Painting the kit

Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu (Nick) - Finished

Sprue A

Bristol Beaufort Mk. I, Bombing Raid (Part 1)

Kit Contents

Go-242B-2 Transport Glider

Right Rear

Kevin Harvick Jimmy John's Ford Fusion

Decal Placement - Underside of Top Wing

Albatros D.V

Upper carriage

8 Inch Howitzer M1 WWII

Finished

Dauphin II SA. 365N

vent and seam

Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu (Nick) - Finished

Goliath Pair 3

German Assault Pioneer Team and Goliath

Exhausts

Battlestar Gallactica SD (Super-Deformed) Viper Mark 2

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Set packaging

Spitfire Mk. VIII Seatbelts
Review Author
David Goudie
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$19.95

Well, then, now here’s a set of photoetch that I can really get into: pre-painted seatbelts with the straps, buckles, adjusters, and quick-releases. The set includes the lap belt and shoulder harness.

The quality of the workmanship by Eduard shows through on these and I am anxious to do my Tamiya Spitfire using them. By the way, this set appears to be identical (with the exception of the color) to Eduard’s set 32667 (Spitfire Mk.IX late seatbelts) and thus interchangeable. Good to know if you can’t find the specific set you are looking for.

While I love to look at completed and installed photoetch assemblies, I often feel that they are the bane of my existence. A love-hate relationship if you will. The carpet in my hobby-cave gets more than its share of them. This set is pretty simple and most of the parts are within my skill level size. They will surely beat the old masking tape/foil straps and fuse wire hardware I used to use.

Package parts

F-22 Raptor Exhaust Nozzles
Review Author
Mike Hinderliter
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$24.95

Aires now offers a resin a replacement exhaust set for the Revell F-22 Raptor. This set has very well detailed resin pieces molded in the standard Aires grey resin, and are flash and bubble free; as well as a small photoetch set. They also include a 3-page, blue paper diagram, which is a real help.

The resin pieces include the burner cans, turbine faces and nozzles. There is also a small photoetch for the turbine fans and which really will make the exhaust detail just pop out at you when looking at the model from the rear, especially when it is compared to the original kit parts. One thing about the F-22 is that the exhausts are a very distinctive and major feature.

The biggest improvement in this set over the kit parts is that you get one-piece exhausts, doing away with a seam. Also, the thrust augmenters are one piece, another seam you don’t have to deal with.

Bf 109F-4 Canopy Mask
Review Author
David Goudie
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$14.95

Masking to paint a kit canopy can be a pretty complex and time consuming thing. Not to mention possible (probable) paint bleed under the mask to mess-up the clear areas. Eduard has a solution for this in the form of a sheet of die-cut masks for specific aircraft. This set is for the Hasegawa 1/32 scale Bf 109F-4.

You get a small (1-7/8” x 2-5/8”) rectangle of a very thin, tough material on a peel away surface. The die-cuts are almost invisible and I had to hold them at an angle to my light source to actually see the individual pieces. That is precision!

Box Art

B-24D LIBERATOR, PLOESTI RAIDER
Review Author
Roger Carrano
Published on
Company
Minicraft Model Kits
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$40.00

The B-24D was the first mass produced model of this aircraft which entered service early in 1943. Along with turbocharged engines and increased fuel capacity, there was a total of 10 machine guns. It was one of the heaviest aircraft in the world at over 59,000 lbs, on par with the British Bombers like the Lancaster and Halifax. Because of its ability to carry large loads of bombs and its capability to fly long distances it was chosen for “Operation Tidal Wave”, its most famous mission, which was a low level air strike on nine oil fields at Ploesti, Romania on August 1, 1943. It was to be a strategic mission to destroy these oil fields in order to reduce the amount of fuel and oil for the German war machines. This turned out to be one of the most costly missions of men and machines. Over 600 crewmen were killed and 50 B-24’s were downed on this mission. This mission was to become known as “Black Sunday”.

Packaging

Bf 109 E Cockpit

Review Author
Gary Telecsan
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$19.95

This set consists of 11 resin and 19 photoetch parts, and one sheet of film from which 4 parts are to be cut. There are two more each of photoetch and resin than are shown on the instructions, but there was no issue with assembly. The set is intended to replace the cockpit floor, seat, sidewalls and instrument panels which come with the Academy kit. I confirmed that it will also fit the Tamiya E-3, and with some more drastic surgery, could be made to fit even the Hobbycraft kit.

The first pictures are of the packaging and the set’s parts and then a shot of the kit’s fuselage halves, from which you will have to remove the sidewalls. I do not picture the process here, but it can easily be seen that the Aries sidewalls are much nicer. The kit cockpit floor and seat are also very simple.