Laird Super Solution

Dekno, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by John Miller

The Laird Super Solution is one of the prettiest airplanes this wing nut has ever seen and is a fine example of aircraft design from my favorite era; Round Motors and Wheel Pants :) I find the the lines of the Super Solution to be brawny but sleek, especially if you consider it was built in 1931!

Even more amazing; the airframe was completed in roughly one month… To cap it off, the Super Solution won the Bendix Trophy in 1931 while being flown by Mr. Jimmy Doolittle; one of my aviation heroes. There’s a lot of interesting aviation history surrounding the Super Solution and I’m very jazzed about adding a 1/48th version to my display case. 

The Super Solution has been kitted before. Probably the best known injection molded kit is the 1/32 version by Williams Brothers. Fortunately, DEKNO Models has answered the call with two offerings; one in 1/72, the other in 1/48th (the subject of this review). If you’re interested in one, move fast. According to the DEKNO website, only 30 of the 1/48th scale kits were produced…

Background Summary

The Laird Super Solution aka "Sky Buzzard" was a racing biplane built in the early 1930s by Matty Laird for the Cleveland Speed Foundation. Laird was already famous in the air racing circuit. It had a large radial engine and an extremely faired windshield. Other than being a biplane, it was similar in appearance to the Gee Bee, a more famous racer from the period. It was an advanced design for the time because of the relatively clean aerodynamic construction and tight engine cowling. The Super Solution was the first winner of the Bendix Trophy race from Burbank to Cleveland where it was flown by Maj. James H. Doolittle.
Text edited from Wikipedia.

The kit comes in a small, thin-walled cardboard box. Be sure you store this one at the top of the stash; the thin cardboard won’t support much weight.

The model comprises of 26 resin parts and six, clear vac-form parts.

A single-page of instructions and one decal sheet rounds out the kit.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 

Thumbnail panels:

Being a limited-production kit, this is not going to be a weekend shake ’n bake for most folks. This is a model that requires a little experience to get the most out of what’s in the box. I suspect the build will entail a fair share of fit issues and many of the smaller resin parts will have to be removed from pouring lugs. Once removed, most will need a good clean-up and refreshing with files and sand paper before use. This also applies to the larger resin parts (wings, fuselage, cowl). Cockpit details are rough and minimal so some experience with scratch-building techniques will come in handy. 

The engine cowl in my example was misshapen due to being pressed into the box under one of the wing parts. Fortunately, the blue resin used in the kit responds to warm running water by becoming soft and malleable. After a few moments under the tap, the cowl was re-shaped using the round end of a small broom handle. It fit perfectly ;) Likewise, the lower wing arrived slightly bent but was easily straightened using the warm water technique.

Of note, the details on the Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior S2A 9-cylinder radial engine are particularly nice and include nicely rendered spark plug wires.

Clear Parts

The clear parts (6) are vac-formed and a bit rough. Fortunately, 2 windscreens are provided so the pressure is off if you’re a bit inexperienced in working with vac-form.

Color and Markings

The decals, printed by Arctic Decals, have good registration and color density. In particular, the “Skyways Inc” logo is nicely done. 

According to a small, printed warning included in the kit, the decals are sensitive to lacquer-based clear coats. The use of an “acrylic” clear coat is recommended.    

This is a nice kit of a lesser-known but historically significant aircraft. Kudos to the folks at DEKNO for producing versions in both 1/72nd and 1/48th. Being a limited-production kit, extra work will be required for clean up and fitting some of the larger components. That said, with its attractive Yellow/Green scheme and interesting lines, this will be a visually pleasing model when done. Recommended for those with a little prior experience with limited-production kits.

Keep your airbrush wet!
—John

For more on this review visit ModelPaintSolutions.com:

https://modelpaintsol.com/reviews/dekno-models-48th-laird-super-solution

Text and images copyright ©2025 by John Miller/Model Paint Solutions.

Review Text and Images Copyright © 2025 by John Miller
Page Created 18 July, 2025
Last updated 18 July, 2025

Back to HyperScale Main Page

Back to Reviews Page