From the very beginning of the Second World War, Great Britain was aided in her naval war against the Axis Powers by officers and sailors of her former colonies, or Dominions, as they were formally known. In this Osprey New Vanguard edition, naval historian Angus Konstam begins by describing the somewhat complicated arrangement of how Britain’s former possessions were differentiated as colonies, protectorates and Dominions. Dominions, known as Commonwealth Nations after 1926, were described as “autonomous communities within the British Empire”, and were to varying degrees, responsible for their own defense, yet were expected to contribute to the overall defense of the empire as a whole.

The Mk. 84 general purpose bomb is a 2000 Lb. weapon which can be configured with different fins and fuses depending on its mission at the time. In this iteration, Eduard has provided a Mk. 84 with retarded fins, I believe based on the BSU-50/B parts to allow lower release and the plane to escape the blast radius.

Eduard’s set comes with two main bomb bodies, three styles of fuses, a photoetch fret with two pieces, decals, and instructions. Construction is simple- take your time and cut the main body away from the pour stub being careful of the rear fins. Sand smooth and add the photoetch to the rear. After that, all that is needed is to select the fuse type. The fuse can actually be added after the painting.

Color is simple with olive drab being the main choice. The decals are well done and settle very well. A little wash to accentuate the well molded details followed by a flat coat and done.

Quickboost is well-known for producing high quality, “drop in” resin replacement parts for many model kits from a variety of manufacturers. Many of the current Airfix kits are produced from new molds, and are exceptionally well molded and nicely detailed on their own. However, with the limitations inherent in the injection molding process, some parts can be improved with resin parts, which can be molded with a greater level of detail and accuracy.