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The CH-54 Tarhe helicopter was developed by Sikorsky Aircraft, a company founded by the prominent Ukrainian aircraft designer Igor Sikorski. The first flight of the helicopter, originally named S-64, took place on May 9th, 1962. Specialized Universal Military Pods were created to expand the carrying capabilities of the Tarhe. A total of 22 of these pods were built.
Dave Morrissette of the IPMS Review Corp had already built and reviewed the initial version of this kit with just the helicopter. He offered me some excellent advice on getting the best possible result. He was not wrong when he said this model was huge and the box it arrived in was no different. It needed to be big to hold all the parts needed to build the kit!
Illustrated by Artur Juszczak
Part of MMP’s Polish Wings series, this book focuses on the TS-11 Iskra, a Polish designed primary jet trainer. Designed in the late 1950’s in response to the need to train pilots for the Polish Air Force, the Iskra went on to serve for over 50 years with the Polish Air Force. While the design looks vaguely similar to that of the Temco TT-1 Pinto, unlike the Pinto, the Iskra was a very successful aircraft with more than 400 being built of its various variants. As an indigenous design, the Iskra’s primary customer was the Polish Air Force, however, India also purchased and operated 50 of the aircraft for jet pilot training.
This set is intended to be a quick upgrade to the gunner compartment of Special Hobby’s Ju 87D or Academy’s Ju 87G Stuka.The parts are 3D printed and as expected the detail is exquisite. As there are only three parts to the set, for most people this will be an easy upgrade. Unfortunately, my experience went the other way, but to be honest, with one exception, that was all my fault.
ICM Holding has put out a new model of their ZIL-131 truck with the addition of a Ukrainian Sapper Team. This is kit 35018 and is titled “Danger Mines!” Ukraine, Summer 2022. It is essentially a combination of their Sapper Team kit and their venerable ZIL-131 truck kit.
The box art for the kit is first rate and lends itself well to the actual truck and figures that are part of the kit. The box is compact and will fit well in any stash until you decide to build it. Although the box is small, the material within the box was not smashed together and no damage was noted when breaking out the materials from the box.