The Bf 110 was envisioned by Hermann Goering as a heavily armed fighter-destroyer escort for the Luftwaffe’s bombers. With its four machine gun and two cannon armament it was a deadly opponent as long one could position the aircraft to take advantage of it. Problem was, as so many other countries found out, the idea of a heavy twin engine fighter competing against smaller single engine fighters of equal or greater horsepower just didn’t pan out. Physics simply did not allow it. Early successes against inferior aircraft were soon reversed when the Bf 110s met their match in the Battle of Britain. In spite of being what many could argue was an obsolete design, the Bf 110 soldered on in various versions until the end of the war. It proved especially effective in the night fighter role which capitalized on its multi crew seating and ability to carry a lot of firepower. The Bf 110 D-3 in this kit was designed for long range escort/patrol.

MiniArt Models, your favorite Ukrainian diorama manufacturer, has come out with an accessory kit for their street dioramas, cleverly called Street Accessories, #35530. 44 injected plastic parts are provided on four sprues that will build into two benches, four manhole covers, four grates, a 5 inch section of metal fencing and support poles. In addition, there are four short pieces that look like chess pawns but may be hitching posts or barriers of some sort. The instructions are on the bottom of the box and the only color choice provided is on the box top, but truly you’ll use your imagination to paint and finish these parts to your liking anyway. One nice thing, these parts are not really dated by their design, so could be present from the turn of the 20th century till the mid-50 at least.

There were many different types of aircraft needed to win World War II. The Grumman Duck was certainly one of them!! Designed and built before the war, these biplanes performed many specialized missions. Rescuing downed aircrew, and spotting for those huge guns on the battleships were only a few of the many jobs it did, and it seemed every squadron had a Duck hanging around as a hack. Unglamorous to a fault, and tough and rugged, the perfect combination!!