I get excited when the new issues of Scale Aircraft Modeling arrive. They have the same basic design and format. They are jam packed with superb aircraft builds and tips. In this issue, there are four feature articles, an Aviation in Profile piece, and seven Compact Build Reviews. This issue also includes a special section devoted to the IPMS UK Nationals.

The Feature articles for this issue start with Mike Williams build of Airfix 1/48 Folland Gnat T.1. He details how to get a flawless finish and selects a gorgeous red and white paint scheme. He also depicts the plane in flight which really works with this subject.

Next up is Nigel Poole's build of the Italeri Westland Wessex. He details it with two Eduard sets and then folds the rotors with Scalewarship's set. I had not heard of these on this side of the pond but the results are spectacular as is the paint schemes and detail. He also notes that the rotor fold set is 3D printed....its coming to models near you!

La Ferrari, even the name sounds exotic, expensive and exclusive. With a top speed of 230 mph, a price upwards of $1.5 million U.S. dollars and only 499 produced for worldwide consumption. The latest supercar offering from Ferrari is all of the above and more. The likelihood of the average Joe getting his or her hands on a full scale La Ferrari, is nil to none. But for us scale modelers; Revell gives us the opportunity to live out our exotic car fantasies in 1/24 scale.

Thanks yet again to Ross and his team at SAC for passing on this set to IPMS USA and to our leadership for sending it my way!!!

This set is an almost mandatory upgrade (as they all are), targeted for the new Roden C-123 kit. I have been waiting for someone to do this model for a long time; there are several interesting paint schemes and variants, and I remember these crawling around the sky when I was much younger. A “RANCH HAND” spray bar added to this basic kit would make an interesting yet controversial “Agent Orange” display... Roden makes excellent kits, and have really improved recently; the only drawback I have ever experienced is the softer plastic used for these models tends to bow or flex over time on major structural parts like landing gear. And, as I have said almost countless times before, this is where SAC metal landing gear shines!