Plamo Manuals are How-To guides for building specific types of models from Model Art in Japan, a prolific publisher of high-quality periodicals on current modeling subjects. This issue (Plamo Manual No. 8) is devoted to converting aircraft models. The theme is to take a currently available aircraft kit and convert it to another version of the real-life aircraft for which no kit is available (or is out of production). For each conversion, pages of small color and B&W photos show how to make the changes needed to change a kit into something else. The text is almost entirely in Japanese, but the photos are self-explanatory. This issue of Plamo Manual also shows how to make certain structures from scratch. Thus, advanced modelers would enjoy this issue, and beginners may need to devote extra time and effort to understand the steps.

Taken from the Iliad website, the description for this line of products reads, “Each set of pages provides ACTUAL PAINT CHIPS (not just printed reproductions) for the colours and schemes described! These have been carefully researched and produced to match the original factory production colours as closely as possible. Each Aircraft Colour Chart set also provides brief chronological descriptions of the various camouflage schemes as they evolved, and also one or more pages depicting typical camouflage patterns for the schemes covered. The heavy cardstock pages are drilled for insertion into either a 3-ring or an ISO binder, and the assembled collection will provide you with a superb colour reference.”

I have been a customer of the Canadian firm Ultracast for several years, and in the time I have seen their product line increase greatly with the addition of various resin accessories, decals, figures, and metal products for both the aircraft and armor modelers. Their website is quite easy to navigate. I have yet to be disappointed with any purchase from them.

When I saw the 1/48th scale Beaufighter seats available for review, I could not resist volunteering. I had a Tamiya kit squirreled away and these seats would be the perfect complement to an already fine kit.

The kit seats are rather bulky in shape and should be thinned for a more scale appearance, and seat belts needed to be added. The kit’s gunner’s seat is quite incorrect in shape.