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

Warsaw Pact Pilot

Published: August 17, 2012
Company: Plusmodel

With the release of the Eduard Mig-21 family and the upgrades to the older Academy Mig-29 and Su-27, as well as the reboxed Su-25 and Su-22s, it is amazing that it has taken this long to get a decent 1/48th scale pilot for these airplanes. If you are like me, I enjoy having a figure next to my airplane for scale comparison. Well, now I can do that with my Russian jets. Yes, I know, you are saying, “Floyd builds jets? And Russian ones at that?” Well, I haven’t yet, but I have all of them, so when I get that itch I can scratch it.

This figure is molded in two pieces of light grey resin that have no flaws that I can see. Aero Line posed the figure with his arm up shielding the sun while watching something in the sky. I like the pose and it seems natural. The biggest piece of resin… more

T-28B/C Cockpit Set

Published: August 17, 2012
Company: True Details

Squadron has released a new cockpit set for the Roden T-28B/C. Molded in bubble- and blemish-free medium grey resin, the detail included is far superior to what can be offered in plastic. The instrument panels have some impressive detail, especially the rear cockpit which includes the coaming and the wiring in the rear of the panel.

This set contains parts for the cockpit tub, two seats, rear bulkhead, side panels, instrument panels (both front and back), rudder pedals, sticks, and throttles. I don’t think there is anything left to add to the inside. I don’t know for sure, but I’ll bet that Jeff Verswyvel was heavily involved in the development. Jeff was the proprietor and master maker for Avionix and Black Box. This is up to the typical work I expect from this master modeler.… more

P-51 Mustang Wheels, Radial Tread

Published: August 17, 2012
Company: Ultracast

The P-51 has so many options that it is hard to keep up with them all. The wheels are one area where you can have diamond, cross hatch, smooth, and radial tread. Don’t worry, Ultracast has them all in their product line.

Just like the rest of the Ultracast wheels, this set has exquisite detail throughout. Some may go unnoticed, such as the valve stem for adding air to the tire. The radial tread is perfectly proportioned and looks fabulous. When I think of radial tread, I tend to think of modern airplane wheels, so if you are going to do a post-war modern warbird, these wheels are essential.

Highly recommended.

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

Head for the Huey Diorama

Published: August 17, 2012
Company: Master Box Ltd

The latest boxing from the Czech company Master Box is a little diorama in a box. It tells the story of a Special Forces team heading back to the Huey from combat with a wounded comrade. This model just speaks Vietnam.

Molded on two sprues of tan plastic, this model has 131 intricate pieces that build up into five figures. The main characters are three soldiers, one wounded, all hobbling back from combat. The other two are covering the withdrawal. The parts are the best that plastic can do. The faces are a little soft but certainly acceptable and will benefit from good painting. The clothing is tiger-striped but could easily be olive drab. The equipment is nicely done, especially the rifles and grenade launchers. The packs and framework are particularly nicely done.

The… more