Su-33 Flanker D – Correct Nose

Published: August 27, 2012
Company: Quickboost

The Su-33 Flanker D is an all-weather-carrier based air defense fighter based on the Su-27. The airplane had a production run of 24 units.

Hasegawa has produced a kit of this interesting aircraft for modelers. As usual, Quickboost has added several items to improve the accuracy of the basic Su-33 Flanker D kit.

The first part is a correct nose cone. The attached photo shows the… more

Windsock Worldwide, Vol. 28, No. 2 - March/April 2012

Published: June 28, 2012
Company: Albatros Productions, Ltd.

This bimonthly magazine is a must for modelers (and aviation enthusiasts) interested in World War One aircraft. The magazine is published by Albatros Productions Ltd. in the UK, which also publishes the great line of Windsock Datafiles and Specials.

The headline article in this issue covers an in-depth build of the Wingnut Wings kit of the Rumpler C.IV. The author of the article is the… more

A-6 Intruder Egg Plane

Published: March 27, 2012
Company: Hasegawa

The A-6 Intruder is the twentieth model in Hasegawa’s Eggplane series. Several of my friends have finished these cute little models, so I jumped at the chance to try one myself. The box top showed a drawing of the model along with a typical manga character cheering the model. The kit consisted of thirty crisply molded parts plus a transparent canopy. A fairly extensive decal sheet was included… more

Mi-35M Hind E

Published: January 30, 2012
Company: Zvezda

Background

The Mil Mi-35M Hind E is an upgrade to the famous Mi-24 Hind gunship. In addition to being a potent gunship, the Hind can carry a number of soldiers in the fuselage or can evacuate wounded. Initially, the designation Mi-35, together with the Mi-25, were used for export versions. These designations were used before the end of the Soviet Union. More recently,… more

F-84E/G Thunderjet in Service of the (R)Neth.AF - Decals

Published: December 15, 2011
Company: Dutch Profile Publications

This decal sheet provides markings for eighteen Dutch Thunderjet aircraft. The package includes two sheets of decals and a four-page printed instruction sheet with general details of the decal placement. This decal sheet is a supplement to Dutch Profile #12, available from the same location. The color profile drawings from the book cover the same aircraft and provide a much clearer indication… more

F-84E/G Thunderjet in Service of the (R)Neth. AF - History, Camouflage and Markings

Published: December 15, 2011
Book Author(s): van Kampern, Coen van den Heuvel, and Luuk Boerman
Company: Dutch Profile Publications

In US service, the F-84 Thunderjet experienced early problems, but the E and G models proved the validity of the design. With its straight wing, it was very stable and was a great fighter-bomber. It is well known from its exploits in Korea. A portion of the F-84E production was exported to NATO to provide them with a modern jet attack airplane. When the greatly improved F-84G entered… more

Naval Aces of World War I, Part 1

Published: December 5, 2011
Book Author(s): Jon Guttman
Company: Osprey Publishing

This book covers Aces of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). It appears that Osprey will be publishing an additional volume or volumes covering naval aces of other countries. When I heard of this book, I assumed that it would probably cover Raymond Collishaw and other Sopwith Triplane pilots of Naval 10. I was pleased to find that, although Naval 10 was well covered, the history of the RNAS in… more

244th Sentai Part 1 - Decal Sheet

Published: July 19, 2011
Company: Lifelike Decals

Lifelike Decals have recently provided some of their products for review. They produce a wide range of 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32 scale decals for WW II fighters and a couple of B-17s. This sheet is the first of three sheets covering 244 Sentai aircraft. I am sure that most modelers are familiar with the red tailed Ki-61 Tonys of this group. This sheet covers eight different aircraft including a… more

More Stars in the Sky

Published: July 8, 2011
Company: Iliad Design

I have been aware of the company Iliad Design for many years based on their very interesting line of Aircraft Color Charts. I have a few of their sets covering some unique areas – Polish Aircraft, French Aircraft, Condor Legion etc.

I had not been aware that they also produce decals. Upon checking out their web site, I found several interesting sets of decals. Most of them are 1/48 scale… more

German Fighter Messerschmitt Bf-109 F2

Published: June 18, 2011
Company: Zvezda

Background

I’m sure that everyone is aware of the Messerschmitt Bf-109 series of aircraft. The F model entered production in November, 1940 and differed from the previous “E” models by using a more powerful version of the DB 601 engine and featuring a more streamlined nose cowling. Armament consisted of two nose mounted machine guns and a cannon shooting through the… more