This Japanese design started in 1939 for the Imperial Japanese Navy. The first prototype was designated J2M1, and it took flight in March, 1942. Prior to this maiden flight, the Japanese were well under way to engulfing all of the Pacific countries and had brought the United States into the war. Engine difficulties plagued the aircraft from the start of production in December 1942 with the J2M2 Model 11. 131 were built and deployed to pilots in December, 1943. Many of these were taken off the line were sent backl for testing as engine difficulties became severe in the field. This led to development of the J2M3 Model 21 (307 built) that reflected changes to the armament design. The machine guns were scratched, giving way to two 20mm cannons and two short-barrel cannons in the wings. By the time these were deployed to pilots in February 1944, Japan was fighting for survival one island at a time in the Pacific Theater. The aircraft never met its high expectations.

Eduard Models from the Czech Republic keep expanding its line of detail sets for its line of 1/48 MiG-21s. This time, they added a resin cockpit from their Brassin line for the MiG-21MF (early).

As with most Brassin line sets, there are resin and some photo-etch parts. The photo-etch fret is pre-painted and includes many details, like instrument dials, besides the traditional seat belts.

For some reason, there are two kinds of resin used in this set. One is darker than the other. I’m not sure what the difference is. Something that might be a first for Eduard (at least, it’s the first time I’ve seen it) is the inclusion of a part molded in clear resin for the gun sight. Another added value is the addition of a mask set for accurate painting of the interior detail.

A nice detail to have included is a pilot’s helmet among the resin parts. It would look really cool either sitting on the seat or hanging from the cockpit side.

First of all, I would like to state how excited I am to do this review of the Dark Shadows Barnabas vampire model. Dark Shadows has long been an obsession of mine and I jumped at the chance to build my second model. Dark Shadows, developed by Dan Curtis, was a well-loved soap opera with a 5 year run, starting in 1966. The original plot revolved around an orphan girl who came to a small New England town to serve as governess at Collinwood, a large, haunted Victorian manor. The theme included all things spooky, with many story lines borrowed from classic gothic novels of the day: Frankenstein, Dracula, The Picture of Dorian Grey, the Wolfman, Turn of the Screw, H. P. Lovecraft, and others. Jonathan Frid, a Shakespearean actor, played Barnabas Collins, the “reluctant vampire”. His addition to the cast brought the ratings through the roof, to the delight of the show’s fans.