Now this package is deceiving - it is marked as 1/48 scale. But Aires goofed in the printing of the packaging and these are really 1/32; if you have the Esci kit, you will instantly see the size difference. But no matter and on with the review…

While there is still no state of the art Mig-23 kit in 1/48, we now have the Trumpeter one in 1/32. Typical of the large Trumpeter aircraft, the basics of the wheel wells are there and are accurate, but they lack a lot of the detail that this scale cries out for. In 1/32 scale, the wheel wells are easier to detail, but the wells of the Mig-23 are complex and it will take a lot of effort to replicate the complexity of the space. Aires to the rescue!

A Brief History

The High Transfer Vehicle nicknamed “Kounotori” or “White Stork “was designed as an unmanned resupply module for the Japanese Experiment Module and for the International Space Station. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) began development and design work in the early 1990’s with the first flight of “White Stork” taking place on September 10, 2009. “White Stork” can dock with the I.S.S. and unload its cargo in a shirt sleeve environment. Cargo can also be unloaded through a large opening in the fuselage of the “White Stork” using the Canada2 arm. Cargo can be mounted on a retractable payload “sled” which simplifies the extraction of the cargo, and that “sled” is represented in this excellent kit.

The Model:

US Coast Guard Cutter Roger B. Taney retains the claim to fame as the last surviving vessel of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Its keel laid in 1935 and commissioned in 1936, Taney served for over 50 years, seeing combat action during World War II and Vietnam, as well as performing weather station, search-and-rescue, and drug interdiction duties. Taney was decommissioned on December 7, 1986, and presented to the City of Baltimore, and now serves as a museum ship.