Background

The C-130 doesn’t need much introduction. It’s the mainstay transport aircraft for numerous nations, and has been serving the United States Air Force (USAF) since 1957. The newest C-130 is the C-130J, which incorporates many avionics upgrades, and most notably newer engines with six-blade props. The WC-130J is the USAF’s newest Hurricane Hunter, specifically designed to fly into the eyes of hurricanes to gather potentially life-saving data.

Eric Brown has flown more aircraft types and performed more carrier landings than any other person, dead or alive. That alone makes him a unique individual. In addition to that, he is actually a good writer. I’ve read several other of his books and I have found them very interesting, easy to read, and almost in the category of “page-turners.” This book is no exception.

This version is an extended edition of the original book, which was focused mainly in carrier-borne World War II airplanes. He added several carrier-based jet airplanes that he got to fly in his extended career, either in the post-war years or during his time at the US Naval Air Test Center.

In 1977, the Pontiac Firebird became the rage of pop culture in its strong supporting role in Smokey and The Bandit, and ensuing sales of the Trans Am variant skyrocketed overnight.

Revell does a magnificent job capturing the essence of The Bandit's ride in this re-release of their 2004 tooling of an American muscle car legend.

Molded in white, clear, and chrome-plated styrene with steel axles and vinyl tires, the kit consists of 89 parts and a sheet of decals. Mold quality is very good, with little flash and very manageable mold parting lines. Detail, raised and recessed, is crisp and in-scale, and tracks well to reference photos. The tires are beautifully seamless, and just need to be pressed over their hubs to be display-ready.