Hot on the heels of their 1/48 scale release, Master Models has released a 1/32 scale version of the GAU-8 Avenger gun tip for the Trumpeter A-10. Also included is a corrected pitot tube.

The set is straightforward with a sheet of photoetch for the front and back of the gun barrel, a turned brass center post, seven turned gun barrels, a brass main gun housing and a turned pitot tube. I included several shots of the main gun housing with its holes as it is a work of art. Finely made and with the holes made perfectly.

Assembly is done by adding the back plate and gluing the brass center post into its hole. The only tricky part is next when the front cap is added- you must make sure the holes align for the barrels. I did this by adding the end cover and holding it up to light and making sure things were straight. Let that dry and then slide the barrels through and secure them. The pitot tube is a direct replacement.

Osprey's Elite series covers many historical subjects. This is book 201 and covers the Carthaginians between the 6th and 2nd century BC. The author states several facts in the beginning in that this book is a study of the Carthaginians armament and military culture and much studying is left to do as the culture and records were destroyed by the Romans. Also, he notes that the book will attempt to represent how Carthaginian Warriors might have looked based on the current state of knowledge. From a modelers perspective, this will be most useful.

The book is broken down into the following sections:

Another of Quickboost’s drop-in replacement parts, this set replaces the exhaust nozzles on the Hobby Boss Seahawk FGA.6 and Mk.100/101 kits. The exhaust parts that come in the kit are two part assemblies and are curved. The trailing edges of the parts are slightly too thick and the seam on the inside needs to be cleaned up. With the curve, this can be difficult.

The Quickboost parts eliminate both of the above problems, giving you two parts that need to be just removed from the pour plug and installed. The trailing edges are commendably thin. The one-piece nature of the parts will save you a lot of time trying to remove the seams on the kit parts. Recommended, especially for the price.

Thanks go to Quickboost / Aires for supplying the parts and to IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review them.