Recently I was given the opportunity by IPMS USA to review Eduard’s BRASSIN Hamilton Standard Propeller for the new 1/48 Airfix P-51D kit. One of the first things to notice with this product is the excellent presentation of the packaging with the familiar clamshell box, with the resin parts safely cocooned on dark grey foam inserts, and the instructions sandwiched between the two halves, doubling as the header card.

The set contains:

• Grey resin components (7 pieces)
• Etched brass part (1plus spares)
• A resin assembly jig

Upon removal of the components from the package you will notice the great level of detail with the inside of both the spinner front and back-plate boasting some great touches. The blades are great and the shape on these are perfect. The set also comes with a jig to help with location of the blades and is also nice to help hold the assembly if you want to drill a hole in the center for the prop to spin,

Background

The T-90 “Standard Tank” was an evolutionary development of the Soviet T-72 tank, the latter being a prime component of Soviet tank forces during the mid-1970’s to the mid 1990’s. The T-72 was also exported widely, including to the armed forces of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. During the 1991 Gulf War, the Iraqi T-72 tanks suffered very badly against such tanks as the U.S. M1 Abrams. Whether this was due to the T-72 being notably inferior to the West’s main battle tanks or poor training and tactics on the part of the Iraqis is irrelevant: the perception in many nations following the 1991 war was that the Soviet tank was inferior. Thus, there was pressure within the Russian military-industrial complex to get rid of the “T-72” name. Hence naming the first tank out of the newly formed “Russia” the T-90.