Quickboost has added the external fuel tank for the Eduard Hellcat F6F-3/5. It is molded in grayish resin, smooth, seamless and bubble free. It also includes a small PE fret for the strapping that secured the tank to the underside of the aircraft.

The external fuel tank in the Eduard kit is okay, but it is molded in two halves, while the Quickboost tank is molded as one piece. The PE strapping is also a plus, adding to the finished look. When adding this tank, there is no surgery involved, making this addition much simpler to install.

I highly recommend this product if you want a really superior looking model. Thanks to Quickboost for supplying the article and IPMS/USA for the chance to do this review.

If I could be granted a do-over at this point, I’d take the opportunity to pay closer attention to the engine-to-firewall attachment when I put those parts together. Everything appeared to me to be OK at that point in the assembly, but it turns out that a very minor bow in the right side engine bearer that I really wasn’t paying close attention to was just enough to affect the alignment of the engine’s prop shaft hole and the opening in the front of the engine cowling when I got the cowling pieces closed up. It was minor, but just enough to shift the prop and spinner off center. The lesson here is to be careful to dry fit all of the components that comprise this area if you are going to build your model with the engine cowling closed. (If you are building it with the cowl panels off, a slight misalignment probably will go unnoticed.)

Between 1958 and 1981, Iraq received more than 3300 T-54/T-55’s from the Soviet Union, East Germany, Poland, Egypt, Romania, and China. Even though the basic tank design had become obsolete in the 1980’s, Iraq, like most owners of the T-54/55, continually attempted to make upgrades in their aging fleet of armor. Prior to the Gulf War, the Iraqis came up with the “Enigma” design, which was nothing more than bolting on extra armor blocks on the glacis and turret to provide extra protection. These were nothing more than hollow welded boxes that were bolted on. A counter-balance arm was required on the rear of the turret because of the extra weight on the front of the turret.