This resin kits is of the standard US Tow Tractor used on airfields from the beginning of WWII to the 1950’s. This is such a nice addition to any airfield diorama. The kit represents the factory basic version as delivered these were customized a lot so you can modify it to suit any reference material you have. The kit is very easy to build as long as you watch the instruction details carefully.

In the box is:

• 35 resin parts
• 1 plastic rod
• 1 instruction booklet

All the parts are all very well details with no defects. Once the parts are removed from the base parts they are extremely well molded with no flash or bubbles.

Construction

The build is very easy and is made up of 12 steps. I had no issues with the build, very little filling was required. It when together beautifully. There is also an optional rear armor plate that can be installed.

Coastalkits from the UK has produced a line of model display bases in various national insignia designs. This particular design is a replica of a USAAF insignia (white star on blue background) circular cutout. The diameter is 200 mm (about 7&3/4 inches) and is suitable for small to medium sized 1/72 scale aircraft. Other insignia designs include Royal AF, Royal Australian AF, Hellenic AF, French AF, Soviet AF, and Canadian AF, along with some scaled airfield designs.

The resolution of the printing is excellent, and provides an eye-catching background setting as an added presentation touch for your latest masterpiece at contests, or in your display case at home. The artboard core of the base makes for a lightweight addition to your contest take-along accessories that will make your model stand out from those that are simply placed on top of the standard entry paperwork.

Extreme appreciation to Eduard for their having once again provided a sample copy of a long-awaited product, the F-8E Crusader, and the usual wave of thanks to the IPMS USA leadership for ensuring I received it!

This upgrade provides additional detail for the recently re-released Hasegawa F-8E crusader under the banner of Eduard, in the form of a hollowed out intake with visible depth to the intake. Just four parts here; two very thin PE baseplates with rivet detail, and the scoops themselves.

Installation steps: drill the two mounting holes in the afterburner position on the model at the pre-located drill hole wells from the inside, then carefully remove the PE baseplates from their fret. Dress the cut marks with your favorite method, then set aside.

Extreme appreciation to Academy and their USA distributor Model Rectifier Corporation for sending out this new version of their venerable F-4B/N kit, and the usual cheerleading wave of thanks to the IPMS USA leadership for sending it to me.

This kit sat a while in the link. I’ve built two of the Academy F-4’s, a “B” and a “J”, and had impressive results from even MY feeble modeling skills. Kits like this take a bit of time to construct, but are well worth it in the end.

What’s in the box are the same parts from the previous Academy Rhinos, with the exception of single color gray plastic, with no white, black, and gray parts. Yes, also clear parts. The decal sheet is new, for two plain-Jane gull gray over white F-4B’s from the Vietnam era for VMFA 531, The “Gray Ghosts”. The last version is the overall Light Gull Gray scheme with a Dark blue fin and markings. Yep, I went for some original color!

What's in the Box?

• 13 grey plastic sprues
• 1 plastic lower hull
• 1 Photo etch sheet
• 2 bags of magic tracks (one left and one right)
• 1 decal sheet
• 1 set of Instructions

Background

The SU76I was based on the German Panzer III and Stug III chassis. It was armed with a 76.2 mm gun. Approximately 200 of these captured vehicles were converted by the Russians. A new superstructure enclosing the 76.2 mm gun was added to the tank. The tank was issued to self-propelled gun units starting in autumn 1943, but it was withdrawn from the front in early 1944. Some SU-76i were recaptured by the Germans who added a Panzer III commander’s copula fixed on the roof. I found this to be very interesting in that the original vehicles had been re-purposed twice.