Ju-87B-2/R-2 Canopy Masks

Published: September 10, 2018
Company: Eduard

Many Luftwaffe aircraft had canopy framing on the inside but not on the outside. How to replicate and paint this has always been a challenge. The Stuka has a few of these panels. Well, what is a modeler to do? Well if you are like me you look to Eduard to help you because I hate to mask canopies.

Eduard’s masks are made from Kabuki tape which is just like Tamiya tape. The tape is precisely cut and conform to curves perfectly. This sheet of masks comes in the traditional resealable packaging that Eduard uses. The larger than usual masks includes all the masks you’ll need for your Airfix Stuka, except the camouflage.

The set is broken down into each canopy section and is quite easy to understand. There are masks for the outside and the panels that are just the inside… more

Ju-87B-2/R-2 Photo Etch

Published: September 8, 2018
Company: Eduard

The Airfix Stuka is an impressive kit but there is some room for improvement. When you think of Eduard you automatically think photo etch. So matching these two great modeling companies together is a natural.

Packaged in the typical Eduard resealable packaging with a cardboard stiffener inside are two different frets. The first fret is the pre-painted fret that is the ZOOM set. It is nickel plated and has the instrument panel and interior parts. The parts are really nicely done and the pre-painted is better than I can paint by hand. Some people have issue with pre-painted parts, but I do not.

The second fret contains the detail parts on a brass fret. Things like interior details, ammo drums, radios, gun ring details and other highlights are replicated or replaced. This… more

Bf-109G-14 Profipack

Published: September 1, 2018
Company: Eduard

The Bf-109G-14 was an attempt by the Luftwaffe to standardize fighter production of the G-5/G-6. It failed to do that but the G-14 was a good aircraft and served from 1943 until the end of the war.

This is a natural progression for Eduard and its much respected Bf-109 series of models. Like the real thing, it is essentially a G-6 with just as many options for equipment and markings. This ProfiPack follows the other releases which contains four light grey plastics sprues and one clear styrene sprue. My example did have minimal flash and my wings were slightly misaligned in the mold but it was all easily taken care of with a knife and sanding sticks. As a ProfiPack it also has a pre-painted photo etch fret and a set of masks. Decals are printed by Eduard and includes markings… more

Bf-109G-6s

Published: August 30, 2018
Company: Eagle Editions Ltd.

The second new release from Eagle Editions in their EagleCal line of decals is aimed at the Bf-109G-6. With the release of the Tamiya kit and the previously released Eduard and Zvezda kits there is no shortage of plastic to put these on. While I’m only reviewing the 1/48th scale decals, they are also available in 1/72nd and 1/32nd scales.

The Bf-109G-6 is a favorite amongst modelers and model manufacturers so the big thing is which markings to add to yours. EagleCals has you covered with this release.

Packaged in a ziplock baggie, you get 11x17 instruction sheet printed in full color. The profiles are on the cover but inside of the cover are larger versions. The artwork is done by James Bentley. The artwork is superb and the drawings are quite nice and reproduced well.… more

Afrika Dual Combo

Published: November 12, 2020
Company: Eduard

The German African campaign started with the landing by the Afrika Korps to help out the Italians. This harsh environment seesawed back and forth. This allowed the Bf-109 to evolve from the Emil and to the Gustav. Special Tropical variants were developed for the aircraft.

It is with this Eduard has released this boxing. This boxing includes the Friedrich and Gustav variants. The box top is a beautiful painting of Marseille’s F-4/Trop and a beautiful G-2 with mottled camouflage. Very motivational. The box itself is a sturdy cardboard box.

Inside the box are lots of light grey sprues. There are two of each sprue, I and H, which are the common sprues for the entire F and G line. There are two sprues that feature the unique fuselage and wings for the aircraft. You are… more

Bandit Sundowners-VFC-111 F-5N

Published: August 26, 2018
Company: Furball Aero-Design

Who doesn’t like the bad guys? I’ve always had an affinity for them. I wanted to know who they were and how they operated. Well these decals from Furball Aero-Design highlight the ‘psuedo’ bad guys, the OPFOR or Aggressors as the Navy calls them. The F-5N and F-5F adversaries are some colorful aircraft used to replicate potential bad guys.

There are eight aircraft included on this sheet. They have markings that are sure to motivate you to build one of these. These are quite colorful and offer a variety of paint schemes.

The decals are packaged in a large ziplock bag with full color instructions for every aircraft. Inside you are treated to high quality paper printed on both sides in beautiful color. Each aircraft has it own page. There are five 8.5 x 11inch sheets. The… more

Do-335A Detail Set

Published: August 26, 2018
Company: Master Model

The Do-335 has been well represented in 1/48th scale with the old, but venerable, Monogram kit and the more recent Tamiya one.

Master has had a long held reputation of producing some extremely accurate turned metal barrels and this set is no different. Packaged with a card stock protective backing inside a little ziplock bag are the five beautifully rendered pieces. The nose blast tube is in the front spinner, along with two 30mm cannon barrels on top of the fuselage is included. There is also a pitot tube and FuG-25 antenna. All of them are thin and have no mold lines and are perfectly round. Something I cant do in plastic. The best thing about these sets is that they are stronger and thinner than plastic.

The instructions are easy to understand and follow. You will… more

Bf-109G Gun Pods

Published: August 25, 2018
Company: Eduard

The options for the Tamiya kit are plentiful. What more could you ask for? Well how about opened panels, such as the 20mm Gondola gun pods? Having built up both the Eduard and the Tamiya Bf-109G-6s I think the open gun pods on the wings adds visual interest. When accompanied with the positionable cowling arrangement on the Tamiya kit these little gems will set your kit apart.

Packaged in a typical Brassin blister pack with the contents protected by foam and cardboard are twelve pieces of grey resin and one fret of photo etch. The instructions are on two small double sided pages with line drawings that show everything you need to do and the order that you need to do it in.

The set is actually easy to use. Easier than you would have thought. Removing the parts from the… more

Bf-109G-6 Wheels

Published: August 25, 2018
Company: Eduard

The Tamiya Bf-109G-6 is an awesome kit. There are some areas that could use upgrading. One of those areas is the wheels.

Eduard supplies three light grey resin pieces and a mask set inside their typical blister pack. The detail is far superior to the kit offering. The one thing that you will notice is that the wheels have bulged sidewalls and flat bottoms. This is especially nice on the tail wheel which should have a distinct bulge. The bulge is not overdone and looks very convincing.

The instructions are included on a small sheet that points out exactly what needs to be done. The only thing that really needs to be done, other than remove and paint, is to drill a hole for the tail wheel strut in the appropriate tail wheel mount.

The wheels are keyed for the… more

Twin Store Carrier with BD3-USK

Published: August 25, 2018
Company: Amigo Models

Amigo Models, and their separate product line of Advanced Modeling are producing some of the finest Russian accessories available.

The latest for this reviewer is the Twin Stores Carrier with BD3-USK for the Su-34 and Su-35 series of aircraft. The rack itself is designed to be used with either rocket launchers or bombs. This makes for a versatile underwing stores carrier.

The set comes in a resealable package with cardstock backing. The instructions are glued to that card stock. They are printed in black and white. Languages are in English and Russian, but the pictures are easy to understand and shows what needs to be done very clearly.

The resin is cast perfectly in light grey resin. Some of the parts are again wrapped in resealable packaging to safeguard… more