F-100 F Details Sets (revised)

Published: November 13, 2020
Company: Eduard

The Trumpeter F-100 series is a welcome addition to plastic modeling and the F-100 F two-seater fills a big hole for the serious model builder. Eduard is a well-known company with a reputation for providing very nice detail sets for many of today’s new model kits. Eduard has now produced several photoetch details sets for the F-100 F such as seatbelts, cockpit interior, undercarriage and exterior.

The seatbelt set, #49540, contains all of the seatbelts, buckles and pads for both the front and rear seats as well as the foot rests for the ejection seats. The belts are pre-painted in the appropriate colors, all you have to do is apply a drop of super glue and put the part in place. It is a slow and tedious process but the finished kit parts look fantastic.

The interior set… more

Decals for Rotol Spitfires Mk I & II

Published: March 28, 2011
Company: 3D-Kits

3D Kits is another new product to me. This decal sheet covers four Battle of Britain Supermarine Spitfires. As expected by today’s modelers, these decals are in full and proper color as well as in perfect registry. The subjects covered include a Spitfire Mk I of March 1940 with a choice of two separate markings. Also a Spitfire Mk II flown by an American in early August and later August of 1941. Last is a Spitfire Mk II, one of seventeen presented to the RAF by the Belfast Telegraph, paid for by reader donations.

These decals will help fill the void in your Battle of Britain model collection.

Not having a model of a Mk I or II Spitfire I went to my local hobby shop and bought two of the newly re-released Revell Spitfire I’s. These kits were first released in 1978 along… more

P-47 D Razorback Double D Jugs - Part 1

Published: March 21, 2011
Company: Bombshell Decals

Bombshell Decals are a new product to me. I was pleasantly surprised to find the set I received for review to be very colorful and in good registry and covering two aircraft of one of my favorite modeling subjects, the Republic P-47 D Razorback.

One is an aircraft of the 352 FG at two different periods of World War Two. The main difference between the two is that one has the national insignia with a red border and the other with the blue border plus the number of kills.

The second aircraft is the Belle of Belmont of the 56 FG with invasion stripes, not included on the decal sheet. Both aircraft have the very suggestive and colorful nose art common on warplanes of the era.

The instruction sheet is in full color and showing the port side, top and bottom placement of… more

UH 60L Blackhawk

Published: March 2, 2011
Company: Minicraft Model Kits

The UH-60 Blackhawk is the primary transport helicopter for the United States Army and Air Force. The UH-60 fills almost every need for transport, search and rescue, re-supply and even armed combat. The UH-60L is the National Guard version of this machine.

The Kit

Minicraft Models has had a niche market in helicopter models. I have built the 1/48 CH 46 Bull Frog and I was very impressed. When I received the Blackhawk kit I tore into it right away. The first thing I noticed was a date embossed in each tail boom of 1985. Well that dates it for me.

There is, of course, a bit of flash around the small parts but they are not insurmountable.

Construction, of course, begins with the interior, the cockpit, and cargo/passenger area. There are twelve passenger… more

French Air Force Bell P-39Q Airacobra, Dauntless, Grumman F6

Published: January 21, 2011
Company: PT Decals

This decal provides markings for several different aircraft used by the Aeronaval/L’Armee de L’Air in the years following World War Two. Included are markings for two P-39's used in Algeria in 1945, a captured Fieseler 156 C Storch, two Grumman F6F Hellcats, an SBD-5, an Fw190-A5 and a Dewoitine D.520. The decals are very colorful and in perfect registry.

I just had to see these decals on a model so I have built an old Hasegawa 1/32 scale Fw190-A as a test bed. The model was built and painted to represent an aircraft captured at the end of the war and pressed in to service in 1946. The model was initially painted in the RLM 74, 75, 76 scheme common to Fw190’s. Then a very thin layer of Humbrol RLM 71 was sprayed over the upper surface colors leaving the camouflage pattern… more

Curtiss-Wright AT-9 "Jeep"

Published: November 18, 2010
Company: Pavla Models

The Curtiss-Wright AT-9 Jeep was a twin engine advanced trainer aircraft used by the United States during World War II to bridge the gap between single engine trainers and twin engine combat aircraft. The AT-9 was a low wing cantilever monoplane configuration with retractable landing gear and two Lycoming R-680-8 radial engines.

It should be noted that this is a limited run kit, and as such is not up to the standards of a larger, mainstream injection molded kit manufacturer. Pavla produces kits of rare and unusual airplanes and other subjects. A mainstream manufacturer could never do this in an economical manner. As such the reader should understand that these limited run kits can be a challenge for even experienced modelers. On the other hand, it should also be noted that a… more

Nakajima Ki-27 Nate with Resin Pilot Figure

Published: November 13, 2010
Company: Hasegawa

The Nakajima Ki-27 “Nate” was a successful low-wing monoplane, all metal fighter design used by the Empire of Japan throughout World War II. Conceived of as a private venture design by the Nakajima Corporation, the Ki-27 was soon debuted and accepted by the Japanese Army. It was the equivalent of the Navy A5M.

If I recall correctly, when Hasegawa first produced this kit it was Kit # 001, so that leads me to believe the Ki-27 was the first 1/48 kit produced by Hasegawa. I could be wrong so don’t quote me on it.

For its age the molding has held up well. There was very little flash to contend with and that was removed with a #11 blade. Assembly begins with the cockpit, of course, but here arises a problem. The color called out for the cockpit interior is Gunze H54 and is… more

When Worlds Collide - Space Ark

Published: February 10, 2020
Company: Pegasus Hobbies

If you are old enough, you may remember a great science fiction movie in 1952 called “When Worlds Collide”. The story line was that astronomers have discovered a sun and a planet on a collision course with the planet Earth.

After a great deal of discussion it is decided to build an “Ark”, a large rocket, capable of evacuating the best minds of science, engineering, animal husbandry, farming and other “best and brightest” citizens of the planet Earth to a new planet, and there to start a new race in peace and harmony. As would be expected, chaos erupts at the last hour, caused by the unfortunate people who are to be left behind. The Ark is launched just in time to avoid the collision and proceeds to the new Earth, finding it a paradise.

Pegasus has released a model of… more

A6M5 Exhausts

Published: October 11, 2010
Company: Quickboost

The latest release from Quick Boost is a complete set of resin exhaust tubes for the 1/32 scale A6M5 Tamiya kit. Once again the quality of the molding is flawless, no bubbles, or pin holes and the only flash is between pipes where there are more than one. I strongly suspect this is intentional for added strength while being shipped and handled. The resin is the light blond color we have become accustomed to. And of course the ends of the pipes are hollow.

As can be seen in the photos of the packaging, each pipe is numbered and each number is referenced to the Tamiya part number that the part replaces.

If you have or anticipate getting a Tamiya 1/32 A6M5, you will want these exhausts to enhance the detail of the kit engine.

I can highly recommend this set.

… more

Resin Exhaust Set for Tamiya A6M5 kit

Published: September 21, 2021
Company: Quickboost

The latest release from Quick Boost is a complete set of resin exhaust tubes for the 1/32 scale A6M5 Tamiya kit. Once again the quality of the molding is flawless, no bubbles, or pin holes and the only flash is between pipes where there are more than one. I strongly suspect this is intentional for added strength while being shipped and handled. The resin is the light blonde color we have become accustomed to. And, of course, the ends of the pipes are hollow.

As can be seen in the photos of the packaging, each pipe is numbered and each number is referenced to the Tamiya part number that the part replaces.

If you have or anticipate getting a Tamiya 1/32 A6M5, you will want these exhausts to enhance the detail of the kit engine.

I can highly recommend this set.… more