MiG-19 PM (Farmer E) Missile Rails Nose Parts and Pitot Tube

Published: April 20, 2015
Company: Master Model

The MiG-19PM was designed as missile carrying aircraft, so the powerful cannons that had been carried by earlier versions of the MiG-19 were deleted. The MiG-19PM’s weapons were the early air-to-air missiles developed by the Soviet Union and were carried on four underwing pylons.

The missile pylons for theMiG-19PM include a rounded extension from the front of each pylon which looks like a blunt pitot tube. After researching the MiG-19PM in Aerofax’s MiG-19 book, it appears that the extensions on the kit parts are overly long and come to a sharp point, when in reality, the extensions were about as long as the actual pylons and came to a rounded or blunt end. The Master Model set includes four replacements for these extensions, which are correctly shaped, coming to a very rounded… more

A-4B Skyhawk Undercarriage Doors

Published: April 19, 2015
Company: Quickboost

This set consists of six resin replacements for the gear doors of the recent Airfix A-4B Skyhawk kit. The new doors are one-for-one replacements of the kit parts.

The parts are cast in a tan colored resin and are delightfully thin. All six doors are attached to a single casting block, but the attachment points are very thin and easily removed. Once removed the only clean-up is to lightly sand the edge where the parts were connected to the casting block. I painted the parts with Tamiya paint which adhered with no problem and was pleased just how well the details popped out with a light black wash.

This set is highly recommended as a nice upgrade to a great little kit of the Scooter.

Thank you to Aires for the review sample and to IMPS/USA for the opportunity to… more

Japanese Secret Projects - Experimental Aircraft of the IJA and the IJN 1939-1945 (Volume 1)

Published: April 14, 2015
Book Author(s): Edwin M. Dwyer III
Company: Crecy Publishing, Ltd.

Originally published in 2009 as a single volume, this book has now been republished as Volume 1 of a multi-volume set. The author has had access to previously unpublished information regarding Japanese Army and Navy aircraft designs during World War II and has put together a very interesting look at what could have been.

The book is a hardbound volume with a nice dust jacket cover that has color illustrations of several of the designs discussed in the book. The book is printed on glossy paper which helps the many illustrations and color photographs to stand out. It includes not only color illustrations of the each design, often in hypothetical squadron markings, based on squadrons that actually existed during the war, but also includes numerous color photographs of surviving… more

Landing Gear for Spitfire Mk. IX, PR XIC

Published: February 24, 2015
Company: Scale Aircraft Conversions

This set is designed for Airfix’s newer molding of the later marks of the Spitfire. It consists of 5 white metal parts: 2 main gear struts, 2 main gear doors and a tailwheel. As always, the parts are designed to be drop-in replacements for the kit parts, however, where the kit has the main gear struts and doors molded together, SAC has split each into two pieces, which adds extra depth and definition to the main gear. At first look, I thought the casting blocks had been left on the struts as there is a rectangular piece at the top of each strut, but fortunately before I trimmed them off, I realized that these pieces are part of the struts and actually slot into the square mounting holes in each wheel well, establishing the correct angle both front to back and left to right. The… more

Mobile Barriers

Published: February 24, 2015
Company: Hauler

This is an interesting set of 6 photo-etch moveable barriers that I think will have multiple uses for modelers who build 1.72 modern armor or aircraft or even civilian vehicles or dioramas. In looking at photographs of a number of European airshows, barriers like these show up on a regular basis being used to separate curious spectators from very expensive aircraft.

Construction is very simple, once each barrier has been removed from the fret. I recommend using either a new exacto blade or a set of phot-etch scissors to remove the barriers from the fret as they are very fine and easily bent. Use care and try to nip the attachment points as close to the barrier as possible as they are almost impossible to file or sand once off the fret due to their delicate nature.

… more