There is no doubt that the Eduard MiG-21 family of kits sets the standard for this aircraft. The SMT variant is the ground attack version of the MiG-21. While the kit cockpit is nice and quite usable, there is room for improvement. I think it is nice that the manufacturer of the kit actually designs an aftermarket replacement set. This ensures that the resin will fit perfectly.

Inside a very sleek looking cardboard box, you are greeted by the six page color instructions. The drawings are quite impressive and should present no big problem. Below the instructions you see protective foam. This will ensure that the resin pieces will not move around and get damaged.

When I was a kid, I was always fascinated by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his underwater exploration, so when this kit came up for review, I was interested in learning more about it and building this kit.

The submersible is named "Shinkai” and can dive to a depth of 6500 meters (ed note: 21,320’); as of 2011, it is the deepest-diving vessel of its type, having been completed in 1989 and starting operation in 1990. It is currently operated by JAMSTEC (Japanese Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology) which was founded on April 1, 2004, as a semi-government research organization. Shinkai has a crew of two, plus one scientist, for a 3-person total complement. That sounds good until you find out they fit into a 2-meter diameter, 73.5mm-thick sphere made of titanium alloy.

History Brief

German military car, type 170V, first appeared in military service in 1937. The car had advanced elements of construction for that time, such as the front and rear suspension system and X shaped oval tube frame. It was because of the excellent suspension system that the 170V was most widely used civilian car in the Wehrmacht. By 1942, a total of 86,615 model 170Vs were pressed into service and remained in production well after the war had ended. Featuring a 4-cylinder, 38 h.p. engine, the car had a top speed of 108 km/h and could seat 4.