AN/ALE 39/47 Chaff/Flare Dispensers

Published: September 1, 2022
Company: Brengun

Bregun has provided a better option for the flare dispensers that are either blanked off or poorly represented on most kits in this scale. The AN/ALE 39/47 dispenser system is used on the F-16, F-18 as well as some helicopters and transports. The real system can accommodate mixed decoys in the same pack. These are programable, to release in predetermined or automatic order. Brengun duplicates… more

We Were Never There, Volume 2: CIA U-2 Asia and Worldwide Operations 1957-1974

Published: June 13, 2022
Book Author(s): Kevin Wright
Company: Helion & Company

In this volume, Kevin Wright picks up where we left off in Volume one (CIA U-2 Operations over Europe, the USSR and the Middle East, 1956-1960). You can read that review on this website. After the shootdown and public humiliation of the United States, western European allies became reluctant to continue supporting U-2 operations. In response the CIA turned its attention to the other emerging… more

Landing Gear for the Airfix Bristol Beaufort

Published: May 26, 2022
Company: Scale Aircraft Conversions

This metal landing gear set from SAC replaces the gear parts and pitot mast in the new tool Airfix Bristol Beaufort kit. Like its cousins from Bristol, the Blenheim and Beaufighter, the Beaufort has a multipart, complex main gear structure. Airfix has done a good job reproducing this in plastic. The SAC parts are direct copies of those. I compared the assembly of the plastic parts against the… more

AGM-114 Hellfire Missile

Published: May 26, 2022
Company: Hauler Brengun

The Hellfire AGM (Air to Ground Missile) 114 was introduced in 1984. It was most associated with deployment on the Apache attack helicopter but has since been adapted for use from other aerial platforms including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles as well as ships and ground vehicles. Guided by laser or radar, this 100lb missile can travel a little over two miles and has proven to be highly effective at… more

Tactical Reconnaissance in the Cold War (1945 to Korea, Cuba, Vietnam & The Iron Curtain)

Published: May 17, 2022
Book Author(s): Doug Gordon
Company: Pen & Sword

Dangerous times followed the end of WWII. In quick succession, the emerging superpowers not only armed themselves with nuclear weapons but showed an overt willingness to use them. The spread of communism into the Eastern European bloc countries and the Asian continent created a need for information so the United States and her allies could make informed decisions about the enemy's intentions.… more

Sabre F.4 Landing Gear

Published: May 5, 2022
Company: Scale Aircraft Modelling

This set from SAC is a drop-in replacement for the relatively new Airfix Sabre kit. You get two main gear legs and a nose gear strut with a separate retraction arm. Casting quality is excellent and these parts won't require any more effort than kit parts to install. Recommended for those who want added strength and ability to polish real metal for those shiny oleos.

Thank you to SAC… more

Piaggio Avanti, Hammerhead Landing Gear

Published: May 5, 2022
Company: Scale Aircraft Conversions

Everything about the Avanti defies conventional logic in aircraft design. The main wing is set far back on the fuselage and a canard is mounted on the nose. The twin turboprop engines are mounted on the rear of the wings and drive the propellers in a pusher configuration. It's easy to recognize in the air long before you see it due to the distinctive sound of its engine/ propeller combination… more

Extra EA 300L Vacu Canopy

Published: May 3, 2022
Company: Brengun

The Extra 300L in this scale has a large canopy covering a tandem seat cockpit. If you want it closed, this is the only option you have a chance of doing that since the kits injected part doesn’t fit closed. Even if you elect to open it, when the inside and outside are painted, it creates a nice scale thickness canopy. The material used is about .55 mm thick so it's stiff enough to hold it… more

Extra EA 300L PE Set

Published: May 3, 2022
Company: Brengun

This is a companion detail set for the Brengun Extra 330L kit#BRP48007. A full review of that kit is posted elsewhere on this site. The base kit will build up into a nice model but I can't imagine building it without this set.

There are so many details included such as seat belts, instrument panels, aileron assist paddles and aerobatic sight frames that the model doesn’t look complete… more

Extra EA 300L Canopy Mask

Published: May 3, 2022
Company: Brengun

This masking set is useful for either the kits injected canopy or the optional vacuform part (item #BRL48157). It consists of four sections that go on easily and fit as expected. A simple, cheap time saver. Thank you Brengun for this sample and IPMS for sending it to me.