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Here's one of the nicest garage kits I've seen -- very professionally done by the kit's manufacturer.

The figure is the Silver-age Barry Allen flash. It's maybe 1/8 or 1/9 scale, very nice sculpt, very realistic. There was minimal assembly needed; the figure was one piece, all I had to do was glue the wings to his head and boots and glue the figure to the base. (The base, by the way, was very well done, a welcome contrast to all those garage kits that come sans bases.)

Painting was a snap. I decided to go with the traditional bright yellow for Flash's boots and highlights, as opposed to the gold I used on my previous model of the Wally West Flash. To provide contrast, then, I painted the base glossy white, red, and metallic gold. (So there's no yellow boots against a yellow base -- it's yellow against gold.)

When I first saw this kit on various forums, I wasn't that impressed with it. It seemed like a rather static pose for a definitely dynamic character. However, after I received the kit and started in on it, I became much more impressed. Yes, the pose is static, but it's a really good sculpt -- and I mean really good. The Flash just looks good, very realistic, I'm not sure how better to describe it. The (unknown) sculptor did a great job.

Plus, the kit was very clean -- only minimal sanding and puttying was needed. And it came in a gorgeous four-color box (numbered 45 of 50), complete with something you rarely see these days: instructions. All in all, a very professional job.

Which leads me to some commentary on how resin kits are typically packaged and sold -- which is poorly. I can't tell you how many kits I buy that arrive in an unmarked box, with the parts inside in a plastic baggie, and no instructions (or other paperwork) to be found. When you examine the parts, they don't fit together well, there's all sorts of resin flash and pitting, and it's just a pain in the ass to put the thing together.

And there's seldom a base.

RZ Resin, the manufacturer of this Flash kit, did a much better job. I got a box, I got instructions, I got a base, and I got a kit that had been through some degree of quality control. It was such a joy to receive this one and put it together, I wish all garage kits could be produced in this manner. My sincere congratulations go to the kit's manufacturer for a job well done!

If you want to see how another modeler painted this kit, check out this version by Randy Starcher.