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Review Author
Tom Moon
Published on
Company
Dragon Models
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$64.99

This kit is a model of a prototype by the Henschel company.

This is a multimedia kit comprised of 420+ styrene parts, DS tracks, 4 preformed photo etched parts, and 2 preformed steel wires, and a much better set of instructions, but they still need to be reviewed carefully before gluing any parts together.

Step 1. This step is the assembly of the drive sprockets, and idler wheels. There is a lot of the rear plate that will have some material removed.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Delta One Decals
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$12.00

Delta One has been producing some unique decals, especially for the Bf-109. So that means that I had to check them out. This particular sheet covers the Yugoslav Air Force Bf-109s in service from 1945-53.

This sheet comes in a ziplock baggie that contains an eight page booklet with history and line drawings for the subject aircraft. There is a little history on the 109 in Yugoslavia. There is also a brief description of each aircraft including the colors and historical use.

Decals are provided for six aircraft, four G-6 aircraft and two UMe-109, which is a version of the G-12. The profiles have both side views, top view and a partial bottom view. The aircraft are interesting with some unique paint schemes. The actual decals are on 3 x 3 inch sheet. They are printed in perfect register, thin and with good color saturation.

Review Author
Tom DeMichael
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$59.99

In 1993, the 425th Fighter Squadron was reactivated to provide Singapore’s F-16 pilots with the latest weapons and tactical training. For the 20th anniversary of the training, certain Singapore Air Force F-16Ds were painted for the occasion.

There are roughly 140 parts in the kit, however some of them aren’t used, as they are spares for the different block version. The kit also comes with the additional spline sprue so the original tail isn’t used. There are 18 total sprues, one of which is clear, and the decals allow you to make two different tail numbers. Unfortunately you’re not given all the pieces to make it look like the box art so I deviated from the instructions a little. The only molding issue I saw was with the cockpit glass also had a line down the middle from the molding.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Master Model
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$7.00

The Heller Mirage IV is a slightly older kit, but still the only option in town. The Mirage IV has its refueling boom off of the nose so it sits out there just waiting to be knocked off or bent. Enter Master from Poland.

Why do would you want to use the Master turned metal part? Well there are numerous reasons. The first, and most important, is that turned metal is stronger. Another reason is that you don’t have to worry about the mold line or keeping the round cross section all the time worried about losing detail. These reasons are enough for me to use the metal parts.

Packaged in a Ziploc bag, this set is a single piece of machined aluminum. The refueling boom is perfectly rendered and captures the shape of the tube and probe. This set is simply a replacement of the kit boom. You may not even have to drill the hole unless you accidentally filled it with slurry of plastic while gluing the nose.

Review Author
Phil Pignataro
Published on
Company
Res-Im
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$3.20

I've used more than a few masks on my models lately and have always been happy with the results. This X-29 set from RES-IM continues the trend and performs as advertised. Printed on yellow Kabuki type tape and laser cut, the sheet provides masks for the windscreen, canopy, and the three wheels. The only omission was the instruction sheet - there was none to be had. Fortunately, the X-29A has a very simple windscreen/canopy with frames only around the edges of the Plexiglas. Consequently, the positions of the individual masks are easy to decipher. They are also easy to see on the sheet and easily removed. Masks for the clear parts were "outlines" leaving the modeler to fill the openings. I cut some pieces from unused sections of the sheet for this task, but any suitable masking tape or liquid would suffice.