Accurate Miniatures P-51 has been released and re-boxed many times. This time Academy is re-releasing the Allison engine version of the P-51, with a nice decal set focused on the North Africa theater of operations with both RAF and USAAF service. I should point out that one of the marking options is for service over the European Theater of Operations.

The molds date back to the mid-90s. Despite the vintage of the molds, the plastic is molded perfectly, with very sharp recessed panel lines and no flash anywhere to be found.

I’ll be honest. When I first saw pictures of this upcoming kit I assumed it was some kind of prototype. Every other French tank of the period that I’m familiar with – the Renaults, Hotchkisses, Somuas and Chars – all have a fairly consistent look to them, mainly because large castings were prevalent is each design, sometimes with a little bolting. This one is so radically different that it really threw me. But not only is this definitely a French design, but it is also NOT a prototype. A surprising number of these were actually built and saw combat.

In December of 2019, Great Wall Hobby released a newly tooled 1/72 scale F-14D Tomcat kit. Like many of the other Tomcat kits that have been released in recent years, the kit is engineered so that Great Wall could also release a F-14A Tomcat by just swapping out a few sprues. However, the kit design is such that there are just a few parts on the F-14D trees that are not used.

Upon opening the rather large box, you will discover that there are a lot of parts in this kit spread out over 41 grey sprues and one clear sprue! Many of these are smaller sprues such as those for the Phoenix, Sparrow and Sidewinder missiles. The intake trunks are molded on their own sprues as is the lower fuselage. There are two decal sheets, one with the stencils and the other with markings for three F-14Ds of VF-2 “Bounty Hunters” from 1995 & 1997.