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Review Author
Paul Mahoney
Published on
December 14, 2011
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$6.50

Quickboost has now added resin exhaust pipes specifically for the Zvezda 1/48 kit of the Bf-109F to their line. As with all their releases, this is meant to be a drop-fit replacement, so there are several 1/48 Bf-109F exhausts now available from Quickboost, each designed to fit a specific kit.

The Zvezda kit of the 109 differs from other manufacturers’ releases in that it includes a full engine (among other details) and has individual exhaust stubs. So the Quickboost exhaust designed for any other kit (molded as a single bank of stubs) certainly would not ‘drop-fit’ into a Zvezda model.

Review Author
Greg Wise
Published on
December 14, 2011
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$27.50

Arriving in the familiar, colorful, small poly envelope, the set contains one color printed photo-etch fret, one smaller piece of acetate film, an illustrated instruction sheet, and card stock backing. I found, upon close inspection, the parts to be beautifully printed and well finished.

Installing the parts will require removing the surface details of some existing kit parts, such as the instrument and console panels, while other parts like the rudder pedals are folded and simply changed out for the kit part. Other parts, like the ring and bead gun sights and radio knobs, are basic add-on parts.

The kit parts seem a little clunky, to be fair, and I think the photo-etch is a better alternative for true scale effect, plus the genius of printing on photo-etch affords really beautiful renderings.

The bottom line is I highly recommend this set to anyone ready to tackle the 1/32 Dragon Bf-110.

Review Author
Paul Mahoney
Published on
December 14, 2011
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$6.50

One of Quickboost’s latest products is this set of three 1/48th scale headrests for the F6F Hellcat. Although the recommended kit is Eduard’s, I’m sure this would easily work on Hasegawa’s kit or even the old Arii/Otaki (or even the Monogram if you are feeling adventurous or nostalgic!).

As best I can determine, the middle headrest on this set (with the narrower width) was for use in the -3 (and early -5) Hellcats that carried the small windows aft of the pilot. The other two headrests without this narrower section are identical except for the size of the headrest padding.

The molding is very crisp and in a grey/green colored resin. The accompanying drawing of the set, along with photos on the web, shows that a vertical ‘bar’ should be present on the sides of the pour stub, presumably to offer some protection to the pieces. These bars were missing on my copy, but the headrests themselves were in perfect shape.

Book Author(s)
Mark Linney
Review Author
Hub Plott
Published on
December 14, 2011
Company
Haynes Publishing
MSRP
$28.00

This is the second book in this series that I have had the pleasure of reviewing, the first being for the RMS Titanic. The reader is presented both with history of the airframe type and the basic knowledge to safely start, operate and maintain an F-86A Sabre.

This book begins with the story of the Sabre’s development and testing. Next is a good overview of the Sabre’s combat history. Then the reader gets into the main body of the book. This covers the restoration, operation and repair of the world’s only flying F-86A. The book then concludes with a listing of principal production variants and surviving airframes.

Book Author(s)
Don Marsh & Peter Starkings
Review Author
Tim Hortman
Published on
December 14, 2011
Company
Schiffer Publishing
MSRP
$79.99

Imperial Japanese Army Flying Schools 1912-1945 is a recent edition to the Schiffer Military History book line. This large hardbound book contains 248 pages and is packed with information that the historian and model builder will find useful.

The book starts with an introduction and special note to those reading the book. This is especially useful to those who may not be familiar with the nomenclature and terminology used with Japanese language and aviation terms.

The book’s chapters are listed as follows: