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

Air Wing All-Stars - Tomcats Part One

Published: September 6, 2016
Company: Furball Aero-Design

The F-14 has no shortage of kits in 1/48^th scale and with the impending release coming from Tamiya the Tomcat will likely become a more popular model on the tables. The Tomcat is not a stranger to colorful markings. Furball Aero-Design has released another great sheet for the Tomcat.

The Air Wing All-Stars Part One has options for seven F-14As, all of them colorful. Typical of Furball decals the decals are sealed in a large ziplock bag. Inside the bag are the instructions printed in full color on three sheets of 8.5x11 high quality print stock. These instructions are easy enough to follow with no issues noted. All the aircraft have profile views of the left side and where there are differences between sides this is noted. Plan views are included on a side to… more

R-60 Short-range Missile with P-62-l Launcher

Published: September 6, 2016
Company: Advanced Modeling

This has got to be the best time to be a modeler of modern Russian aircraft. I remember as a helicopter pilot in the Cold War, it was virtually impossible to find photos of aircraft let alone weapons systems. Advanced Modeling is the latest from the Russian manufacturers to represent missiles and bombs. This is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to review this company’s products. All I can say is wow!

Packaged in a self-sealing bag, a card stock backing keeps everything safe. The instructions are glued to the backing card. They are beautifully printed on two folded pieces of paper. The instructions are written in Russian and English. The drawings are some of the most detailed drawings I’ve seen. The instructions even include some of the capabilities of the missile.… more

Bf-108 Wooden Propeller

Published: November 12, 2020
Company: Eduard

The Eduard Bf-108 has been around for some time and recently re-released. This little gem of a kit is a fun build and a very nice model.

There are limitations to things that you can do in plastic. In this instance the fine trailing edge of the prop blade can’t get be thinned enough. Well resin allows you to do a lot of things that plastic won’t. That is where this resin prop from Brassin comes in.

Packaged in a vacuformed container this set contains two pieces of resin. The resin is cast in light grey resin with no defects noted. The parts are the actual propeller blade and the nose cap. The key is the way Eduard casts their parts. I’ve found it to be very easy to remove and clean up.

There is also a sheet of decals for the prop blade logos.

The set is… more

Su-7 (Fitter-A) Pitot Tubes and 30mm Gun Barrels

Published: September 5, 2016
Company: Master Model

In model aircraft, especially 1/72^nd scale, the pitot tubes are very fragile. Limitations of plastic also means that they tend to be overscaled. Even being overscaled the pitot tubes are fragile. Then there is the trouble of the mold lines on the part and keeping them round while removing it. If you are like me that means I can’t do it justice, especially in this scale.

Protected by card stock backing, the parts are contained in a ziplock baggie. Inside of that baggie are two separate ones. One contains the turned metal parts and the other a piece of resin. Each brass piece is packaged separately. This means that you can’t get them messed up. The resin piece is a piece of art in itself. The light grey resin is simply gorgeous. The resin is protected by a foam capsule… more