Kfir C2/C7

Published: September 26, 2013
Company: Kinetic Model Kits

During WWII, the French could not design a good-looking aircraft to save their nation; however, that changed in the post-war years. The delta wing Mirage series are beautiful aircraft based on delta wing research from Germany. Utilizing the powerful J79 engine the Kfir was a powerful fighter bomber. The C2/C7 had canards for added maneuverability, as well as more powerful avionics.

This is my first Kinetic kit, and I must say upon opening up the sturdy two-piece cardboard box I was impressed by the presentation. The kit is molded with over 180 light grey plastic parts with finely engraved panel lines. Kinetic seems to have captured the looks of the real thing. Besides the two different versions of the aircraft, there are other options – flaps up or down, canopy open or closed,… more

Fw-190A-5/U12 with Gun Pack

Published: September 26, 2013
Company: Hasegawa

I’ve always loved the look of the Fw-190A-5/U12. Designed with two cannon pods containing two cannons each, it’s one mean machine. For those of us who are old enough to remember, we had the Monogram Fw-190 in the ‘70s, and in that kit they included the gun pods. While not totally accurate, it did make an impression on a little red headed kid. I built it with my kid. Fast forward a few years (okay, so more than a few), and we are blessed with accurate Fw-190s all around, but no U12 versions…until now.

Hasegawa’s Fw-190 kits are easy to build and really accurate. Inside this one, there are five sprues of light grey plastic with no flash or blemishes. The panel lines are recessed and display typical Hasegawa fine quality. Amazingly, the parts count is low at 81 pieces. A sprue of… more

Spitfire Mk.IX Bulkheads

Published: September 19, 2013
Company: Quickboost

Having just finished the Eduard Royal Class Spitfire Mk.IX kit, I can say that this kit is absolutely perfect; however, that is the Royal Class kit. The Weekend Edition of this kit will be lacking two essential items in plastic – the ballistic bulkheads. The Weekend Edition won’t have the PE parts that the Royal Class kit has. Quickboost calls them bulkheads, but they are actually the ballistic protection plates behind the cockpit.

Molded perfectly in thin light grey resin, these two pieces are easy enough to remove from the pour block, and just need paint to upgrade your cockpit. Your other option is to cut your own bulkheads. We all know what a pain it is to get them perfect. Quickboost does that for you.

This set is essential for the Weekend Edition of the Spitfire. If… more

MiG-23ML Flogger G Electronic Bay

Published: September 19, 2013
Company: Aires Hobby Models

You want your Flogger to stand out on the model table? How about opening up the entire nose section? Now we are talking. What can be cooler than complete electronic bays? Normally the whole process would be hours of research, and then hours of scratchbuilding. Thanks to Aires, this will be significantly easier.

You get 25 high-quality light grey resin pieces that feature bulkheads, access panels, and radio/radar equipment. Unlike most Aires sets, this set does not come with any photo etch parts. Everything is rendered perfectly in resin. The bays are deep and have the equipment added from behind. Just exquisite molding.

You think you have to wire the electronics? Nope; miraculously, Aires has even molded the wiring. All the modeler will need to do is artful painting.… more

MiG-23ML Flogger G Cockpit Set

Published: September 19, 2013
Company: Aires Hobby Models

The Trumpeter MiG-23 is a nice kit, but the seat and the whole cockpit is simplified. It may be just the limitations of plastic molding technology, but now you don’t have to scratchbuild the cockpit. The Aires set comes in their normal packaging in a plastic container, with foam securing the parts in place. It is effective. I did have one piece fall off the sprue, but that is to be expected in shipping, sometimes.

There are nine exquisite resin parts perfectly molded in light grey resin. The amount of detail in this set has to be seen to be believed. The cockpit is perfection. The undercuts on the side walls are impressive. The same can be said for the instrument panel coaming. The pour blocks are small and will be easy to remove.

Typical of Aires is the inclusion of a… more

MiG-15 Pilot

Published: September 19, 2013
Company: Plusmodel

Plusmodel’s Aero Line continues its tradition of providing the modeler with simple and interesting pilot figures. The latest is a pilot for the MiG-15. This is a two-piece figure. The biggest part is the pilot himself. The other piece is the parachute pack. Both are perfectly cast in light grey resin. There is very little clean-up required. The thin wafer of material around the figure is easily removed by hand and cleaned up with a sharp blade. The face is perfectly formed. The proportion of the figure are perfect. The stance of the pilot is relaxed and completely natural. The equipment is perfectly sculpted, as well. I could not find anything I didn’t like. The small parachute pack is easily attached to the pilot’s backside.

The figure is safely packaged in a plastic container… more

F-100 Super Sabre Refueling Probe

Published: September 19, 2013
Company: Quickboost

The Trumpeter F-100 series of models is nice. If you are like me, it is really tough to get rid of the mold line on the round parts such as the refueling probe. I can get rid of the mold line, but keeping it round is not my forte. Quickboost offers a quick and easy upgrade. This set provides three pieces of resin molded perfectly in light grey resin.

The probe comes in three pieces. One is the fuselage mounting point with a perfectly hollowed out tip. Then there is the long probe itself. I was amazed at how straight this part was and, best yet, no mold line. The part is removed from the base. Then the final part is the probe end. This is really a nice looking piece. It is an accurate representation. It will require a sliver of resin to be sanded off the end, but that is an easy… more

F-100 Super Sabre Ejection Seat with Safety Belts

Published: September 19, 2013
Company: Quickboost

Let’s face it, ejection seats in kits usually leave something to be desired. Usually, the culprits are the lack of seat belts or just the limitation of the plastic molding process. The ejection seat is also the most visible part of the interior, either with the canopy open or closed.

It sure would be nice to have a well-detailed seat in your Hun. Quickboost provides just that – a perfectly detailed seat complete with seatbelts and shoulder harness. It is easy enough to remove the resin pour block. My example was perfectly cast in light grey resin. It is perfect and just needs a coat of paint to bring it alive. It is an easy addition to either your Trumpeter or Monogram Hun.

Easy installation, perfectly cast, and highly detailed...what more can you ask for? Absolutely… more

Wings of the Black Cross Volume 10

Published: June 13, 2013
Book Author(s): Mark Proulx
Company: Eagle Editions Ltd.

Eagle Editions’ series Wings of the Black Cross is now in its tenth edition. The latest edition is a softbound book with 36 high gloss pages. Inside the front cover is an addendum and errata sheet from the previous volumes. This is a professional approach, as new information is constantly being discovered by other researchers.

The highlight of all of these books is the photos, and this volume contains 62 black and white photos of the highest resolution. They are clearly printed and quite useable. Most of the photos have never before been seen. There are some that I’ve seen elsewhere but these reproductions are superior in clarity.

There is something in here for everyone. If you are like me and love the 109, there are plenty of them to be had, and not just the… more

Cockpit Details Set – Levers, Handles, Switches

Published: June 13, 2013
Company: Airscale Model Aircraft Enhancements

Airscale has been producing some excellent aftermarket items, such as aircraft instrument decals. Until now, you had to punch them out and add them to the kit instrument panel. What if you wanted to build your own instrument panel? Well, until now you had out-of-production Waldron bezels, and that was pretty much it. Airscale now offers you some options…lots of options.

On a single brass photo etch fret is a plethora of levers, handles, and switches. There are actually 72 photo etch pieces. Some of these details will require you to fold them over. Many of the items are for WWII aircraft, but they can be easily adapted to later aircraft.

The instructions are on a two-sided full-color piece of card stock. One side contains the parts breakdown of the fret. The parts are in… more