J2M3 Raiden ‘Jack’ (with Concept Notes)

Published: February 14, 2014
Company: Zoukei-Mura

NOTE: The Concept Notes have MSRP of $22.00

Part 1: Overview

The fifth Super Wing Series kit from Zoukei-Mura (ZM) is the Mitsubishi J2M3 Raiden (Allied code name ‘Jack’). I have the Hasegawa kit of the same aircraft in my stash, but when ZM kit arrived, I was very surprised at the size of the box. The kit box is substantially larger than the Hasegawa box,… more

PB4Y-1 USN "Calvert and Coke" with Two Options

Published: January 5, 2014
Company: Minicraft Model Kits

The Consolidated PB4Y-1 was the navy version of the B-24 Liberator. Whereas the Army Air Corps used letter designations to identify the various versions of the B-24 (B-24D or B-24J for example) the US Navy used the same designation (PB4Y-1) for all models until the single-tail PB4Y-2. This means that the glaze-nosed B-24D and the turret-nosed B-24J were both called PB4Y-1 in Navy parlance. The… more

F-4E/F Phantom II

Published: February 3, 2020
Company: Minicraft Model Kits

The McDonnell Douglas F4 Phantom II needs no introduction, so I’ll skip over the history of this famous aircraft and simply specify that the F-4E has an extended nose to house an internal M-61 Vulcan cannon. The “E” was the most built variant, with almost 1400 units completed. F-4Es, in addition to use by the USAF, were sold to Germany (as the F-4F), Greece, Iran, Israel, South Korea, and… more

de Havilland Vampire FB.5

Published: September 2, 2013
Company: Cyber-Hobby

Although too late for World War 2, the de Havilland Vampire served in front-line RAF squadrons until 1953 and in training squadrons until 1966. The Vampire was the RAF’s second jet-powered aircraft, after the Gloster Meteor. Over 3200 copies were manufactured in numerous variants. The FB.5 was a single-seat fighter-bomber, of which over 1000 were built. It was powered by a de Havilland Goblin… more

Windsock Worldwide Vol.29, No.3

Published: August 26, 2013
Company: Albatros Productions, Ltd.

Albatros Productions publications, particularly their Winsdsock Worldwide and Datafiles, are indispensable reference materials for any serious modeler of World War One aircraft, and also for anyone with a deep interest in the history of aviation history.

The May/June 2013 (Vol.29, No.3) issue is their latest release of the Windsock Datafile line. The magazine… more

Fokker D.VII Landing Gear

Published: July 8, 2013
Company: Scale Aircraft Conversions

Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) has been producing drop-in white metal landing gear replacements for a growing range of kits since 1990. White metal offers substantially more strength than the styrene kits parts, which is a useful benefit for kits that are heavy or where the gear is especially fiddly. In this case, we are looking at the main gear and tail skid that fit the Eduard 1/48 Fokker… more