Antonov AN-2 Air Intake and Oil Radiator

Published: April 17, 2014
Company: Quickboost

The AN-2 “"Annushka" (NATO designation “Colt”) is a throwback from a very earlier age as a biplane STOVL cargo aircraft. Hobby Boss makes a nice replica of this plane which captures it rugged appearance.

Quickboost offers a series of details designed to enhance this kit. This set provides drop in fit parts to replace the kit air intakes and oil cooler. The molding is typical Quickboost… more

Antonov AN-2 Cowl Flaps

Published: April 17, 2014
Company: Quickboost

The AN-2 “"Annushka" (NATO designation “Colt”) is a throwback from a very earlier age as a rugged biplane used in a STOVL role. The Hobby Boss kit is a nice replica of this plane, yet there are some details that require improvement. Hobby boss provides the option of having the cowl flaps open or closed. Quickboost offers a set of replacement cowling flaps in the open position which are much… more

Naval T-Birds

Published: February 10, 2020
Company: Iliad Design

I have to respect Iliad Design in Canada, which does not follow the convention of releasing decals just for kits new out on the market, but instead releases subjects off the beaten path. This latest release is a series of markings for the US Navy’s version of the T-33, the TO-2/TV-2. The T-33 was an initiative by Lockheed to develop a trainer from its P-80 fighter. Debuted in 1948, the T-33… more

Antonov AN-2 Exhaust

Published: March 13, 2014
Company: Quickboost

The AN-2 "Annushka" bi-plane (NATO designation “Colt”) is a throwback from a very earlier age, not only because it is a biplane, but because of the larger Shvetsov Ash-62 9 cylinder radial engine that powers it. On the right side of the plane is a single large exhaust pipe that belches fire and smoke when in operation. The pipe on the real AN-2 comes out from the engine at a shallow angle of… more

Antonov AN-2 Engine

Published: February 19, 2014
Company: Quickboost

The AN-2 “"Annushka" (NATO designation “Colt”) bi-plane is brutish, rugged airplane – a throwback from a very earlier age. Central to this appearance is the large Shvetsov Ash-62 9 cylinder radial engine (a development from the Wright R-1820 Cyclone) at the end of a short nose.. Overall, Hobby Boss captures the lines of the “Colt”, except the Shvetsov ASh-62 engine, which as molded looks like… more

US Navy Missile Cart with 5 Weapon Officers

Published: January 22, 2014
Company: Skunk Models Workshop

Any modern flightline, including the deck of a carrier, has a collection of specialized vehicles and carts used for the movement and servicing of the aircraft. Skunk Models Workshop has been offering a steady stream of accessories for the modern jet-age modeler who may want to create a diorama or pose a few items of equipment around the aircraft for visual interest. This latest offering by… more

AIM-54A Phoenix

Published: December 27, 2013
Company: Eduard

For fans of US Naval Aviation and those fascinated with the Cold War, an incomparable weapon system and platform pairing was the F-14 Tomcat with the AWG-9 radar and the AIM-54 Phoenix missile. The AIM-54 was the long range fangs of the F-14 that gave the aircraft the capability to engage the Soviet Naval Aviation threat and its vast arsenal of anti-ship cruise missiles at very long range… more

Space Shuttle Tile Decal

Published: December 6, 2013
Company: Warbird Decals

For modelers building scale models of the Space Shuttle one of the more difficult challenges has been to replicate the thermal shielding on the spacecraft, whether the tiles or the blankets. In the smaller scales, this can be a real challenge and as a result one of the most sought after after-market sets has been thermal tile decals. Meteor Productions, in their Cutting Edge decal line, was… more

Russian Missile R-23T (AA-7B Apex)

Published: May 18, 2020
Company: Plusmodel

Distinctive of the Mig-23 interceptor were the large white R-23 (NATO AA-7 APEX) missiles that it carried close to the fuselage. To me, with the large fins, they seem more menacing than the US Sparrow missiles. Now that there is a decent model of the Mig-23 available in 1/48 it is nice to see the aftermarket manufacturers step in and provide more realistic ordnance options. Even though the… more

Mirage F1.B

Published: August 18, 2013
Company: Kitty Hawk

Kitty Hawk is a newcomer on the scene and seems to be filling a niche by releasing subjects not kitted before and new kits of older subjects previously kitted. The only previous kitting of the Mirage F.1B in 1/48 was the Fonderie Miniatures limited run multi-media kit. That is why, as a fan of the Armee de l’Air, I was pleased to see Kitty Hawk release this kit, especially in two colorful… more