Messerschmitt Bf-110C/D Radio Equipmen

Published: February 3, 2011
Company: Quickboost

One of the problems of plastic is the lack of detail that can be achieved with it. That is where resin reproduces the finest detail. That is what this set does, provide exquisite detail where plastic can’t. This set is a drop in replacement for the kit part. Molded in light grey resin without a bubble anywhere this little set is a very nice addition with lots of molded in detail. Sand the back of the part and a paint job is all that is required to make this part jump to life.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the review copy

You can obtain your copy from your local hobby shop or by contacting Quickboost at www.quickboost.net.

P-51B Mustang Exhaust

Published: February 3, 2011
Company: Quickboost

The P-51B is one of my favorite aircraft. One of the problems is the exhaust stacks are small. The Trumpeter kit was one kit I was waiting for a long time. Quickboost’s offering features hollowed out ends and are direct replacements for the kit items. I can’t drill out the exhausts on the kit plastic with any precision so the only thing to do is to use the Quickboost set.
Removal is quite easy with a few swipes of the saw or knife blade. Painting is all that is required to make this update set perfect for your model.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the review copy

You can obtain your copy from your local hobby shop or by contacting Quickboost at www.quickboost.net.

Messerschmitt Bf-109G-14 Cockpit Set

Published: February 2, 2011
Company: Aires Hobby Models

Anyone who knows me knows I love the Bf-109 so when given the opportunity to review this set I jumped. Aimed at the Academy G-14 this is molded in light grey and clear resin, the cockpit set consists of ten grey resin pieces, one clear resin piece, a fret of PE and a clear acetate film. The level of detail is exquisite.

The resin side walls contain some of the best looking detail I’ve ever seen in a 109 cockpit. The modeler will have to do very little to get a great looking cockpit. Simply adding some PE parts and a good paint job would make this a good first upgrade for someone breaking into the aftermarket for the first time. One unique thing is the inclusion of a clear resin piece for the head armor. This ensures that the thickness of the armor panel is quite appropriately… more

F4U-7 Corsair Wheel Bay

Published: February 2, 2011
Company: Aires Hobby Models

Designed for the Hasegawa kit this wheel well set is molded in light grey blemish and bubble free resin. The set includes two wheel wells and the six landing gear doors. Not included is the tail wheel well. The detail inside of the wheel wells is remarkable and suitably impressive. The hydraulic plumbing is very well represented. The actuators are represented and the modeler will have to use a wire to show the moveable part but that is very easy for any modeler.

Although designed for the Hasegawa kit this set should fit the Academy F4U-5 as well. I’m not familiar with any significant differences in the wheel wells. With careful painting the detail included should be quite noticeable.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Aires and IPMS/USA for the review copy

F4U-7 Corsair Cockpit Set

Published: February 2, 2011
Company: Aires Hobby Models

Molded in light grey and cream colored resin, the cockpit set consists of eight resin pieces, a fret of PE and a clear acetate sheet. The level of detail is exquisite. How they molded the control stick to the floor I will never know. These guys are incredible.

The parts breakdown is very logical. The instrument panel is a three piece affair incorporating a resin background, clear acetate film and a PE front. This makes for quite a nice looking cockpit. The rest of the cockpit builds up pretty conventionally, however the detail is anything but conventional. It is superb.

The cockpit will add dramatically to your Corsair. With a little bit of work I’m sure you can use this set in other kits as well.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Aires and IPMS/USA for the… more

Bf-109 Late Versions-Camouflage and Markings

Published: January 24, 2011
Book Author(s): Krzysztof W. Wotowski
Company: Mushroom Model Publications - MMP Books

I love late war 109s so this book was right up my alley. This book is printed in MMP’s White series which is an A4 sized softbound book with 112 pages.

The book focuses on late war 109s starting with the Bf-109G-5/AS to the K-4. The book starts off with a discussion of the tail units used on 109s. I found the differences very interesting and easily understood. Then a small section on late war Erla Haube canopy is discussed. A discussion of the colors and a color chart is next and especially helpful is the callout for CMYK and RGB colors. The first thing I noticed was the great drawings and color profiles. Gunther’s Speck G-5/AS is particularly striking.

One benefit of the larger format book is that 1/48^th scale drawings are provided for each version. This… more

Mustang Aces of the 357th Fighter Group

Published: January 24, 2011
Book Author(s): Chris Bucholtz
Company: Osprey Publishing

Osprey’s Aircraft of the Aces series continues to be a great resource for the modeler and historian. This edition is no different. Written by noted historian, researcher, fellow modeler and editor of the IPMS/USA Journal, Chris Bucholtz, this soft bound book features 96 pages of information, stories, black and white photographs, and color profiles, featuring such noted pilots as Chuck Yeager, Bud Anderson, Kit Carson, and John England to name a few. The 357^th featured some of the brightest colored Mustangs in the ETO.

The book follows the unit from its inception in 1942 with P-39s until the end of the war flying the latest P-51Ds. The unit produced 42 aces, more than any other unit in Europe, and it did this in just over a year of combat flying.

The writing… more

Middle East Airpower in the 21st Century

Published: December 1, 2010
Book Author(s): Tim Ripley
Company: Casemate Publishers

Middle East: just the term reminds me of fighting. The air forces play a significant part in the balance of power throughout the reason. This hardback book is written by a correspondent from Jane’s Defense Weekly so you know he has access to some great information. Luckily for us he shares that information with us on 256 high quality pages. The photos are mostly full color and very nice, many from the author’s collection.

The majority of the book provides history on the each air force, the structure, doctrine and strategy, the operational activities, infrastructure, ordnance, the procurement and finally an assessment of the air force. Every air force in the region is discussed and researched thoroughly. Each nation’s Order of Battle is included with the lat/long of the base for… more

A-26 Invader Units of World War 2

Published: December 1, 2010
Book Author(s): Jim Roeder
Company: Osprey Publishing

The A-26 was a late arrival to World War II but it was the epitome of the medium attack bomber. Designed to replace both the B-26 and the A-20 Havoc, the A-26 was faster and more robust than either design. With crew of two or three (depending on which version) the Invader was a single pilot aircraft that carried fewer crew members into battle with a bigger bomb load. The A-26 would soldier-on through to the Vietnam conflict, quite an accomplishment for a twin-engine medium bomber.

This book is typical of this series of books; a soft bound book contains 96 pages filled with b/w and color photos. Included in the center section are 30 color profiles that will provide plenty of inspiration and information for the modeler. The text is informative and interesting; both easy to read and… more

Bf-109F-4/Trop Part 2

Published: December 1, 2010
Company: Eagle Editions Ltd.

Eagle Editions is synonymous with Luftwaffe research designed for the model builder. Their latest release is for any 1/32nd scale Friedrich. As always with EagleCals, the quality is felt right from opening up the packaging.

You are presented with markings for four Freidrichs. These are quite colorful aircraft. All of them start out with base colors of RLM 78/79, but that is where they commonality ends.

The instructions are printed in color on four 8x10 pages. The front page contains the profile and plan views. The profile views are printed larger on the second page. These profiles are absolutely beautiful. I don’t know for sure but I’m fairly certain they are done by Tom Tullis. The third page is a written description of each aircraft. The fourth page contains the… more