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Review Author
Mark A. Dice
Published on
Company
Cyber-Hobby
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$60.95

Background

The 8.8 cm Flak gun proved to be a very versatile and potent weapon for the Germans in WWII. The Germans explored many different vehicle-weapon combinations and the subject of this kit is one of them. There were only 3 prototypes of this variant of the Pz.Kpfw IV produced by 1942. While they performed very well in field trials, no more were manufactured because tank production took priority. It was heavy for a self-propelled gun and its size would have made moving it by rail problematic. The project was cancelled by Albert Speer in January 1945.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$5.50

The next set, QB 48 332, for the Ar-196 is a simple set for the radio set up. The kit offering features soft detail in a highly visible cockpit. This is a simple upgrade. Molded in blemish free light grey resin, this upgrade is as simple as remove the part from the pour block, paint and add. This is a direct replacement for part number 21A. I did notice that the kit part looks slightly different than the Quickboost part. As I don’t have my references handy, I’m leaning towards the Quickboost part as being correct.

These parts are quite nice and will make the work for the modeler so much easier. The radios are a nice addition and certainly look more like radios than what is in the kit.

Highly recommended

You can obtain your copy at your local hobby shop or online.

Our thanks to Quickboost and Aires for the review sample.

Book Author(s)
Wayne Mutza
Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Specialty Press
MSRP
$39.95

Helicopter gunships evolved from the need to provide close quarters combat for the Army. While we think this is a natural thing, the earliest attempts to arm helicopters were frowned upon. It wasn’t until the French started to put guns on some of their aircraft that the US Army took notice. What followed was nothing short of phenomenal culminating with the first purpose built armed helicopter then onto a battlefield essential tool.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$15.50

I love the Hawker Hurricane even more than the Spitfire. The Hasegawa kit is a very nice kit but the wheel well is pretty basic. Aires provides a very nice upgrade.

The Aires wheel well comes on two pour blocks. In my example, the larger major assembly is molded perfectly in light grey resin. The detail is impressive and far superior to the kit offering. The pour block will be a little bit of a pain to remove but some simple sanding will take care of that. The other pour block is molded in light caramel with remarkable detail on the eight pieces. Removal of these pieces will be easy enough and clean up will be a breeze.

The instructions are simple enough to understand and should be no problem for most. Online references are easy enough to find if your library is lacking or you need to clarify anything.