We never know what surprises Plus Model will spring on us. This little gem is one of those fun details that modelers will want to work into a diorama somehow. Plus Model has introduced a sturdier packaging system, and all the pieces are well protected by a hard plastic shell. The kit contains 3 parts in gray resin, and 14 laser cut pieces on two sheets of thin hardwood, and it builds up into a doghouse with dog.

The resin pieces are a nicely detailed German Shepherd-type dog. I had to fill in some gaps around the neck and tail. The doghouse has a framework of slightly heavier wood and lighter wood for the floor, sides, and roof.

The Sherman tank -- what can you say about it that hasn’t already been said? Perhaps one of the most recognized types of AFV’s of World War II, it symbolized U.S. armor forces of the war.

The Kit

This latest 1/72 offering from Italeri is billed as a “fast assembly kit” which they also say is “especially developed for war game use.” You actually get two identical kits in the box, both molded in light grey plastic. But I feel like Italeri missrd the boat a bit when they tout this kit; as far as I can tell, this would make an excellent model for young or beginner modelers in that it is simple to build, yet accurate in overall shape and many details. Also, mine went together just like one of those snap-fit kits, without using glue (although I did glue mine), and it went together easily and with no drama, with good fit of the parts.

Vintage Flyer is a relatively new decal company producing airline decals from the late 1930s to the late 1960s, according to their website. This review is for their Santa Fe Skyway DC-3 decals in 1/144th, which is quite interesting as Santa Fe Skyway was not around for long at all! These decals will be used on a Minicraft DC-3.

The decals come in a standard Ziplock-type bag. They are Alps printed and come with at least one coat of sealer on them, but adding another coat couldn’t hurt. They are crisply printed on three separate sheets. One sheet contains solid white decals as the underlying base for most of the colorful decals. There is another sheet that contains all the black markings. Finally, the third sheet has the colorful artwork on them, such as the Santa Fe logo. This will lead to a lengthy decal process, as you should let each decal cure before adding another one on top of it.