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Review Author
Rick Bellanger
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$55.00

I received this conversion set with great anticipation and look forward to installing it on my latest venture.

I have built quite a few Tamiya 1/32nd Phantom kits since its debut, a total of 77, to be exact. (I know this guy's lying…but it's true.) I used to build for a decal manufacturer that had over 100 decal sets for the F-4 and he wanted a model built for every one of them, all in 1/32nd. Well, he is out of business, so now I build for myself. I have used just about every aftermarket product out there for the F-4 and I'm always looking for something new. Eduard has come aboard with a very nice exhaust nozzle set.

Opening the package revealed some nice protective foam and each assembly was in its own plastic bag. No damage or lost parts. You get direct replacement parts for two engine intakes, discharges, tubes, and nozzles. Also included is a new arresting hook. All the parts are of a very high quality resin casting and photo etch.

Review Author
Rick Bellanger
Published on
Company
Airscale Model Aircraft Enhancements
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$7.00

Airscale is a British company producing fine quality aircraft instrument decals, and this is one of those. Unfortunately, I am no expert on instrumentation; can't really tell a tachometer from an altimeter.

Airscale provides a very detailed callout of each instrument dial on its instruction sheet and a locating number to show which dial it is. Very helpful. There are 44 different decals, each with its own number. The bad side is there is only one dial of each per sheet. Many of these are very small and the only way to see them is with magnification. The instruction sheet provides detailed instructions on how to apply them, and tips on their use.

The decals are printed with a lot of excess film surrounding them, so you will have to cut each one out very carefully or use a punch set (which I haven't seemed to master yet). They go down easily and set using any standard decal setting solution. I tried Microset and Solvaset and both worked with no problems.

Book Author(s)
David Doyle
Review Author
Rick Bellanger
Published on
Company
Squadron Signal Publications
MSRP
$17.95

After the American Civil War, the railroad gun became a common weapon system throughout Europe. They provided a rapidly deployable heavy artillery gun that could defend a coastline or bombard enemy positions and fortifications. By the end of World War I, these guns grew in caliber and popularity. In the 1930s, Hitler initiated several programs to develop and procure more of these systems. Krupp initiated its own design and this program resulted in the" 28cm Kanone 5 Eisenbahngeschutz." The name is often abbreviated to 28cm K5 (E) (Eisenbahngeschutz means railroad gun) and 24 examples, the largest quantity of any rail gun, were produced. They were initially deployed along the English Channel to support the invasion of Britain. After this aborted event, they were deployed on all fronts to support other actions.

Review Author
Rick Bellanger
Published on
Company
Wheeliant
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$6.95

A couple of new products from Wheeliant are two sets of Early Wheel Chocks for the U.S. Navy. They are cast in grey resin and come with simple details to set them apart. The instructions are adequate for assembly but give no painting directions.

Set 132-008, which is the "Blocks with Fixed Bar," comes with some small wire for the release fitting on the chocks. I had to drill and file the holes in the blocks to accommodate the bar. Only took a couple of seconds. Be sure you adjust the blocks to the wheel dimensions you are going to use them on before gluing the release cable and holder (piece # R-4). They are a sloppy fit and require a little more glue than you might expect, ultimately fixing the bar in place permanently.

Review Author
Jim Pearsall
Published on
Company
Ace Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$24.95

The Vehicle

The Sd.Kfz.250/1 (neu) was a compact version of the SdKfz251. Its mission was to carry a scout section for reconnaissance purposes. There was a previous (alt) version which had multi-faceted armor plate which stood up better than the simpler flat plates used by the “neu” version. But because the older version was more difficult to build and cost more, the newer one became the standard in early 1944

The armor of the Sd.Kfz 250/1 could stop rifle caliber bullets and shell fragments, but didn’t stand up to anything heavier, such as a .50 caliber or larger weapon. The half track design was superior to wheeled armored cars when off-road, so the 250 was preferred in many situations.

The Model

Ace has produced a vehicle which we haven’t seen kitted previously. ESCI had a 250/9, but it’s a different vehicle in that it has a screened top to prevent insertion of grenades and other litter.