Another nice PE set from Hauler which will find many uses for the Braille Scale modeler, especially when working with armor and dioramas.

The set includes wrenches, axes, shovels, picks and even a couple machetes. I am guessing for those jungle jobs. There are also a couple of different design tool boxes that you will have to fold.

The first thing I thought when I heard PE tools is how is that going to work with types, they will just look flat, right? Hauler has thought of this and the sledges and a mallet come with an couple extra pieces of PE to thicken the head. A couple of the picks and shovels are designed to be used with some plastic or metal rod to give a more 3-dimensional look.

Instructions are provided for the tool boxes and those tools that use more than one part. Just make sure you are careful when you cut these parts out and they will be sure to liven up that aircraft or tank maintenance scene.

Want an nice upgrade to any 1/48 Boulton Paul Defiant? Step right up to the new Quickboost Defiant Mk.I undercarriage set that provides a beautiful replacement to what is supplied in your kit. The parts are packaged in the standard Quickboost re-closable packaging with a paper stiffener along with the description card. There are no instructions. These parts are specific to fit the Airfix accurate and highly detailed 1/48 Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I injected plastic kit. They may also work for the older limited run Classic Airframes kits (471, 481, and 482) that were introduced in 1995.

Quickboost has molded the undercarriage set perfectly in light grey resin with no apparent bubbles. The undercarriage set detail is an improvement over what is provided in the kit providing more of a 3-dimensional aspect to the doors.

Make sure you consult your photographs to get the correct geometry for all six parts. I found some useful pics by Ron Patterson at:

The Germans of WW2 were notorious for multi-tasking vehicles, and this one is a good example. In this case, they mounted an 81mm mortar in a standard light armored half-track. I’m old enough to remember the last time a plastic kit manufacturer took a shot at this particular make – a motorized version by Arii back in the early 1970’s. The older kit was pretty poor by even the standards of the day, although it did provide a nice ammunition trailer (to carry the batteries for the motor, of course). Otherwise, there wasn’t much to recommend it.

Dragon has filled the void with a new release which does a fine job of capturing this beastie, including “magic tracks” which eliminate the odious task of snipping some 200 track bits off of sprues.