Martin B-57B Bomber

Published: April 27, 2018
Company: Italeri

The British developed the Canberra as a replacement for the Mosquito. The plane was so successful that the US purchased the license to build it to fit their needs. After some cockpit modifications along with a few others, the B-57B was born.

I have a personal relationship with this plane in that my Dad worked on the Electronic Countermeasures version at both Westover AFB and Malmstrom AFB so I got to see a lot of these flying around and have loved the plane ever since.

Italeri first released this kit back in 1985 and it is still one of the more accurate versions of the plane available in 72ndscale. While according to some there are some scale issues, it does look every bit like a Canberra when completed. The kit has been released several times over the years by both… more

Scale Aircraft Modelling, November 2017 Volume 39, Issue 09

Published: March 15, 2018
Company: Guideline Publications

I have read Scale Aircraft Modelling (SAM) on and off for many years which is possible because this is the 39th year it has been in production. It is an English publication and, as the name implies, covers aircraft modeling. Normally I purchase my copy at a local bookstore but this issue came directly from the publisher so let’s take a look and see what is in store.

There are 88 pages counting the inside and outside of the front and rear covers. Not sure what those are counted but have noticed this in other magazines. There is also 8 pages numbered separately in the middle of the magazine with no explanation.

One of the first things I noticed is the cover, duh, which has a nice painting of a Bachem Natter in flight. There are also a few pictures of some of the articles… more

Bristol Beaufighter Porcupine Exhausts

Published: January 31, 2018
Company: Quickboost

The porcupine exhaust on the Beaufighter are distinctive and not the easiest thing to injection mold in a kit. So Quickboost has made some resin replacements for the new Airfix kits and they are beauties.

The kit exhaust is made up of two parts where the Quickboost item is just one part. My only concern is the replacement is noticeably bigger than the kit parts. But when compared to the 72^nd drawings that I have the replacement part looks dead on.

So, another quick replacement that really will add to your next Beaufighter build.

Thanks to Aires and IPMS/USA for the review kit.

Bristol Beaufighter Air Intakes and Fuel Drain (A)

Published: January 31, 2018
Company: Quickboost

The Beaufighter had two different types of air intakes on top of the engines, a short one and a long one. This set from Quickboost covers the short version. The resin parts are cast perfectly and should be easy to remove from the block. The short intakes in the new Airfix kits are made up of two halves so there will be a seam to take care of. The resin replacements are single parts with very thin edges and will be that much easier to use.

The other parts in the set are direct replacements for the kit parts and add a lot of detail with the thinness of the castings.

One thing I noticed is out of the 4 versions offered between the TF.X and the TF.10 kits, only one in the later kit uses the short intakes. That said, there are numerous aftermarket decal sets that will need… more

Beaufighter 3 inch Rockets

Published: January 29, 2018
Company: Plusmodel

In Plusmodel’s Aero Line is this nice set of rockets for the Beaufighter. Included are 8 resin 3-inch rockets, 8 launch rails and 2 launcher mounting plates. All are beautifully cast with no flaws.

The rockets have extremely thin tail fins and this caused me all kinds of trouble. In fact, it took three tries before I could get a rocket off the sprue without breaking at least one fin off. Those of you with more resin experience than myself should have no trouble but be warned.

Once you have them cut off they are truly great looking with very nice detail and a direct replacement for the Airfix items.

Thanks to Plusmodel and IPMS/USA for the review kit.

Bristol Beaufighter Antennas and Position Lights

Published: January 28, 2018
Company: Quickboost

This set for the new Airfix Beaufighter is a bit different. It includes a replacement antenna and pitot tube which are direct replacements for the kit parts. They are, as usual, nicely cast with no air bubbles.

The other 3 bits are position lights molded in clear red, blue, and amber resin. The unusual bit about these is there are no instructions telling you where they belong on the model. The kit doesn’t include position lights and there is nowhere in the kit instructions on where they could be. In fact, looking around the web there is a complete lack of info on Beaufighter position lights. So, what is a modeler to do?

I grabbed my copy of Airfix Model World magazine issue 86 from July 2016 which has a nice Supplement on the Beau and guess what? Nothing about position… more

Vietnam Ace Capt. Steve Ritchie and Friends

Published: February 17, 2020
Company: Werners Wings

Werner’s Wings have been known for resin aftermarket and decals for helicopters. It is nice to see some fixed wing offerings coming out. The first such centers around Vietnam air ace Steve Ritchie and covers aircraft he flew during his MiG kills as well as planes flown by a few other noted pilots from this conflict. The sheet is also available in 1/48th scale and was previously reviewed and since this sheet covers the exact same aircraft with the same instructions there really isn’t anything more for me to add.

What, you want more? OK.

Air National Guard C-47s

Published: February 3, 2020
Company: Iliad Design

Iliad Design’s latest 72^nd decal sheet covers 4 Dakotas that flew with the Air National Guard

The Puerto Rican Air Guard is represented by the attractive white over aluminum scheme. This one includes the stars and bars on the fuselage as well as the National Guard badge on the tail. This scheme is from post 1961.

The other three aircraft are all in natural metal finish and date from 1947-1948. We have Virginia, Nebraska and New Mexico National Guards.

The Virginia bird has the legend “The Old Dominion” above the fuselage windows while both the Nebraskan and New Mexican ones have State markings instead of fuselage stars.

All the main markings including Stars and Bars are included.

The Albuquerque club usually has an award for the best… more

Stars in the Sky 3

Published: February 3, 2020
Company: Iliad Design

Iliad Design is a Canadian company that not only makes decals but also offers aircraft colour charts and books.

As the name of this sheet implies, this is the third in the Stars in the Sky series. While the names might not be as recognizable as the first two sheets, the choices for the marking are very diverse.

We have two WWII bombers, a Korean War fighter and a fast jet. So who is up in this latest offering?

First up is a British Lancaster II flown by Robert Clothier, a Canadian actor. This would be a lovely option for that very nice Airfix kit.

Second is an AU-1 Corsair flown by Baseball player Jerry Coleman. Jerry flew this bird in Korea while serving with the US Marines.

Our third offering is a F-4C flown by Pop Singer Dean Paul Martin.… more

F-16C Baby Got Fullback Aggressors Decals

Published: October 16, 2017
Company: Twobobs Aviation Graphics

The F-16 has been around a long time and there are so many different schemes you can build one in. This new sheet by Two Bobs covers 3 aircraft in a couple of Aggressor schemes with the 57th Wing, 64th Aggressor Squadron.

The first is in the “Shark” scheme and includes some vinyl masks for the false dielectic EW panels to mimic what is on the SU-34. This thoughtful inclusion will make masking those very easy.

The other two aircraft both wear the attractive “Splinter” scheme. There are a couple of minor differences in the markings between the two aircraft and these are spelled out nicely in the full color instructions.

Two Bobs website recommends either the Academy or Tamiya F-16C kits but does say they are sized for the Tamiya kit.

The decals are well… more