MiG-21F-13 Decals

Published: February 3, 2020
Company: Iliad Design

The MiG-21F-13 was the first operational version of the fighter. It was used throughout the Soviet sphere of influence. It was used in the deserts of the Mideast to the Jungles of Vietnam. Trumpeter’s kit of the F-13 is a really nice kit but the kit decal options could use some updating. Enter Iliad Design and this sheet.

Packaged in a ziplock bag is a single sheet of instructions. Printed on a double-sided page are seven aircraft from around the world in full color. The instructions show left side profiles and upper plan views. There are descriptions and FS callouts for each aircraft.

The decals themselves are very well printed. I’m not sure who printed them. They are thin on the sheet and it perfect register. The colors all look accurate. There are no stencils… more

Tomcats at War-Pt 3- F-14B/D Bravo Delta Haze Gray Decals

Published: December 29, 2021
Company: Fightertown Decals

The F-14 Tomcat, was a movie star and retired way too soon. This beautiful fighter led a long and distinguished career and sported some unique color schemes. At the end of its service life it was predominately shades of gray. That doesn’t mean it was a dull collection of markings, just the opposite. Some of these grays made for some colorful markings.

Fightertown Decals has been producing some great decals for the F-14 Tomcat and this sheet is no exception. Included in the marking options are 6 Squadrons with 16 marking options. There are at least four different variants of grey paint schemes on these subjects.

The decals and instructions are packaged in a large Ziplock style bag. The instructions are printed on high quality bond paper in full color, on three double… more

AH-64 Apache Wheels Set

Published: October 12, 2019
Company: Reskit

This set is designed for any 1/48 AH-64 kit. Included in a self-sealing package with a card stock backing. There are no instructions included in the kit. Five dark grey resin pieces are on four pour blocks. They are blemish free. The set includes two main wheels, one tail wheel and two small parts that look to be a additional wheel retention nuts.

The detail is exquisite throughout. There is a flat spot on the bottom to represent the weight of the aircraft. It is easy to overdo but Reskit has got it down perfect. Actually the tail wheel could even be flatter. The circumference tread is nicely deep and perfectly formed. The brake assemblies are beautifully rendered as well.

These wheels are significantly better than the kit offerings. They are perfectly formed and… more

P-40B Warhawk Cockpit Set

Published: July 21, 2019
Company: Aires Hobby Models

The new Airfix P-40B is an excellent example of the iconic fighter made famous by the Flying Tigers. The kit is nice but there are some things in the cockpit that need to be ‘fixed’. Aires has released this new cockpit set for the kit.

Inside the typical Aires blister pack are 21 pieces molded in light grey resin. My example was flawless despite damage to the blister package. The set also has a small fret of photoetch that includes the instrument panel and seatbelts. A film of acetate is also provided for the instruments.

This set will require some thinning of the sidewalls to get it to fit properly. But once you get past that, the set fits together simply and easily. The parts breakdown is very similar to the kit breakdown. The pour stubs are easy enough to remove.… more

Flight Craft 14: Messerschmitt Bf-109

Published: February 3, 2020
Book Author(s): Robert Jackson
Company: Pen and Sword Books Ltd

The Bf-109 is an iconic fighter of the Third Reich. Developed in 1935 the single engine monoplane fighter struck fear into the enemies of the Reich until the end of the war. Continuously developed throughout the war the fighter even survived the fall of Germany in the air forces of Spain, Czechoslovakia and ironically the fledgling Israel.

This softbound book contains 80 pages of high quality paper and 100 color illustrations and pictures. The book includes a variety of black and white historical images, as well as, a number of contemporary color photos not just of the Bf-109 but also its opponents. There are eight pages of color profiles that are quite nice and run the entire production from the first 109 to the last Spanish and Czech ones.

This book is geared towards… more

Desert Storm: Eagles-When Eagles Fly, MiGs Die

Published: May 13, 2019
Company: Sprue Brothers

The F-15, no other aircraft in history has been as successful in air-to-air engagement, as the Eagle. Prior to Desert Storm, the Eagle was used successfully by the Israelis but had been unproven in use by the US Air Force.

The F-15C is a beautiful aircraft and during Desert Storm it proved itself so successful scoring 32 aerial victories of the 41 victories achieved by the US forces.

Bullseye Model Aviation has produced another stellar sheet. This one focuses on the MiG killing Eagles used during Desert Storm by the 1^st Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW), 33rd TFW, and the 7440th Composite Wing (Provisional). There are markings for 24 F-15Cs. TWENTY-FOUR aircraft. That is impressive in itself. The research is impeccable. Aircraft markings are shown during and… more

Fw-190A-2 Jabo Bunny Fighter Club

Published: May 8, 2019
Company: Eduard

Eduard has hit a major home run when they went back and redesigned their FW-190 series of kits. The latest version is the FW-190A-2. In my case, I had the Bunny Fighter version which includes decals for Oblt. Frank Liesendahl.

What is the Bunny Fighter Club? It is a discount for buying directly from the Eduard webstore. It is a 15% discount on all items. It also allows the modeler access to special and limited edition releases, both kits and accessories. When you visit a show where Eduard is vending you get an additional discount. You even get a T-shirt and finally if you attend E-Day you get free entry into the show.

The BFC decal instructions are available on the Eduard webpage. The only downside to this release is that this particular marking option does not show… more

F-16CG F-16CM Falcon / Viper '31st Fighter Wing - Return with Honor', Avianio AB, Italy

Published: May 7, 2019
Company: Bullseye Model Aviation

The F-16 has always been a favorite of mine. So when these decals came out I just had to get a set. The Aviano aircraft have been involved in all major campaigns since 2001. This sheet covers from 2002 to 2009.

Packaged in a large ziplock bag are seven double-sided high-quality sheets with full color printings. There are marking options for 14 aircraft. Each aircraft has both side profile views. All the markings are clearly seen. If there was a variation in the markings it is pointed out. Each sheet has two aircraft on each side of the sheet. Some of the aircraft have really colorful markings, including nose art and tail markings. The Wyvern and fin flash are quite colorful. If you like color on your Falcon this is a great sheet. There are mission markings and kill markings.… more

Avia S-99/C-10

Published: March 18, 2019
Company: Eduard

At the end of the war, Czechoslovakia needed airplanes and they were already building Bf-109s in the Diana works so it was logical to continue to build them for their own country. These were built with DB-605 engines. They would continue to build them until a fire at the engine storage facility and factory. Then they decided to switch to the Jumo engine and created the Avia S-199. What makes a Diana G-10 is a unique aerodynamic fairing, as well as, the shorter landing gear and the bigger balloon tires with the associated large bulge on the wings.

The Eduard Limited Edition boxing of the Avia S-99/C-10 is actually a Bf-109G-10 by another name. This boxing comes in a sturdy cardboard box with a colorful S-99 on the box top. Inside is what really matters though, and it does not… more

Bf-109G-10 Mtt Regensburg

Published: March 18, 2019
Company: Eduard

Eduard continues its way through the development of the Bf-109. Their latest offering is the Bf-109G-10 produced at the Regensburg manufacturing facility, of which 130 were built. This particular variant comes with the small bulges on the wings but large asymmetrical gun cowlings with a long tail wheel.

The kit comes in a sturdy cardboard box with some wonderful box art. There are five sprues in light grey plastic. The two ‘standard’ sprues are included and one sprue for the fuselage and two wing sprues. The new sprue for the fuselage contains the new parts, including the propeller, tails, the supercharger intake, and oil cooler. There is a clear sprue for the clear parts. This release has two frets of photo etch. The first is the ‘standard’ pre-painted fret with seatbelts and… more