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

Dornier Do-217N-1 Propellers

Published: September 27, 2021
Company: Quickboost

The ICM Do-217N-1 is a nice kit but it could use some updates. One of the big ones is in the propeller blades and prop hub. The kit offering is not quite correct in shape and the prop blade profile is off slightly with the propeller tips being a little too pointy.

Quickboost recognized this and offers up this easy and convenient prop set. Included in the typical resealable bag with card stock backing are eight propeller blades and two spinners. The only thing missing is a tool to set the angle of the blades. Removal of the parts is simple enough. You will have to drill a center hole to mount the spinner with the props installed. This will require some brass, not included, or some other form of support. You could always just mount the prop spinners directly to the cowlings.… more

Dornier Do-217N-1 Exhaust

Published: September 27, 2021
Company: Quickboost

The Do-217N-1 is a unique night fighter variant of the Do-17/215/217 series. This set is an easy addition to the ICM model. The set is packaged in typical Quickboost fashion. A resealable package with card stock backing to protect the parts. The parts are flawlessly cast in light grey resin. There are four exhausts and four exhaust ends. The exhausts feature hollow ends with beautiful molded on detail. The four separate front portions have exquisite detail in the front. It is just a simple matter of removing them and adding them to the front of the exhaust parts. One of mine exhausts was slightly out of round but a quick bath in hot water allowed me to straighten it.

Adding them to the kit is simple and easy enough to do. The important thing is to pay attention to what you need… more

B-17G Flying Fortress Propellers

Published: September 27, 2021
Company: Quickboost

The HK B-17s are really good kits. They could use some details added here and there. One of those places is the props. They are slightly misshaped. They are wider than they should be at least to my eye and to obviously Quickboost as well. Judge for yourself with the photos.

There are four prop hubs and 12 prop blades. They are all packaged in the resealable packaging that Quickboost uses with a card stock backing to protect the parts. There are 16 flawlessly cast light grey resin pieces included, four hubs and 12 blades. The blades are keyed to the hubs so there is no need for an alignment tool. The detail on the hubs is flawlessly executed and the blades are suitably thin and correctly shaped.

The only real work is to drill out the back of the hub and insert your own… more

Mi-24DV, Scale Plans No. 67

Published: July 13, 2021
Book Author(s): Dariusz Karnas
Company: Mushroom Model Publications - MMP Books

With the release of the Zvezda Mi-24V/VP and P there was a need for a reference that could cover the rivet patterns. Enter MMP Books Scale Plans series. In particular, this book which is No.67 in the series highlights the Mi-24D/V Hind.

The book is a softbound A4 sized book and includes, as the title suggests, scale plans. It is designed specifically for 1/48^th scale so all the pages are fold out with cross sectional views. It is interesting to see the offset twist of the fuselage. It would be difficult to see on the real helicopter. The Hind D, E and P are in this book. There are twenty pages, which is ten foldout pages with drawings of the airframe and weapons systems. There are four-view drawings of the airframe. The real seller of this book is the rivet patterns… more

Foxbat Tales - The MiG-25 in Combat

Published: November 23, 2021
Book Author(s): Mike Guardia
Company: Magnum Books

The MiG-25 conjures up, at least for me, huge engines and wicked speed. I remember when the Russian pilot defected to Japan in one. It was impressive looking. That was at a time when the Russian military was very secretive. I’ve always had a love of the bad guys, and in my early military days there was none badder than the MiG-25.

This paperbound book contains 122 pages of information that is easy to read. Once I sat down with the book, I did not want to put it down. There are close to 50 black and white photos, some show unique markings. This book is unique in its ability to follow the combat career of this fighter type. Starting in the first chapter we are taken through the development of the aircraft.

This is followed up by the defection in 1976 by Viktor Belenko. As… more

Boeing B-17: The Fifteen Ton Flying Fortress

Published: February 28, 2021
Book Author(s): Graham M. Simons & Dr. Harry Friedman
Company: Pen & Sword

I did not know what to expect when I started reading this book. I thought everything that could be written about the B-17 had been written. I was wrong.

This paperback book is written in an easy-to-read style. It does get technical at points, but it is easily understandable. The 256 pages are 9.25 x 6 of high-quality paper. It does contain almost 480 photos: many I’ve never seen before. So, with the preliminary information, let’s see what is inside of the book.

Developmental history starts well before the B-17, or Model 299, went to the drawing board. The stories that accompany the development are gold. The problems, drawbacks, and trials of developing an aircraft that was operating in the stratosphere at extremely low temperatures are each talked about. And the ways… more