History

First flown in May of 1945, the P2V-7 was the final variant of the P2V produced by Lockheed. It was powered by R-3350-32W and J-34 engines and fitted with lower drag wingtip tanks, AN/APS-20 search radar in a revised radome, and a bulged cockpit canopy. 287 of this type were built, with 48 of them being assembled in Japan. First delivery of P2V-7s to the Japanese was in 1959, the last in 1965, and the model was retired in the early ‘80s. Kawasaki built 80 more Neptunes (P-2J), but with a few refinements that included using GE T-64 turboprops, Ishikawajima J-3 turbojets, a lengthened fuselage, increased rudder area, and a 10,000lb weight reduction. These were flown well into the 90s before being retired.

Background

The Merkava Mark III was originally introduced into the IDF in December, 1989. Sporting upgrades to all major systems, the Merkava was the most modern main battle tank in the world for its time. The Mark III was given a 1,200 horsepower engine, a 120mm Israeli-designed main gun, and new laser designation and fire control systems. The development of the BAZ system in 1995 further increased this vehicle’s survivability and lethality. Some features of the BAZ system are air conditioning, NBC systems, and removable modular armor on the chassis and turret.

If you are looking for a fun, easy to assemble kit to fill some of your time during the dog-days of summer, I would suggest that you consider looking towards the folks at Dragon and one of their latest releases, a 1/72 scale Flakpanzer that is based on a Panther chassis. Aside from the road wheels, there are a minimal number of parts for this kit, which allows for quick assembly. The fit of the parts presented no issues, and the builder ends up with a nice-looking late-war paper-Panzer. A person with relatively little modeling experience can have very good results with this kit.