Ultracast has released a series of four highly detailed resin seats for early P-40s. This, the third one in the series (#48257) correctly represents the early square back export style seat with British Sutton harness that was standard issue for Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk fighters that were in service with the RAF, RAAF and SAAF. One seat comes packaged in a zip-lock bag stapled to Ultracast’s familiar folded card. The seat is cast in a light tan color resin and comes on a small casting block with a minimum amount of casting flash that is easily removed with a sharp #11 blade.

The review sample was first airbrushed with Mr. Color Interior Green and details were hand brushed with Vallejo acrylics. As the photo below shows, the finely cast details sculpted into this seat come alive when they are painted.

Speed Hunter Graphics, a new venture by Reid Air Publications, has released their first decal sheet, and it is devoted to F-4 Phantom airframes that are “MiG-21” killers. I should point out that all of the decal options represent versions of the airframes in the post-Vietnam era, with some of them featuring non-SEA camouflage, but still displaying the “kill” markings. This makes the decal options more attractive and unique.

The sheet includes:

1. F-4D 66-7554, 906TFG SEA wraparound camo "City of Fairborn" nose art 1983
2. F-4D 66-7550, 507TFG Hill II camo 1989
3. F-4C 63-7676, 154CW, Hawaii ANG, SEA wraparound camo, 1984
4. F-4C 63-0589, 191FIG, Michigan ANG, ADC gray, 1979
5. F-4C 64-0776, 142FIG, Oregon ANG, Hill II camo 1989
6. F-4C 64-0829, 482TFW, SEA wraparound, 1982

Options two and five are also included in 1/32 scale as a bonus.

The 1/32 B-17G by HK Models was a kit that I really wanted to get my hands on, and last year I finally acquired one. I have been waiting to build it, slowly getting aftermarket pieces for the kit. When I had a chance to review the Master Model .50 cal. brass machine gun barrels, I jumped at it.

The package contains 13 turned-brass barrels, 13 brass cooling jackets with drilled holes and 4 brass flash suppressors. Right out of the package, I could see these were of very good quality. When I compared them to the kit barrels it was no contest; the kit barrels were so crude one would think that HK made a mistake. First, they were too thin. Next, they had 4 different lengths, and finally, the blast suppressors looked like cones on the ends. The Master Model barrels are about as perfect as you can get and the quality is first rate.