When this huge box arrived, I was excited as it was large (26" x 14" x 6 ") and heavy. It came with no box art, instructions, or decals so I borrowed a set of instructions from HK’s first issue from a friend and also received a PDF file of the new, unfinished instructions. At first glance the kit looked impressive, but it has some of the same problems as the last issue. There were still many injector pin marks on the interior fuselage, and the fuselage parts needed to be washed prior to starting the build because they had a heavy residue on them.

The Kit

This is one of the kits in the Airfix Engineer line and is designed to teach, so it’s not really a model of a real combustion engine. Rather, it is a representation, and as such is much simplified. That being said, the kit consists of 92 parts, excluding screws. No glue is required for assembly with everything either being pressure fitted or screwed into place. In addition, no painting is necessary. As a matter of fact, it may not even be possible as all parts that are pressure fitted are of a soft, almost vinyl plastic and getting paint to stay put on them could be problematic. But again, this is a representation, not a model of a real engine and the parts are modeled in several colors to make them stand out.

The newest in Osprey’s New Vanguard series is authored by Jamie E. Prenatt is a Department of Defense senior analyst, with a particular interest in weapon systems development. He has over 30 years of military and civilian intelligence experience. He holds a Masters in Government/National Security Policy from Georgetown University. He has taught military history, war-gaming, and historical miniature painting at the Smithsonian Institution for several years.

Adam Hook began working as an illustrator in 1983. He specializes in detailed historical reconstructions, and has illustrated Osprey titles on subjects as diverse as the Aztecs, the Ancient Greeks, Roman battle tactics, several 19th-century American subjects, the modern Chinese Army, and a number of books in the Fortress series.

This kit by Italeri is a rebox of their 2012 Pz. Kpfw. V Panther Ausf. G kit # 6493 with the addition of upgraded moulds, photo-etch fret and new gluable rubber tracks as stated on their website. Let me preface my review by stating that as modelers we do not always follow the instructions step by step. We tend to skip around completing steps in advance while letting previous steps dry or bond. For this build and review, I did indeed skip steps, but I will describe what I found in each step, pros or cons, so the builder will be enlightened as to what needs addressed during the build. I also will not review any historical data pertaining to the Panther tank as I assume the builder will review historical data prior to the build. The Panther tank I will be constructing represents Panther #122 under the command of Oberleutnant Rasim, which was destroyed and knocked out east of Berlin in late April 1945.

There are three 1/144 TSR.2s available currently. Great Wall Hobby and Pit Road appear to be the same model in different boxes. I could be wrong here, but I don’t think so. On the other hand, the third 1/144 TSR.2 kit, which I have in my stash is the Kami de Korokoro kit. Since it’s a paper model, I’ve put it off. I’m sure I won’t need a new pitot for the paper plane.

The model I used is the Pit Road kit, in “what if” markings for the Gulf War.

Installation

Installation instructions show 3 steps. I’ve expanded that to 4