Thanks up front to Dragon USA and to IPMS leadership for providing this kit to me for review.

This kit is an answer to an oft-repeated wish of the post-WWII armor crowd: A new-tool 1/72 scale atomic cannon. Why 1/72? Because even in transporting position, it is only 1 ½ feet long. The existing, much older and less accurate 1/32 kit from another age, at almost two and a half feet long when in transport position, was just too big to display for many. It had a lot of operating features, and looked like the actual item, but in reality is better served by a 1/72 scale model in my opinion. That said, if Dragon ever scales this thing up. who knows how it will sell?

Eduard has come out with several photo etch sets for the 1/200 Scale, Merit, USS Hornet CV-8 (kit# 62001). This is Part 1 of the series, and provides new aircraft and boat cranes for the starboard and port sides, and detail parts to upgrade the ships main aircraft and boat crane on the flight deck.

The new aircraft and boat cranes for the sides are an entire crane assembly. They replace the existing cranes.

The main aircraft and boat crane for the flight deck includes replacement parts for existing kit parts. You get a new boom, hooks, stays, man rails, platforms and ladders.

Assembly is straight-forward but extremely fiddly. There are a bunch of very tiny parts that need to be bent and shaped. Most of the small parts are hard to hold and glue at the same time. This makes for a time consuming and sometimes aggravating assembly. Thank you Eduard for providing some extra parts.

Revell’s 1/72nd F-89D/J came out in the early 90’s and is a great kit. There are really only two shortfalls of the kit; the first being the lackluster cockpit and the second being the multi-part exhaust/jet pipes. Pavla has recently released resin detail parts for the cockpit and the exhaust.