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Review Author
Scott Hollingshead
Published on
Company
Model Art
MSRP
$12.50

The April publication of Model Art Modeling Magazine focuses on the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force aircraft in 2021, air defense power after ten years, with several articles on this topic filling the first fifty-five pages of this issue. The magazine also includes new kit reviews, modeling tips, and new kit and item releases. As is typical for Model Art, the magazine measures 182mm by 258mm (about 71/8 by 101/8 inches), and is printed on thick, glossy paper. The production quality is high with these magazines, and just over half of it is printed in color with black and white pages interspersed throughout of the issue. Just in case this is the first review of a Model Art magazine that you are reading, understand that the entire magazine is printed in Japanese with only an occasional English subtitle for those of us who are monolingual, or are just unable to read Japanese text.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$14.95

This fret of photo-etch is pre-printed on both sides with the Hebrew rendition of “Remove Before Flight”. Included in this release are covers for ejection seats, seventeen yellow warning tags for the interior, and twenty three exterior red flags. I’ve used similar items before the US “Remove Before Flight” tags. These are easy to drape for a realistic look. You have to be careful to not chip the pre-painted print so you can’t fold it back over on itself but by using your fingers you can give a candid look to them to the flags.

The printing is of the quality I’ve come to suspect from Eduards pre-painted sets, very clear and perfectly printed. Using them is easy enough. Drill a hole where you want it on the model and insert the ‘string’ into the hole and add a small drop of glue. Very easy and very realistic.

Book Author(s)
Carl Molesworth
Review Author
Anthony Tvaryanas
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$25.95

Often overlooked in historical accounts of U.S fighter operations during World War II, the 57th Fighter Group (FG) served with distinction during nearly three years of continuous combat in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. Activated in January 1941, the then 57th Pursuit Group deployed to North Africa in July 1942, launching their Curtiss P-40 Warhawks from the deck of the U.S.S Ranger, and in the process, becoming the first U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) unit to deploy in group strength from the deck of an aircraft carrier. The 57th FG joined the British in “The Blue,” Royal Air Force Desert Air Force slang for the North African desert stretching west of Cairo, earning the distinction of being the first USAAF to fight in North Africa.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$15.50

I love the Hasegawa Bf-109s and the newest Bf-109F-4/Trop is no exception. One of the areas of the kits that could be better is the wheel well. As provided the kit wheel wells have the G-6 kidney shaped areas which obviously isn’t correct for the Friedrich. Aires provides you with the correct wheel wells by providing you with two pieces of light grey blemish free resin and a fret of photo etch.

This set requires that you remove the molded on wheel well and thin the upper wing. Then Aires replaces it with the resin one with the photoetch on top of it. The resin wheel wells have superb detail inside, including the zip in liner. The photo etch will require you to build it up in layers for the proper thickness of the stiffeners but this is easy enough to do.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$13.00

I hate using rubber tires on my model kits. So whenever anyone such as Trumpeter comes out with a kit that has them I cringe at the thought of using them. Luckily for me, Aires offers a replacement set of wheels. You get two main wheels, a tail wheel and the strut.

These perfectly cast replacement parts are simply gorgeous. These are some of the best wheels for the Friedrich I’ve seen. They are beautifully cast in light grey resin. Of course just having wheels is not Aires style, so they include a set of masks for them. The tail wheel itself is as good as a casting as you are ever going to see. The area between the forks and tail wheel is hollow and simply perfect. The pour stubs are easy to remove.

Although designed for the Trumpeter kit you could easily use this set on a Hasegawa or 21stCentury kit. This set is simple yet detailed and will add to your kit and you won’t even have to worry about the rubber eating the plastic or drying out.