F-14A Tomcat Beaver Tail

Published: May 3, 2018
Company: Quickboost

The Tamiya F-14A Tomcat set a standard for plastic model kits. If there is a drawback it is that the aircraft can only be built as a very early Tomcat. Some things that need to be addressed to change your Tomcat to a later A model and B model is the so called Beaver Tail, as well as, the chin pods and gun vents. Quickboost addresses all of these areas with individual upgrades.

This offering is a single piece of light grey resin. It represents the beaver tail as seen on later F-14As, B, and Ds. It includes the fuel dump port and the ECM pod. Removing the part from the pour stub is easy enough. It is a drop in replacement part for the kit part. Simple and very easy to add.

If you want a later Tomcat then you need this part. No two ways about it. This part is an important… more

Bf-109G-6/14 Exterior Set

Published: February 3, 2020
Company: Vector

The new Zvezda kit picks up where the excellent Bf-109F kit leaves off. The new kit shares many of the same sprues and because of this it has some similar issues. Notably the kit needs some help in a few areas, namely the ailerons, exhausts and wheel wells. Well Vector has stepped up to the plate and provided some exquisite resin corrections.

Packaged in a small ziplock bag with a paper label at the top, Vector provides you with some beautifully cast light grey resin that is blemish free. You get two new wheel wells, two ailerons, exhausts, cockpit shelf and bulged battery box.

The kit ailerons feature some exquisite fabric representation on the top side, but only on the top side. The bottom is missing the fabric detail. Not a horrible thing but a noticeable oversight.… more

FW-190A-4

Published: January 26, 2018
Company: Eduard

No one can accuse Eduard of not listening to their critics. First the redid their Bf-109s and now they have started to redo their FW-190 series. The first Focke Wulfs that Eduard released were complicated and over engineered for most modelers. They contained a lot of great detail but the fit was fiddly and could confound some modelers. Well all that has changed with the release of the FW-190A-4.

Packaged in a sturdy top opening cardboard box with impressive box art the A-4 is the first time Eduard has done up an early ‘short’ nosed 190. The kit features five sprues of light grey resin that is crisply molded with no flash. I did notice that my fuselage halves had a slightly raised ridge at the join on both halves. Three of the sprues are the common sprues for the entire 190… more

Bf-109G-4 Profipack

Published: January 7, 2018
Company: Eduard

The Bf-109G-4 was very similar to the G-2. Bigger tires along with the corresponding wing bulges and a bigger tail wheel were the only external differences. The service length of the G-4 was short as it was quickly replaced by the G-6 for its increased armament. The G-4 was quickly used by the photo recon units of the Luftwaffe and is often associated with them. There were a couple of variants of the G-4 in the photo recon role. I wanted to have a Bf-109G-4/R3 which could have had the photo recon window under the fuselage, oil deflectors aft of the engine and two 300 liter drop tanks mounted to the wings.

The boxtop has some of the best artwork I’ve seen on a model box. This is just an inkling of the goodness inside the box. Inside the sturdy cardboard box are four… more

Bf-109G-4 Canopy Masks

Published: January 7, 2018
Company: Eduard

If there is one thing I hate about modeling aircraft it is masking canopies. To me it is just a chore. I can mask an entire model multiple times but something as mundane as a canopy is a pain and time consuming. That is why I really enjoy Eduard’s canopy masks.

Printed on Kabuki tape, similar to Tamiya tape, these masks are precisely cut for the Eduard Bf-109G-4 kit. They should fit the G-2/5/6 as well. The thing about these masks that is different from other masks is that the aft canopy has internal framework. Eduard gives you both the interior and exterior framework for the aft canopy. The other canopy parts are just the outside. The single page of instructions shows you which masks goes where.

Everything fit perfectly, which is what you would expect for… more

UH-1D Photo Etch Set

Published: January 7, 2018
Company: Eduard

This set is designed for the Kitty Hawk UH-1D. While not marketed as an interior set because there are other parts in here. There are two frets included. One is a pre-painted one that is also available in the ZOOM set and the other is brass.

The first fret is a simple little pre-painted fret which is a perfect accessory for the Kitty Hawk UH-1D. One of the things about the Kitty Hawk kit is that it has an instrument panel with extra gauges that were added after Vietnam. It also is painted flat black while Vietnam era aircraft had light grey interiors.

This fret features some of the exquisite detail that is common for the Eduard pre-painted frets. There is simply no way that you can paint this good. The instrument panel is a perfect example of the type and markings used… more

UH-1D Seatbelts STEEL

Published: January 7, 2018
Company: Eduard

Kitty Hawk UH-1D comes with photo etch seatbelts, but they are not as accurate as they should be for a Huey. This set is a pre-painted STEEL set. That means that it is able to be bent a little bit more than the previous sets. I’ve enjoyed using the STEEL seatbelts on other builds.

This set is very complete. It contains EVERY seatbelt and shoulder harness for the UH-1D/H. Unlike the Kitty Hawk seatbelts the front seat belts and shoulder harness are perfect for the Huey. The colors are great. The leather end pieces are included which they aren’t on the Kitty Hawk parts. Also included in this set are the parts for the rear facing seats and the cabin area. Tiedowns are included for the front seat belts and even the cover for the inertial reel.

All in all this is an… more

FE861 UH-1D ZOOM PE

Published: January 7, 2018
Company: Eduard

This simple little pre-painted fret is a perfect accessory for the Kitty Hawk UH-1D. One of the things about the Kitty Hawk kit is that it has an instrument panel with extra gauges that were added after Vietnam. It also is painted flat black while Vietnam era aircraft had light grey interiors.

This fret features some of the exquisite detail that is common for the Eduard pre-painted frets. There is simply no way that you can paint this good. The instrument panel is a perfect example of the type and markings used in Vietnam. There is also detail on the overhead and lower console. These will look impressive when installed in the cockpit.

Installation is easy. Simply sand down the kit detail and add the new pre-painted parts. I’d recommend painting the parts flat and then… more

UH-1D Cargo Interior

Published: January 6, 2018
Company: Eduard

Eduard has released some great sets for the Kitty Hawk UH-1D. This is another one of them. This big fret contains a brand new interior flooring and the anti-skid surface for the exterior roof.

The cargo floor is simply gorgeous. It has the diamond pattern, tiedown rings and the seat rails. It also has the seatbelt hold downs for the front seats. They are available in the seatbelt set just in case you didn’t get that set. It is hard to convey how beautiful this flooring is. It is a big piece and it fits over the entire floor from the front to the back.

The roof is a nice addition. It will have to be faired in with some putty but that should be pretty easy to deal with.

Another super set for the Kitty Hawk UH-1D. The level of detail on these two big parts is… more

UH-1D Masks

Published: January 6, 2018
Company: Eduard

The thing about helicopters besides all those fiddly parts is that there is typically lots of clear parts. The Huey is a perfect example. I really dislike masking windows and canopy. This latest set from Eduard makes this a simple matter.

Printed on Kabuki tape, which takes curves really well, this set has masks for the interior windows on the door and the rest of the exterior windows and canopies. You will have to supply some liquid masking fluid.

These masks will save you lots of time and frustration. They will fit flawlessly like every other one I’ve ever used. Its nice that the interior windows on the cargo doors are addressed as well.

I try not to build a kit without canopy masks and these Eduard canopy masks are just the ticket to make it simple and easy.… more