Iliad Design is a Canadian company that not only makes decals but also offers aircraft colour charts and books.

As the name of this sheet implies, this is the third in the Stars in the Sky series. While the names might not be as recognizable as the first two sheets, the choices for the marking are very diverse.

We have two WWII bombers, a Korean War fighter and a fast jet. So who is up in this latest offering?

First up is a British Lancaster II flown by Robert Clothier, a Canadian actor. This would be a lovely option for that very nice Airfix kit.

Second is an AU-1 Corsair flown by Baseball player Jerry Coleman. Jerry flew this bird in Korea while serving with the US Marines.

Our third offering is a F-4C flown by Pop Singer Dean Paul Martin. Martin was a Captain with the California Air National Guard when he was killed flying this Phantom during a snowstorm.

If you are like me, I can become ham handed when modeling and anything sticking out will get knocked off. The Eduard BF-109F/G is a perfect example. Eduard molded the pitot tube on the wingtip and sometimes I knock it off. Well, you can use the kit supplied extra pitot tube or you can elect to use the Brassin one. The Brassin pitot tube is significantly better and easier to clean up. There are no mold lines which must be cleaned up on the plastic piece.

There are three pitot tubes on the pour block. They are simple to remove. Also remove the little tip at the end and it is ready to use. You will have to drill a hole in the wingtip. The pitot tube angles down slightly. Attach with super glue and you are ready for paint.

While designed for the Eduard kit these pitot tubes can be used on any 1/48th scale Bf-109F/G/K kit. I used mine on an Eduard and a Zvezda kit with no problems.

Introduction

The other night I was watching a movie from 1953 called The Band Wagon starring Fred Astaire. It dawned on me while I was watching the movie that a person who watched it during its theatrical run may have well gone home after the show to work on this exact same model! The Revell kit was first issued in 1953 and is now 64 years old! The initial kit did not include the flotation gear, that was included in a subsequent issue of the kit. The kit stands up pretty well for its age and gives the builder the option of the flotation gear and regular gear. There is also a stand which was a common feature of kits from the era.

I hate to mask canopies. If there is a masking set available typically I will buy it and use it. Eduard produces some of the nicest masks out there. They use Kabuki tape which is flexible and able to withstand curves.

This set is like many of the others, in that it contains the masks for all the canopies in the kit, both the regular and the Erla Haube one. To make this set even more valuable it includes masks for the wheels, as well as, masks for the head armor. I can’t think of anything else I would want to mask.

The fit is perfect to the Zvezda kit canopy and the wheels. They make life so much easier than having to me make the masks myself. Thank you to Eduard for making this portion of modeling easier.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Eduard and IPMS/USA for the review copy. You can obtain yours by contacting Eduard directly at Eduard or your local hobby shop an online retailer.

The biggest thing in any cockpit are the seatbelts. If you are going to add one thing to your model cockpit the seatbelts make the biggest impact. The Zvezda Bf-109G-6 is an impressive kit right out of the box but it does lack the seatbelts. Eduard comes to the rescue.

The set comes with a single fret in the new STEEL format. This thin steel is superbly pre-painted. I’ve never had an issue with the paint while bending the new STEEL belts. The only downside is that the paint is on the front side only. This pre-painted fret has enough material for one model kit.

Adding the set is easy enough to add. Simply remove and bend to shape. Then attach them with a drop of super glue. Flat coat and you’re done. Simple and effective. The best visual impact you can add to your cockpit with the minimal amount of work. The look is perfect.

Highly recommended