Master Model continues their new releases with a replacement pitot tube for the Trumpeter range of F-8 Crusader kits. This particular piece fits either the E or J models.

The part is a finely milled, one-piece pitot tube that directly replaces the kit part. As you can see from the pictures, it is light years beyond the kits plastic part, having the correct shape and size. Adding it to the kit is simple – drop it in with no cutting and you’re done. For a mere $4.00, this is needed. It corrects the kit part and adds strength to the piece.

If you are building one of the Trumpeter F-8's, you need to add this piece. Recommended! My thanks to Master Models and IPMS/USA for the chance to review this item.

The Flakpanzer IV “Ostwind” (German for East Wind) was a self-propelled 3.7cm anti-aircraft gun based on the Pz IV. It was developed in 1944 as a replacement for the Wirbelwind. The number of units produced was about 43.

This is a multimedia kit comprised of 700+ styrene parts, magic tracks, two photo etched fret, decals, and the set of instructions that need to be reviewed very carefully before gluing any parts together. Most Dragon models today are a collection of old sprues and new sprues added to create a new kit variant. In this case, Dragon has done so and you will have some sprues with the same letter. You can actually build the production version of the Ostwind.

Step 1. This step is the assembly of the idler wheel, drive sprockets, road wheels, and return wheels. There are no problems here, other than the removal of the mold line which is noticeable on the road wheels.

History

The Red Army entered WWII with most of its heavy artillery drawn by horses, making its movement slow and vulnerable to attack. The KV-2 assault gun was built to address the need for mobile artillery, but it was unsatisfactory as a fighting vehicle, mainly because of its large and overweight turret. It was therefore decided to replace the KV-2 with a new vehicle based on the KV-1S chassis. But instead of a turret, the 152mm ML-20S gun-howitzer would be mounted in a low-profile casemate. Several designs were put forward, but the KV-14 showed most promise and was further developed into the SU-152 by February, 1943. This self-propelled gun weighed 45.5 tons and had armor up to 75mm thick; powered by a 600bhp V-2k diesel engine, it had a top speed of 43km/h. It was built at the Chelyabinskiy Kirovsky factory until replaced in production by the ISU-152 in December, 1943.