garage kit modeling? Read this first!!!

The kit comes nicely packaged in 15 multicolor resin parts. The fuselage, canopy, tail section and main engines are loose in the popcorn filled box with the other parts thoughtfully bagged in a little Ziplock bag.

The parts cleanly cast overall with minimal mold lines. The fuselage has a three pour spouts that need to be trimmed but are by no means anything major. A few bubbles were found at the aft points on the main engine struts. One of the forward points had been broken off during shipping. (Remember, this is a garage kit, not a mega-kit for a huge producer! Some modeling skills required.) These problems are easily solved with an application of Aves Apoxy Sculpt, www.avesstudios.com.

On a cursory check, the fit appears superior with only a few minor spots that will need some filling after assembly. As mentioned in the instructions, the surface may need some sanding or polishing to get a smooth finish.

The instructions are well diagramed for assembly and decal placement. The different colors of the pieces make it not only easy for the Alliance staff to insure a complete kit but help the builder determine which parts go where. Instructions also include some tips on working with resin kits, painting guide for the three colors used and some great tips on applying decals.

The kit is clearly intended for modelers with a variety of experience. Of course, this model calls for all kinds of weathering, or what ever you call it in space. The paint scheme may be somewhat unremarkable but remember, its not what you start with, its what you do with it. And this kit will be a great start to a nice scifi modeling adventure.

Conclusion

Overall, I can highly recommend this kit for anyone interested in the subject. The movie was well made with a powerful message. This kit captures the excitement in a detailed, accurately rendered replica of the BTA fighter flown by our hero, Willis Davidge. If you haven’t seen the movie, I can recommend that highly, too! Nothing like building a model from a movie as a good excuse to watch it again. At least once!

I purchased my copy from Federation Models.