M-60 7.62mm Machine Gun

Published: March 3, 2017
Company: Aires Hobby Models

One thing that 1/48th scale helicopter modelers have been without for so long is the lack of armament. Hueys and Loach crewmembers normally carried the M-60 machine gun as protection for the aircraft and crew. Up until now there has been no available machine gun to hang in the door.

Packaged with a card stock backing, this set features four air M-60Ds. The guns feature the front mounted bipod mount molded on. Everything is there except the front gun sight, which in this scale would be almost unnoticeable. The detail on the machine guns is impressive. You may want to add the front sights, but depending on your configuration the guns may not have it. Along with the M-60s you get two small belts of ammunition. They will be fragile in this scale but they are a nice touch. I would… more

Su-25K Frogfoot Cockpit Ladder

Published: March 2, 2017
Company: Quickboost

If you want to mount your Frogfoot’s boarding ladder in the down position you will have a hard time doing that with the kit parts and you’ll still have to scratchbuild the area and the ladder. That is until now.

Quickboost provides you with this simple upgrade. Packaged in the typical Quickboost resealable envelope with card stock backing to prevent damage. This set contains four light grey resin pieces. The instructions tell you what you have to remove to add this set. It is relatively easy to do. Removal of the parts from the pour block is easy. It just takes paint to bring out the detail.

This will look great when added to the model. The boarding ladder, when lowered. adds life to your Frogfoot. This is the easiest way to add that little bit of detail at an… more

Martin Baker Mk.H5 Ejection Seats

Published: February 27, 2017
Company: Hypersonic Models

The Academy F-4 series of models are impressive models but they could benefit from a little bit of resin, especially in the cockpit. The F-4 cockpit, like most jets, is dominated by one item, the ejection seat. If you are going to add anything to your kit the ejection seat is that one item.

The parts are in a small Ziploc bag. Within that bag Hypersonic provides two seats. There are two seats and one gang pour block of the ejection handles. The ejection seat handles are safeguarded inside another baggie. A section of wire is included for the side of the seat. The casting of these seats in light grey resin is perfect. The detail is exquisite. The baggie is stapled to the instruction sheet which is folded into quarters. The instructions are on a single sheet of high quality paper… more

F-4 Phantom Unslotted Stabilators

Published: February 27, 2017
Company: Hypersonic Models

The F-4 Phantom is an iconic aircraft. The new Academy kits do the aircraft justice, but if you have the Hasegawa kits these stabilators will work there as well. There are some things that can always be improved by the application of resin and photoetch.

There are three ways to use this set. You must decide which way you want to add these parts. The first way is to just replace the kit parts with the new resin ones. That is the least amount of work. The second option is to replace the kit stabilators and replace the molded-on cover plates with the PE parts from the set. And finally the third way is to use the resin and PE and set your angle of choice. You’ll have to decide which way to go. I recommend that you read through the instructions thoroughly and make sure you are using… more

Bf-109G-6 Balkenkrueze

Published: February 26, 2017
Company: Eduard

Eduard’s Bf-109G series of models is one of my favorite models. As such I tend to build a lot of them. They are a lot of fun to build and look great when completed. The Eduard decals are printed by Eduard, and are very thin and beautifully done. Because of their thinness, they fit into all the panel lines with ease, and the carrier film disappears. The only thing that I’ve had an issue with the thinness of the decals is that they stick real fast if you don’t have enough water under them. This is not a bad thing just an observation. Eduard has released this sheet of decals which contains enough different styles to do at least two aircraft.

The decals come in a typical European self-sealing/re-sealing plastic packaging. The decals are protected by a thick card stock between the… more

Battle Scooters (2)-USN/USMC A-4C & A-4E Skyhawks in the Vietnam War

Published: February 26, 2017
Company: AOA Decals

This is the second sheet for the Hasegawa A-4 kit from AOA Decals. Like the others this is thoroughly researched with the help of the A-4 Skyhawk Association, notable pilots and mechanics. Who better to make sure that the markings are correct than the ones that were there?

The A-4 was a workhorse for the Navy and the Marines in Vietnam. As such it was operated from carriers and shore airfields. This sheet covers the Skyhawk from 1966 to 1972. Where a unit used both types or had early and later cruises, AOA selects an aircraft from both time frames.

There are thirteen Scooters on the sheet. Seven Marines and six Navy A-4s are on the sheet. VMA-214 from the Blacksheep is the first aircraft. The VMA-311 Tomcats make up the rest of the Marine aircraft. VA-22, the Fighting… more

Battle Scooters (3)-USN/USMC A-4C & A-4E Skyhawks in the Vietnam War

Published: February 26, 2017
Company: AOA Decals

This third sheet by AOA Decals for the A-4 Skyhawk includes markings for twelve Vietnam era aircraft. This sheet is mostly Navy aircraft but there are two Marine aircraft.

The instructions are typical of AOA Decals being stored in a large ziplock bag with four double-sided 8.5x11 pages. Each aircraft is described in detail. The specific updates to the models are included on the first page. This addresses the correct antennas and the things needed to do the model properly. All the aircraft are Light Gull Grey over White but that is the only thing plain about them. They display full color markings from the front to the rear of each aircraft. The last page of the instructions covers the stencil location for both types.

The decal themselves are printed by Cartograf… more

Bf-109G Svaskitas

Published: February 26, 2017
Company: Eduard

This small sheet addresses some short comings in kits sold overseas. The lack of swastikas. Now I’m not sure if it is just a typo or a way to get by overseas censors by calling them svastikas versus swastikas.

Either way you know what you are getting. Eduard prints their own decals and these are just perfect. They are printed on a 1.5 x 2.5 inch decal sheet. The decals are very thin and very crisp. You get 12 swastikas in two sizes. The normal Bf-109 sized swaskitas are 300mm. You get eight swastikas in this scaled size. Later in the war there were some slightly larger sized, 400mm, ones used on wooden tails. There are four of these.

The sheet is a good addition if you need some swastikas for your Bf-109 for your Bf-109G. Your F and E are available on other sheet. Those… more

Su-25K Frogfoot Mirror

Published: February 25, 2017
Company: Quickboost

Jet canopy frames feature rear view mirrors. Most kits don’t include these parts as they are too difficult to do in plastic. The KP/Smer Su-25 is one of those kits. Luckily Quickboost recognized this and provides you with this set.

Packaged in the typical Quickboost packaging this small set includes three mirrors. They are easily removed from the pour stub. Then it is just a matter of painting them and sticking them on the canopy framework. Simple, easy and effective upgrade for a small price.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Aires and IPMS/USA for the review copy. You can obtain yours by contacting them at http://www.aires.cz/en//a>

F-16A La Vipera

Published: February 25, 2017
Company: Twobobs Aviation Graphics

The F-16 is one of the sexiest aircraft ever made. The early aircraft were even more impressive before all of the bumps and bulges were added to later variants.

Like Salma Hayek in ‘From Dusk to Dawn’ the only way to make it even sexier is to wrap it in a snake. The Italians did this in April 2010 at Cervia AB, Italy. Sure it is a special paint scheme but what a great marking option. The aircraft itself is only painted in two colors FS36231 and FS36118 which makes for a pretty dark aircraft but add to that the bright yellow, purple and black Viper to it just makes it awesome.

Inside a 6x9 inch, zip lock bag is a double-sided high-quality paper printed in full-color instructions. The instructions show all four sides of the actual aircraft, along with the drop tank… more