Fw-190A-7

Published: August 31, 2012
Company: Eduard

The FW-190A-7 was one of the last versions that Eduard had not covered directly, the other being the A-9. You could always build one from their Royal Class kits but never as a stand-alone kit. Well, Eduard has stepped up to the plate and has hit another home run.

I’ve built their A-5, F-8, A-8, and D-9, so I have some experience with this series of kits. That said, this kit is just as good as those kits and…why shouldn’t it be? It contains the same parts.

The kit contains six sprues of RLM 02 plastic with minimal flash, one sprue of clear parts, two frets of photo etch (one of those being pre-painted), and a set of masks. Of course, there are two decal sheets which contain markings for four aircraft. The instructions are printed on high quality paper stock. I found the… more

Messerschmitt Bf-109 Decals Part 5

Published: August 31, 2012
Company: Lifelike Decals

In keeping with their tradition of supplying unique-looking aircraft, Lifelike has taken on the task of another 109 sheet. There are so many unique 109s that doing so is easy for them to accomplish.

The instructions are printed on two single-sided A4 sheets in full color; one sheet includes the upper and lower plan views, the other contains the history and the reason Lifelike drew their conclusions from. That is the one thing I like about Lifelike. They aren’t afraid to offer an educated guess when some marking are in question. They let you know what is speculative and how they came to their conclusions. They leave it up to the modeler to make an informed decision. Very professional and a non-pompous way to do business. There is also a separate sheet for the stencils that… more

Messerschmitt Bf-109 Decals Part 4

Published: August 31, 2012
Company: Lifelike Decals

Lifelike Decals has presented us with another sheet on the Me-109. This sheet features some colorful aircraft of various types so you can use this sheet on numerous models.

The instructions are printed on two single-sided A4 sheets in full color. The one thing I like is that Lifelike isn’t afraid to offer an educated guess when some marking are in question. They let you know what is speculative and how they came to their conclusions. Very professional, and a non-pompous way to do business. There is a separate sheet for the stencils that cover the Emil and Gustav versions.

There are two decal sheets. The decals are in perfect register and very thin. They appear to have good color opacity as well. The larger of the two carries most of the markings, while the smaller one… more

Messerschmitt Bf-109 Decals Part 3

Published: August 31, 2012
Company: Lifelike Decals

It comes as no surprise that the 109 is my favorite airplane, and this sheet is one of the reasons why. The amount of color options for the airplane is staggering. This sheet contains markings for two G-6s, one E-1, and one F-2, so there is something there for everyone.

The instructions are printed on two single-sided full-color A4-sized sheets. You get a three-view drawing for each aircraft. The instructions are what really help set Lifelike Decals apart. They are not afraid to tell you what they know and what they don’t know. The other thing that you don’t normally get is the history of the aircraft. The reference section shows you where Lifelike got their interpretation from. There is a half A4 sheet showing you where stencils go.

The decals are printed on two small… more

Albatros D.III/V Decals Part 2

Published: August 31, 2012
Company: Lifelike Decals

Another great sheet for the Eduard Albatros kit. This one will be a pleasure to many WWI modelers. WWI aircraft have always been colorful, but finding good quality decals has been a pain in the past. Lifelike has helped fix that with their latest two sheets.

The instructions are printed on two single-sided A4 sheets in full color. The one thing I like is that Lifelike isn’t afraid to offer an educated guess when some marking is in question. They let you know what is speculative and how they came to their conclusions. A very professional and non-pompous way to do business.

This particular release, like 48-039 Albatros Part 1, has a sheet of the major propeller types used on German fighters in WWI. This is a very valuable asset and shows the difference to the props and… more

Albatros D.III/V Decals Part 1

Published: August 31, 2012
Company: Lifelike Decals

Lifelike Decals continues to produce some of the finest, most colorful decals out there. In this release they have turned their attention to the Eduard Albatros. There are four colorful aircraft depicted.

There are two decal sheets with this release. One decal sheet is printed by Microscale, so if you use their decal products you should have no problem. All the decals are printed in register with good color opacity. The other, slightly smaller sheet is printed in Japan and contains the gorgeous markings for the aircraft, such as the coat of arms.

The instructions are printed on two single-sided A4 sheets in full color. The one thing I like is that Lifelike isn’t afraid to offer an educated guess when some marking is in question. They let you know what is speculative and… more

Messerschmitt Bf-109E 'Royal Class'

Published: August 18, 2012
Company: Eduard

The cry goes out, do we really need another Bf-109E? Well I’ve built almost every 1/48^th scale Bf-109 out there and after building this one I say, HELL YA! OK spoiler alert, this is the best 109E in any scale anywhere. I loved it from beginning to end. Back to our unbiased review of a super expensive kit.

The 1/48^th scale Eduard Bf-109E comes on the tails of their lovely 1/32^nd scale kit. That kit had some minor issues and if you were wondering if Eduard listened to the modeler and rivet counter then I have to say yes they have. The biggest issue with the 1/32^nd scale kit was the slats being too big. Well Eduard went back and corrected their mistake. The same thing happened with the canopy, which was initially mis-shapened, but later… more

Messerschmitt Bf-109F Correct Air Intake and Ailerons

Published: August 18, 2012
Company: Quickboost

If you haven’t built the Zvezda Bf-109F you have missed out on a real treat. It contains an exceptional amount of detail, including an exposed engine, with extraordinary fit. Sure there are some things that could be better.

One thing that you will notice is that the ailerons only has texture on one side. Not a real big deal but something that they probably should have caught. The other thing is the shape of the engine air intake which is slightly off. Quickboost has fixed both problems with this set.

The three resin pieces are molded in light grey resin and are perfectly formed. The intake is very thin and will look great. Adding the parts is really easy. Just remove them from the pour block and add them.

This is not the first set that Quickboost has offered… more

Focke-Wulf FW-190A-5/U7 ‘Graf Special’

Published: August 17, 2012
Company: Hasegawa

The Hasegawa FW-190 series of models is a very nice series without all the bells and whistles of the Eduard kits and not nearly as expensive as the Trimaster versions. The latest release covers another of Hermann Graf’s aircraft, WkNr. 2594, flown as the Kommandeur of Jagd-Ergazungsgruppe-Ost in France 1943. This particular aircraft is unique in its markings and in its supercharger intakes. I think this is the most colorful machine that Graf flew. The yellow nose with red chevrons with white outlines and RLM 76 cowl ring makes it stand out. If that isn’t enough the same motif is used on the tail and contains red lightning bolts on both sides making this a very unique and colorful aircraft.

Enough about the markings, what is in the box? Typical of Hasegawa the kit is molded in… more

OH-6D Cayuse JGSDF

Published: August 17, 2012
Company: Hasegawa

The OH-6 is a compact light helicopter used for observation, light transport, training and light attack. This particular boxing depicts a Japanese aircraft used in the observation role.

This kit looks to be the Academy kit reboxed for Hasegawa. The molds have been around for quite some time but the moldings don’t show its age. The plastic is typical Hasegawa light grey plastic on four sprues. The plastic was quite shiny and polished. My review copy doesn’t have any flash or blemishes. The panel lines are recessed. There is a sprue of eight dark grey resin parts that includes antennas, FLIR, tail lights and spotlights. The resin pieces will require some careful cleanup but they look really great.

A sprue of clear styrene has the nose and windows.

The parts… more