F-4 Phantom II Aircrew

Published: April 22, 2013
Company: Aero Line

Plusmodel’s Aero Line continues to release excellent figures for the 1/48th scale modeler, and this one is no different. Their latest is not one, but two figures, packaged together in a sturdy plastic sleeve mounted on cardstock. The instructions are in two parts – the front shows the two figures in a small size with all the packaging information, while the back shows the same photo, only much larger and more useful for the modeler.

Inside the plastic holder you get two figures molded in light grey plastic. Each figure is molded as a single piece with minimal flash and no imperfections. The flash is easy to remove, as is the mold pour block. These two figures are perfect for either the first-time figure modeler or the experienced one. Each figure is unique in its pose and both… more

Hamilton Standard 11’7” dia. 3-Blade (6353A-18) Prop and Spinner

Published: April 22, 2013
Company: Ultracast

Props and hubs have become a staple from Ultracast. Their latest one is designed for the B-17, B-24, C-47, or DC-3. Molded in light cream resin, my examples were perfectly rendered. These props are the narrower chord design used by these aircraft. If you want the wider chord prop, you’ll need set #48241. You get two hubs that are perfectly formed with the appropriate hub detail. The props are also perfectly formed and there are six blades. The parts have minimal resin blocks to remove, easily accomplished by even the novice.

One thing is, if you are going to use this on the B-17 or B-24, you will need two sets.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Ultracast for the review copy and IPMS/USA for the review space.

Hamilton Standard 11’7” dia. 3-Blade (6477A-0) Prop and Spinner

Published: April 22, 2013
Company: Ultracast

Molded in light cream-colored, blemish free resin, this set contains two prop hubs with exquisite molded-on detail. There are also six propeller blades, which are straight. These are slightly wider in chord and appear to be a paddle blade. These blades are used on the B-17F/G, B-24, C-47, and DC-3. If you are building a B-17 or B-24, you will need two sets. Clean-up is easy. The blades only need a quick swipe with a sanding stick to be ready to use. The hubs only need a quick cut with a knife blade to be ready to use.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Ultracast for the review copy and IPMS/USA for the review opportunity.

Messerschmitt Bf-109F-4

Published: March 25, 2013
Company: Zvezda

The arrival of the Zvezda Bf-109F-4 has been highly anticipated by this modeler. Having built the Bf-109F-2, I was excited about the possibilities. Packaged in an extremely sturdy cardboard locking-lid box, the kit features a beautiful painting of a JG54 aircraft in combat. This is just an exciting beginning to the model.

Inside the cardboard box, you are treated to three large light grey sprues, two smaller light grey ones, and a sprue of clear parts. There are over 200 parts and they are beautifully rendered, although my lower wings were slightly warped. This would be no big deal, as the upper wings would take care of the warp. The detail is gorgeous and perfectly rendered with no flash anywhere. You get parts for the F-4 and F-4/Trop. A relatively complete engine is included… more

MiG-21U, US, UM Pitot Tube

Published: February 20, 2013
Company: Master Model

The two-seat MiG-21U, US, and UM family each has a uniquely shaped pitot tube with guide vanes. Master Model represents this pitot tube quite accurately.

This set comes with two turned metal barrels and a fret of six vanes. You only need four vanes. The metal barrels are designed to be slipped into each other. The absolute crazy thing is the small mounting holes for the vanes that are drilled in the outer metal barrel.

The instructions recommend that you add the outer portion with the vanes after the model is completed to avoid damage. Sounds like good advice. The vanes are very small. Foresight is appreciated – Master Model includes two extra vanes just in case the carpet monster needs to be fed.

Master Model produces the best pitot tubes in the industry. Between… more

MiG-21PF, PFM Pitot Tube

Published: February 20, 2013
Company: Master Model

The MiG-21PF and PFM are represented in model form by the Academy kit. This pitot tube is quite simple compared to some of the others in the MiG-21 family.

The set is simple in that it has a single turned metal barrel. The pitot tube is scale thickness, but the thing I like the best is additional strength of the brass tube. The instructions are quite basic and show the proper angle of the pitot tube in relation to the fuselage. A simple .6mm hole in the kit will prep the model for the turned metal pitot tube. Then, it is just as simple as inserting the pitot tube. Painting instructions are included.

This pitot tube is typical quality from Master Model. Its strength and scale thickness make this a required addition to your MiG. Just be careful you don’t poke yourself with… more

MiG-21bis Pitot Tube

Published: February 20, 2013
Company: Master Model

The Eduard MiG-21bis is a very nice kit right out of the box; however, the pitot tube could be better. There are limitations that plastic can’t overcome, not even with the best injection molded technology. Even so, the pitot tube sticks out so far on the MiG-21 that it’s bound to be broken off in handling. Besides, you can get a scale thickness with brass that you couldn’t get any other way.

Master Model has set the standard when it comes to these pitot tubes. This pitot tube is the same quality I’ve come to expect. This pitot tube has two perfectly turned brass barrels, one that fits inside the other. Then there is a fret of six photo etch vanes. If you look really, really close, you will see there are super tiny holes on the pitot tubes to mount the photo etch vanes in. This… more

MG-131 Mount for the Fw-190D-9

Published: February 20, 2013
Company: Eduard

Designed for their Fw-190D-9, this beautiful upgrade set from Eduard is for those who want to show off the detail under the forward cowlings. Featuring six light and dark grey resin pieces, everything is perfectly formed and blemish free. The guns are hollowed out at the ends and the cooling slots are opened as well. There is also a small fret of photo etch that holds seven pieces of nickel plated parts – six cowl fasteners and one windscreen oil cleaning pipe. The oil cleaning pipe will require the most care, as it is very, very thin.

The set is contained in very secure thick plastic packaging that prevents any damage to the delicate parts. Including the set into your build should prove no big problem as it follows the basic kit formula, except with richer detail. You will… more

He-219 Uhu Decals

Published: February 20, 2013
Company: Eagle Editions Ltd.

The Tamiya He-219 is the standard for 1/48th scale models of this airplane. However, marking options have been a little sparse for this kit. Eagle Cal has released a new sheet that covers the three basic paint schemes seen on the Uhu. This set is released in conjunction the Eagle Cals 1/32nd scale decals covering the same aircraft. The 1/48th scale decals cover the A-0, A-7, and the A-2 versions. To build the A-0 and A-2 versions, the modeler would be advised to get the Vector resin conversion set, also available from Eagle Editions.

The decals are printed on a 5 x 5½ inch sheet. The decals don’t indicate who did them, but they look the same quality as Microscale. These aircraft are as colorful as the real aircraft. Most He-219s were fairly plain-looking, but that was norm for… more

A-37 Dragonfly FOD Protection Covers

Published: February 3, 2020
Company: AMS Resin

The diminutive A-37 Dragonfly by Monogram/Encore is a nice kit, but the engine intakes and exhausts leave a little bit to be desired. One way to fix this is to hide the see-through with these covers from AMS Resin.

Molded in light grey resin, these four pieces are beautifully formed. They simply have to be painted red and added to the intake and exhausts. You may want to add Remove Before Flight tags which aren’t included but readily available. Because they are tapered, these are easily added after the model is done so if you already have a built kit, don’t fret, you can add these at any time.

These simple plugs are easy to add, inexpensive, and they do what they are designed to do, cover the intakes and exhausts.

Highly recommended

Thanks to AMS Resin… more