Review Author
Chris Smith
Published on
January 4, 2011
Company
Revell, Inc.
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$23.95

History

“The Mongoose” is a name that conjures up a lot of memories for me. I remember the Hot Wheels renditions of the “The Snake” and “The Mongoose” as any Hot Wheels collector worth their salt had those cars in their case. What I didn’t realize at the time was the marketing savvy behind those shiny little toys cars. As it turns out, Tom McEwen, the driver of “The Mongoose,” was a master of promoting drag racing and one of the key figures in developing sponsorships that although common today, were a novel idea in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Toms racing career would span 40 years and while he didn’t accrue the winning record of his nemesis Don Prudomme, the rivalry Tom created with the Snake and the Mongoose has become the stuff of drag racing legend.

The Kit

Review Author
Rick Bellanger
Published on
January 3, 2011
Company
Italeri
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$149.00

Please read the in box review (published earlier) for the history and a parts break down of this interesting kit.

The kit goes together without any problems. I followed the construction sequence as recommended with the following exceptions. I left the clear glazing (windows) off until final assembly. This made painting the bridge and deck house area a lot easier and I also left the life rings off until final detail due to them being an orange color and hard to paint with them installed.

I decided to do the MAS 563 version because of the colorful paint scheme. I followed the recommended painting instructions and guide. Model Masters paint was used almost exclusively. Light Ghost was used for the majority of the hull and fittings and Gunship grey for the deck. I painted the aerial recognition stripes on the bow before adding any deck detail.

Review Author
Mark A. Dice
Published on
December 31, 2010
Company
Dragon Models
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$49.95

Background

The Sturmgeschutz III (Stug III) assault gun was the most produced armored vehicle by Germany in WWII. It was built on the Panzer III chassis, initially to provide infantry support but continually modified and improved growing into a very effective tank destroyer.

The Stug III F/8 was produced Sept. - Dec. 1942 with 250 being built. It introduced an improved hull similar to the Panzer III Ausf. J/L with additional armor of 30mm thickness bolted on to speed up production. It mounted the 7.5cm Stuk 40 L/48 gun that would become the standard gun carried throughout the G series.

Kit

This is one of Dragon’s “Smart Kits”. It contains over 800 light grey parts, photo etch, metal wire, and the Magic Track type individual track links. Many of the parts are slide molded and over all detail and appearance are excellent!

Review Author
Jim Pearsall
Published on
October 5, 2021
Company
Minicraft Model Kits
Scale
1/144
MSRP
$9.99

The Aircraft

The A6M2 Zero-sen was the best carrier-based fighter in the world from 1940 to 1942, when more powerful Allied aircraft came on the scene. Fairly fast, very maneuverable, capable of a good rate of climb, it was dominant in the Pacific at the beginning of World War II. One of the markings for the Minicraft A6M2 is from the Soryu at Pearl Harbor, the other is for the “Akutan Zero” which crash landed almost intact in the Aleutians, and was flown by the US Navy for evaluation.

The Kit

Two sprues of light gray plastic and a clear canopy. The wing and horizontal stabilizer are each one piece, with 2 fuselage halves, and a separate cowling. The landing gear is one-piece, with the wheels and gear legs molded onto the doors. A separate set of doors for “gear up” are provided, along with a bladeless prop hub. The prop is one piece, and the tail wheel assembly is all one part. There’s a one-piece fuel tank provided.

Book Author(s)
Editor/co-Publisher: Michael G. Reccia; Art Editor/co-Publisher: David Openshaw
Review Author
Scott T. Adams Sr.
Published on
December 30, 2010
Company
Sci-fi and Fantasy Modeller
MSRP
$22.00

I have three or four of these magazines and have also written a review on volume 15. The magazine is always a good read and this issue is no different, there are fourteen articles in this issue. They range from a 1:72nd scale Eagle Booster set (Space 1999) from Warp Models to 1:1 scale Galaxy Quest prop kits from Pegasus Hobbies.

This issue has the 3rd part of a 3 part story on the designing of the Moebius Jupiter 2 which offered a chance for all of us to see what goes into designing such a kit ( I can’t wait to build mine). The article on how to repair a damaged Snow speeder has great information that should be of help to all who have had some mishaps happen to our models such as kids and the cat all come to mind.