F-4J

Published: December 14, 2021
Company: Fine Molds

There have been many kits of the F-4 Phantom in 1/72^nd scale over the years. Some were bad, some were good, some were great. Along comes Fine Molds of Japan in 2021 and they knock the ball out of the park with their series of the F-4 in 1/72^nd scale. Many of the pitfalls that have plagued Phantom kits over the years have been corrected and conquered by Fine Molds and a… more

Pfalz D.XII Landing Gear

Published: September 5, 2017
Company: Scale Aircraft Conversions

The landing gear assemblies on WWI aircraft are notoriously fragile and spindly, and the Pfalz D.XII is no exception. SAC has provided us with four white metal parts that should solve that problem. Being white metal, they will require some careful polishing of the surface to get them smooth, and gap filling CA glue must be used for assembly. The parts come in the typical SAC clear plastic… more

AH-64D Apache Landing Gear

Published: September 4, 2017
Company: Scale Aircraft Conversions

There’s a lot of parts, fourteen to be exact, to this landing gear replacement, and they are done very well. Parts represented are D20,21,30 and 31; G28,35 and 45, and J12, 13, 16, 17, 32, 38 and 39. Of course they are all in white metal, which requires some polishing and some smoothing of the surface on a couple of the parts, and assembly using gap filling CA glue. The parts come in the… more

Aircraft Paints

Published: March 25, 2017
Company: MCW Finishes

This review covers the following MCW Military Paints:

• MIL-1102 Lichtblau RLM76
• MIL-1105 Grauviolett RLM75
• MIL-1010 Graugrun RLM74
• MIL-5003 40% Flat Clear – Flat

The paints are available at $7.50 per bottle.

What modeler can’t use some more paint? It’s just like kits. You can’t have too many. I have always been ready to try a new… more

Combat Scooters (2) USN/USMC A-4E/ A 4F Skyhawks in the Vietnam War and Skyhawk Airframe Stencils, A-4E, A-4F, & A-4M

Published: January 14, 2017
Company: AOA Decals

NOTE: 32-012 MSRP is $11.00

When I received these decals, I had the greatest of intentions to do a review of the decals actually applied to my finished Trumpeter A-4E. Best laid plans are often exactly that, and I have to apologize for this not being that type of review. My poor A-4E is still sitting on the side of my work area crying to be finished. Life and time often get in the… more

USN F-14A VF-2 "Bounty Hunters"

Published: July 6, 2016
Company: Academy Models

When I first saw the box, I was hoping for a brand new 1/72^nd scale F-14A. But alas, the only thing new was a splendid Cartograf decal sheet. This is the same kit that has been receiving new decals since 2011 in an attempt to revitalize it. I believe the basic kit dates back to 2008, or earlier, and basically is a factory issued aircraft, with no modifications or upgrades.

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Fw 190A-5

Published: June 9, 2016
Company: Eduard

Right on the heels of Eduard’s release of the 1/72^nd scale Fw 190A-8 was their Fw 190A-5. When you open the box, you wonder just what kit the parts are for. You see three trees of light gray parts, one clear tree with four canopies on it a great decal sheet, a photo etch sheet and a mask. Of course, many of the parts are for the A-8 and for future variants of the A-8. And, with all… more

AH-1Z Vipers Den

Published: August 22, 2015
Company: Werners Wings

The Kitty Hawk AH-1Z was ready for decals.

So, on to WW Decals 48-08. One word of caution; decide which aircraft you want to model BEFORE you paint! Floyd gives you eight different choices of aircraft, and there is something different about the color demarcation lines or non-skid paint or patches of other color paint on each aircraft. I didn’t have that forethought, so the end result… more

AH-1Z Viper

Published: February 10, 2020
Company: Kitty Hawk

Having flown the AH-1G, Q, Mod S, Prod S and Prod S (ECAS) while on active duty with the U.S. Army, I am always drawn to any version of the AH-1. It is truly an exciting aircraft to fly and it just looks plain wicked! The aircraft has been around since 1966 and the AH-1Z is the latest incarnation of that airframe, and tends to make you think it’s going to be around much longer, still. And… more

F-4B Ejection Seats (Late)

Published: June 19, 2015
Company: Eduard

As with most injection molded kits, the Academy F-4B ejection seats have no lap belts or shoulder harnesses, and are also very basic. The shape of the cushions is also very questionable. Eduard comes to the rescue with their Brassin line of products and gives us some very detailed ejection seats. There are five pieces of resin and a very busy photo etch seat for each of the two seats… more