The Bearcat was just too late to join the fight in WWII but was used by the French in Indochina to great effect. It is a sexy and compact naval fighter.

An easy way to add some life to your static model is to reposition the flight control surfaces. I’ve never been able to do this effectively. Well Aires has come to the rescue. The latest release is molded in light grey resin with no flaws anywhere. Two horizontal surfaces and two elevators are included.

Removal of the parts from the pour block is quite easy. The horizontal surfaces are slotted so are drop in replacements for the kit parts. The elevators can then be added and deflected as you see fit with superglue. You may want to pin it to get a more solid join. Don’t forget to move the stick in the appropriate direction. It is really that easy and simple.

Another winner from Aires. This set is an easy addition to make your model come alive. I’m looking forward to other releases such as this from Aires.

The latest in Tamiya’s range of 1/48th scale military vehicles is what the firm lists as a “British 7ton Armored Car Mk.IV”, while the correct designation is in fact “Armoured Car, Humber Mk.IV”, so I presume the lawyers found that “Humber” was a protected trademark and Tamiya didn’t want to pay for the privilege of using it! These vehicles were to be found all over Italy and NW Europe in British, Canadian, Polish, etc. units, as well as training units in the UK, from 1943 onwards.

Gone are the days when Tamiya incorporated a cast metal hull piece or lumps of metal to attach to the hull interior of their 48th scale military vehicle range. This kit includes only injection molded plastic parts of a dark green color, plus a small decal sheet. No cast metal, no photo etched, no clear injection plastic parts. Detail is good for this scale and there are no visible ejection pin marks that need removing, nor any flash on the parts.

This is a dual kit of two famous aircraft flown by American Ace Francis Stanley Gabreski (nicknamed “Gabby”). Gabreski flew the P-47D in WWII scoring 28 kills, and flew the F-86 in Korea with 6.5 credited kills. He was one of only seven pilots to become an Ace in two wars. It was my pleasure to meet him in person at the IPMS/USA National convention in Chicago in 2001.

Both the Academy kits have fine recessed panel lines and are molded in a light gray plastic. The builds are fairly straightforward with some fit problems. I needed some filler around the leading edges of both airplanes’ wings. The P-47’s cockpit floor seemed to be too low and left a gap between the instrument panel and the top of the fuselage.