AH-1G Late Production

Published: February 6, 2022
Company: ICM

Before I begin this review I think it is important to know that I flew Cobras in the Army and now fly them with the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation, so I am intimately familiar with them. So I tend to be a little bit of a nit picker or rivet counter when it comes to Cobras. Please forgive me.

When ICM released the AH-1G Cobra in 1/32^nd scale there was much rejoicing in the helicopter modeling world. We had waited so long for a replacement for the venerable Revell AH-1G. The Revell kit was released in 1968 and it was very basic. Accurate in outline but lacking in any detail. It needed lots of aftermarket to bring it up to speed. Would ICM be better? Oh heck yeah.

Packaged in a sturdy cardboard box with a boxtop that slips over that the model is well… more

Wings of the Black Cross-Special Number Two- Junkers Ju-87 Stuka

Published: February 5, 2022
Book Author(s): Mark Proulx
Company: Eagle Editions Ltd.

Eagle Editions is synonymous with Luftwaffe subjects so it comes as no surprise that their latest book in the Wings of the Black Cross series is an airplane that just evokes memories of the Luftwaffe, the iconic Ju-87 Stuka. The name and the noise of the airplane became a symbol for Luftwaffe dominance of the air in the early part of the war. By the Battle of Britain, it was grossly outclassed and obsolete, yet is soldiered on until the very end of the war.

This book covers the Stuka history throughout it’s development in 48 pages softbound book. It features 67 photos from the author’s private collection, most never seen before. A little history and camouflage is covered including some survivors in the beginning. Then the book excels at showing you some unique photos. They… more

AH-1G Cobra (Early) Landing Gear

Published: February 5, 2022
Company: Scale Aircraft Conversions

Having built two of the ICM 1/32^nd scale Cobras I can tell you that the mounting point is a fragile joint. On my first one I broke it off twice and had to pin and glue it back on. It was frustrating as it was near the end of the build.

Well SAC has taken that frustration out of the equation. Inside their typical blister pack are two white metal landing gear and four parts for the ground handling wheels. Mine were perfectly cast and were exact replicas of the kit landing gear, but stronger. This set has the aerodynamic fairings installed on Vietnam era Cobras. These fairings were later removed and the round crosstubes remained.

As they were exact replicas of the kit landing gear, they also had the nubs on the end where the tow bar is supposed to go. This area… more

Presentation Spits, Part III: Spitfire Mk.IX Decals

Published: October 25, 2021
Company: Foxbot

Let’s face it, British aircraft are pretty standard as far as camouflage goes, however, they sometimes exercised some individualism in personal aircraft. This release from Foxbot decals deals with just that.

Inside of the resealable baggie, is a single sheet of 8.5 x 11 heavy stock paper folded in half to provide some protection. The instructions are printed in full color and feature the profile view for six aircraft. On the backside of the instructions are stencils and the color callouts using FS numbers, Humbrol, Model Master and AKAN paints. The plan view is also shown with both the A and B scheme.

The decals themselves are printed in perfect register and suitably thin. I can’t determine who printed them. There is a set of stencils included and various roundels that… more

Flying Revenge: Ilyushin Il-2 (Early Type), Part 1 Decals

Published: October 25, 2021
Company: Foxbot

The Il-2 Sturmovik is THE iconic Russian aircraft for me. It wasn’t fast. It wasn’t maneuverable, but it was a deadly ground attack aircraft. It could take a lot of punishment and was produced on larger numbers than any other aircraft in history. So you know it had to have some colorful markings. Well thanks to Foxbot we have some examples to add to our collections.

Packaged in a standard ziplock baggie, the decals and instructions are protected from moisture. The instructions are printed on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of high-quality paper folded in half. This provides strength to protect the decals from bending. They are printed in full color and feature EIGHT aircraft, two single seaters, three modified single seaters with the gunner in the exposed back, and three of the later model… more

B-25 Pin-Up Nose Art, Part 1

Published: May 31, 2022
Company: Foxbot

Maintaining aircraft in hot and humid conditions often meant that they would sit around getting worked on. This gave the crews time to personalize their aircraft and since there weren’t any women around most of the time the aircraft sported some beautiful nose art. Foxbot has taken on some very sexy nose art.

The decals and instructions are packaged in a resealable baggie. The instructions are a single 8.5 x 11 high quality paper folded in half to help protect the decals from damage. The instructions are printed in full color with side views of SEVEN aircraft. Some from the SWP and some from Italy. The subject aircraft are B-25Cs and Ds. One of them has a painted over gun nose which is really interesting. There is a stencil instructions on the inside of the sheet but no… more

Yak-9: Slogans in Combat

Published: October 4, 2021
Company: Foxbot

Russian aircraft are really starting to take-off. Pun intended. With the release of new kits out of the Ukraine we are seeing an influx of well-engineered kits from Zvezda and AMK. One thing that always struck me as ‘cool’ about VVS aircraft was the slogans painted on the sides of them. American aircraft had pinup nose art, but the patriotic slogans of the Russian aircraft have always resonated with me. The problem is what do you do when you find one that you like. Usually, you have to go to the bland ones instead or whatever is in the box. Not anymore. Thanks to Foxbot you now have options.

The decals come protected in a resealable Ziploc type baggie. The instructions are printed in full color on one side of 8.5x11 quality stock paper. The aircraft are presented in one side… more

T-55 PE Set

Published: September 29, 2021
Company: Hauler

Armor builders have long used photo etch parts to get realistic thickness of parts. So why wouldn’t they want the same in the smaller scales? With Tamiya revitalizing the 1/48th scale armor market it was just a natural fit. The latest is the Soviet T-55 and Hauler has you covered.

Inside of a resealable package are two light grey resin pour blocks that feature new ammo boxes and some lights. These are way too small to produce accurately in injection plastic. In addition to the resin pieces are THREE frets of brass photo etch. To say that this set is comprehensive is an understatement. There isn’t a part of the basic kit that isn’t touched by the photo etch. You will need a magnifier to use some of these parts. The finesse is exceptional. Besides grills, there are latches and… more

B-17G Flying Fortress Engines

Published: September 29, 2021
Company: Aires Hobby Models

The HK B-17F & G are really nice kits. Much nicer than the venerable Monogram B-17G and the Revell B-17F, however there are some areas where I prefer the older kit. One of those areas is the engines.

There are a variety of companies that have made update sets for the engines. For me the best and easiest to use is this Aires set.

Packaged in the typical Aires cardboard box are four beautiful engines. The detail is exceptional with the cooling fins on the cylinders being the deal cincher for me. Included in the box are the four engines and four ‘banks’ of push rods with plenty of extras. There are also four spacers included. Also in the box is a fret of brass ignition leads for the cylinders. Illustrated instructions are also included.

Let me warn you NOT to… more

Focke Wulf FW-190 Inspection Panel-Late

Published: September 27, 2021
Company: Aires Hobby Models

A quick way to add detail to your FW-190A-5 through D-11 is to open up an access hatch or two. These are often found open or missing on crashed or abandoned aircraft. Aires provides you a way to do that now on your late FW-190.

Packaged in a self-contained baggie with a cardboard backing to prevent damage are three light grey resin pieces. They show exquisite detail and are flawlessly cast. A fret of photo etch pieces is also included. The instructions are printed on light blue paper with easy-to-follow directions. The first part of the addition is the parts prep, which is easy to do. This will just take some painting to bring alive.

Then you have a choice. The first one is to cut out the kit door and thin out the plastic with the supplied template. Should be easy… more