Bf-109G-6 Engine and Fuselage Guns

Published: November 9, 2016
Company: Eduard

Are you the type of person that likes to go to the end of the book and read the ending first? Well if you are, here is what you need to know before you start this kit:

1. Add the decals in Step 1 after you paint the engine block. If you don’t, it will difficult to add later. Eduard doesn’t even mention the decals until Step 31.
2. In Step 3 Part 53 is mis-numbered and should be Part 54
3. In Step 6 Part 54 is mis-numbered and should be Part 53
4. In Step 23 make sure you remove the entire mounts for the plastic exhausts inside the cowling and the deflectors. The instructions are not clear on this but if you don’t the engine won’t allow the fuselage to close.
5. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING - Step 24 - DO NOT CLOSE UP THE FUSELAGE UNTIL YOU INSTALL… more

Trainers No More: Trojans at War

Published: November 9, 2016
Company: AOA Decals

AOA Decals has been releasing some great decal sheets for Vietnam era subjects. Their latest is for the T-28 Trojan. In this particular scale, these decals can be used on either the old Monogram or newer Roden kits.

This particular sheet contains markings for 18 aircraft. Included in an A4 sized ziplock bag are four double-sided 8.5 x11 instructions sheet in full color. The cover photo is quite unique. The marking options include Air America, South Vietnamese Air Force, USAF, Royal Lao Air Force, Royal Thai Air Force and Royal Cambodian/Khmer Air Force. The instructions are very clear and concise. There are all four views of the stencils. Just in case the aircraft had alternate markings they are also shown. Two sets of stencils are included, one the standard and one of… more

OS2U-2 Kingfisher USS Texas, USS Maryland and Cape May

Published: February 3, 2020
Company: Yellow-Wings Decals

The colorful aircraft of the ‘golden age’ of Naval Aviation are some great looking aircraft. While this period was short lived it was also a time for the transition to war with the corresponding change of camouflage colors. One of the aircraft that went through this period was the Kingfisher. Designed pre-war it soldiered on throughout the war so the variety of marking options is quite varied. The new Kitty Hawk Kingfisher is a beautiful extensive kit that covers the aircraft quite well. Yellow Wings decals adds some flair to it.

Packaged in a 6x9 inch self-sealing ziplock bag, the modeler is treated to a heavy card stock cover page which includes full color side views of two aircraft. Behind that are three double sided pages of instructions printed in full color. The first… more

OS2U-2 Kingfisher USS Maryland, Quonset Point and Sitka Alaska

Published: February 3, 2020
Company: Yellow-Wings Decals

Yellow Wings is well known for their thorough research and excellent decals of traditionally Navy subjects, in particular from the ‘Golden Era’ of aviation. This particular sheet covers the time Kingfisher during the immediate pre-war timeframe.

Packaged as most decals are nowadays in a ziplock baggie, these decals are further protected by a heavy card stock title card. The instructions are included on three double sided 8.5 x 11 sheets.

The instructions cover all three aircraft. Each sheet contains a profile view, split view of the plan views and a head on shot. The specifications are included. These sheets look very much like the historical data from the National Archives.

The decals are printed by Microscale on three 5 1/4x 8 inch decal sheets. There are… more

B-24 Liberator in RAF Coastal Command Service with Focus on Aircraft of No. 311 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF

Published: February 4, 2020
Book Author(s): Pavel Turk & Miloslav Pajer
Company: Japo Publishing

This book arrived and I must say that I was impressed from the outset. The quality of the book and the material contained inside is typical JaPo. The title sounds like it is just about the Czechoslovak unit, No.311 Squadron, but this book is about a whole lot more than that.

The B-24 was the most produced American airplane in WWII. Its use by Coastal Command is better known in England but not so well known in the US. The use of the Liberator as a precision bomber in the US has overshadowed the vitally important mission of U-Boat patrol. This book fills that void.

JaPo is well known for packing their books with a plethora of information. This one is no different. There are 320 pages of text, photos and color profiles. There are 550 photos with a number of them in color. The… more

F-15C Digital Remix

Published: September 8, 2016
Company: Twobobs Aviation Graphics

The Aggressors are used to simulate potential enemy aircraft. The 65th Aggressor Squadron painted up their aircraft to visually look like the enemy aircraft. In this case they took on the look of the Su-27.

The decals and instructions are included in a zip lock bag. The instructions are included on a double-sided 8.5 x 11 high quality paper. Both sides of the four aircraft are shown. On the front of the instructions are the left and right side with the individual aircraft peculiarity. As is typical of the level of research that Two Bobs does the instructions give you the FS numbers of the paint scheme and the modifications necessary to make your kit accurate. The back of the instructions gives the color cross-reference for Testors, Humbrol, Gunze and Xtracrylic.

The… more

Skyhawk Airframe Stencils (High Viz)

Published: September 7, 2016
Company: AOA Decals

Contained inside a ziplock baggie is a sheet of high quality, high viz, full color stencils for the A-4 Skyhawk. With the Hasegawa and Hobbycraft kits on the market the need for quality decals cannot be overstated.

These decals from AOA Decals are perfectly in register. Even though the one star and bars looks deformed it is perfectly correct. It is designed to fit over the inflight refueling boom. That is the attention to detail that you get with AOA Decals.

The decals themselves are printed by Cartograf so you know they are the best in the world. They are thin and in perfect register with good color saturation. There are plenty of variations for some of the common stencils. So you’ll have to check your references. The sheet is about 5.5 x 9 inches and contains markings… more

MBD3-U6-68 Multiple Bomb Racks

Published: September 7, 2016
Company: Advanced Modeling

Russian 1/72^nd scale modelers rejoice. There are some superior parts available for your aircraft. Advanced Modeling used actual blueprints and prototypes to render these miniature gems in 3D CAD. This set is designed to replicate the bomb rack used on ground attack aircraft holding 250kg bombs.

The packaging is in a self-sealing bag that contains the parts for two racks, with parts contained in two separate self-sealing bags. There is even a small decal sheet for those that have Optivisors, as these decals are small.

The instructions are beautifully printed and attached to card-stock packaging. They are written in Russian and English. The drawings are simply beautiful and extremely accurate. The one sheet shows where the decals go.

All the resin parts… more

F-15C Fresno Repo Eagles

Published: September 6, 2016
Company: Twobobs Aviation Graphics

On the heels of the Aggressor unit, 65^th FG, being disbanded the aircraft were farmed out to various units. One of those units that acquired the ‘used’ aggressor aircraft was the 194^th FS in Fresno, CA. They traded in their F-16Cs for F-15s. The aircraft retained their aggressor paint schemes until they were repainted in the Mod Eagle scheme.

This sheet is contained in a ziplock bag. There are two full color pages printed on high quality paper in full color. The side view profiles are on the first page. This gives you the color callouts for three aircraft, one Mod Eagle, one in Flanker paint scheme, and one in Desert Eagle paint. The paint cross references for all three aircraft are included.

The other three sides of the instructions show the upper… more

Focke Wulf FW-190D-9 Air Scoop

Published: September 6, 2016
Company: Quickboost

The latest offering from Quickboost provides a one-piece supercharger intake. Packaged in a self-sealing package with a card stock support, this light grey resin intake is perfectly formed. The kit would have you build up the intake from two pieces meaning you’d have to fill the seam and then lose the raised welded detail Quickboost takes care of that for you. The inlet is deep enough to be convincing.

This time saver is worth the small price charged. The shape is accurate and all the detail is there with very little work. It is a drop in replacement for the kit parts. Simple, inexpensive, minimal work and accurate, all the hallmarks of the Quickboost line. This is another winner from them.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the review… more