Many ship modelers have been puzzled as to precisely why this World War 2 era heavy cruiser has never seen plastic. Belfast currently resides in London, permanently berthed as a museum and memorial. Her status as intact leaves a few decisions Trumpeter made with this kit rather puzzling.

This kit comes packaged as many Trumpeter kits these days, with foam protecting styrene particularly vulnerable to damage. I saw no flash and injection points are all well hidden. Molding is extremely crisp, and many details will not need photo etch replacements. The hatches are WWII era British, which is a nice detail. Both her AA and pom poms are good, especially for plastic. The PE set that covers some fine details is also nice, though I wish a manufacturer would include some railings.

The genius of Leonardo Da Vinci goes without saying. His inventions and ideas were years ahead of his time. Many of the things we take for granted today are based on his thoughts and visions. This kit is the newest in Academy’s Da Vinci Machine Series. The Da Vinci Clock uses weights to power a horizontal pendulum. This is a snap together kit. No glue or paint is needed. Parts separate from the sprues easily and parts cleanup is quick and easy. The parts fit was spot on and once pressed together the assembly was tight and firm. Some care is needed when placing the various gears to ensure proper placement. The instructions are clear and show how it all goes together.

Each issue of Scale Aircraft Modeling follows a basic design and format. There are usually two Feature Articles, an Aviation in Profile piece, industry news and a series of Compact Build Reviews. The great news of or this issue is that there are three feature articles.

The feature articles for this issue covers a build of 1/72 Revell H.P. Heyford, a 1/72 Airfix FW190A-8 in a winter diorama setting and a 1/48 Trumpeter A-3D Skywarrior as a bonus. The Heyford build is by Neil Pinchbeck and covers the construction of this vintage kit first released by Matchbox in the 1980's. I love this article as it shows just what can be done with a vintage kit including sections on correcting flaws, scratch building cockpits and rigging. The results are awesome.