I’ve been looking forward to building my namesake for a while now and jumped at the chance to take a look at this wonderful panel replacement from Yahu Models. The panel replacement set comes with photoetch replacement panels for both the front and rear cockpits and as well as the aft panel in the rear cockpit.

Assembly is straightforward, carefully remove the photoetch parts with a sharp hobby blade on a firm hard surface so as to avoid bending the metal parts. I sprayed gloss clear over the backing parts and matt gloss over the front cover prior to gluing the parts to each other. The gloss gives the illusion of glass over the instruments. At the same time the aft panel receives only a coat of matt clear.

Andy Singelton has several books out on painting figures and war gaming pieces and this book is the newest. You might recognize him from his studio - Volley Fire Painting Service. He has worked with manufacturers of war game equipment and scenarios and is the co-host of “A Few Brits and the Hobby”.

This book covers exactly as the title says, the latter half of WWII in Military vehicles. The chapters included are:

Coming back into the hobby after a decade plus hiatus has been an eye-opener for me. The quality of kits has gone up, and 3D printing has created a large market of aftermarket items. These items can make a kit look more accurate, or enhance the quality of the display.

The Aires USAF/USMC land based wooden wheel chock with nylon rope falls into the enhance the quality of your display category.

You get 6 chocks per set, 4 large chocks (presumably for main gear), and two smaller (nose gear) chocks. A segment of thread (simulating nylon rope) also comes in the package.

The packaging is nice. The chocks are in a clear, re-sealable bag that has an instruction sheet inside.

Preparation and assembly is straight forward, I paint the chocks, drill/clean the hole for the nylon rope (thread); sand a small strip where I will apply glue, and then cut them off the sprue as needed.