Lysander Mk. III Profipack

Published: October 23, 2016
Company: Eduard

I have always loved the look and lines of the Westland Lysander so when given the chance, I didn’t hesitate to build the profipack kit from Eduard. To be honest I have the older Gavia boxing in my stash but it doesn’t contain all the little extras that Eduard has added over and above the original boxing of the Gavia kit in 2001. From reading reviews of the Gavia boxing there was small issue in… more

British Landing Lights

Published: October 7, 2016
Company: Brengun

Honestly until I built an Eduard Fulmar last year I didn’t know about the distinctive design of the British landing light. Now, if you are so inclined to add a great scale detail to your British aircraft look no further. Brengun has a wonderful set of photoetched landing lights for most any 1/48 British subject.

Included in this photoetch set are: four – 4.5mm diameter lights, four – 4… more

Tips to Master advanced techniques building 700th IJN ships Vol. 2

Published: July 15, 2016
Company: Model Art

Since April of 2013 when Kodakawa games released their free browser game Kantai Collection (aka Kancolle), featuring cute anime girls each of which represent ships from the Second World War IJN, there has been an increased interest in ship modeling in Japan. Tamiya, Hasegawa and Aoshima, have long worked in harmony releasing a sizable number of 1/700 warships represented by the waterline… more

VCL Light Amphibious Tank A4E12 Late Production

Published: June 7, 2016
Company: Riich Models

Not many of the Vickers A4E12 (late) amphibious tanks were produced and oddly enough only two were purchased by the UK from Vickers. In all, a total of 43 examples were produced with the largest number, 29 purchased by China in 1932. The Chinese A4E12s were used operationally through 1942 when they were turned over to the Army Mechanized School in Chengdu. The instruction history indicates… more

Stearman PT-17 Decals

Published: February 10, 2020
Company: Iliad Design

I’m a sucker for oddities and non-standard schemes when it comes to finishing my model aircraft. I saw the Iliad designs offering for Stearman PT-17 airframes and thought this is the set for me. I was pleasantly surprised to see Iliad design proved a full set of five decal options. So you have five kits in your stash? You’re covered in this one set. Along with a very nice color representation… more

Tips to Master Advanced Techniques Building 700th IJN Ships, Vol. 1

Published: March 10, 2016
Company: Model Art

Since April of 2013 when Kodakawa games released their free browser game Kantai Collection (aka Kancolle), featuring cute anime girls each of which represent ships from the Second World War IJN, there has been an increased interest in ship modeling in Japan. Tamiya, Hasegawa and Aoshima, have long worked in harmony releasing a sizable number of 1/700 warships represented by the waterline… more

EMB-314 Super Tucano Control Surfaces

Published: February 1, 2016
Company: Aires Hobby Models

Normally I don’t build outside of my pre-1945 comfort zone, but I’ve always liked the shape and look of the Tucano/Super Tucano. When Hobby Boss released this kit I couldn’t pass on making the purchase. As with any decent kit there is always room for little improvement and this kit is no exception. Joining another resin aftermarket manufacturer, Aires is now offering a set of replacement stabs… more

Tiger I (Late Version)

Published: June 23, 2015
Company: Academy Models

Academy did a fine job packaging this kit with parts bagged and contained in a sturdy box. Academy is very clear in their instructions to examine the parts (before opening the bags) and contact them if you find any missing or damaged pieces. My kit was complete so let move on. The next thing I noticed was the fact their seemed to be several turrets and hull top pieces. More than what is… more

Junkers F.13 Tauchente Conversion Set

Published: February 10, 2020
Company: Master-X

It has been a while since Revell released this 1/72 scale Junkers J.13 kit, but given their history of re-release, I would hope to see this little gem of kit again in the next year or two. Lumir at Master-X models has recently released three resin / decal sets to upgrade your Revell F.13 kits. Two sets are geared to the wheeled kit, and the third is designed to work with the pontoon geared F.… more

F86-F 40 Saber

Published: March 29, 2015
Company: Fujimi

This was my first Fujimi build and I think I picked a good one to start with. I don’t often build jets but I’ve always liked the Saber so I grabbed this from the reviewer corps list. This kit or more specifically this mold has been around since ~1986. For a mold of this age it is in terrific shape and I only spotted a tiny bit of flash on one part. Panel line detail is very good with only a… more