The Aircraft

When the first B.534 flew in 1934, the aircraft was well ahead of its contemporaries in other air forces. The British were using Hawker Furies, the US had Curtiss Hawks and the Russians had the I-15. With the German takeover of much of Czechoslovakia in 1939, many of these planes were taken over by the Luftwaffe. The B.534’s combat record is sparse, although some flown by Bulgaria did attempt to intercept the Ploesti raid, and a 534 flown by a pilot of the Slovak National Uprising shot down a Hungarian Ju-52 in October of 1944, the last recorded victory by a biplane.

Sam Publications has published another incredible reference work, this time on one of the mainstays of the navy’s air power in the Pacific theater. Author Thomas M. Cleaver has put together a 175-page opus with just about every aspect of the Hellcat one could want. Whether you’re a history buff, modeler, an aviation enthusiast or all of the above, this book will be a necessity for your files.

For modern aircraft modelers looking to add even more detail to their next 1/48 scale F-16, Master Model has introduced static dischargers that can be installed on the wings and tail, just like the real plane. Modelers often overlook the static dischargers, but these brass items, which are finely machined, will make installation an easy task for most modelers. The directions have you simply scribe a shallow socket to receive the new part, and I would recommend your favorite cyanoacrylate glue to attach the parts.

Static dischargers, or wicks, are used on aircraft to relieve the static buildup that typically takes place when flying through rain, snow, ice, or dust. The high resistance of the discharger provides a relief path that does not interfere with onboard communications or navigation equipment. Without dischargers, the relief of energy can be through any protruding surface of the plane, such as wing tips, vertical and horizontal stabilizers, and antennas.