P-51H

Published: November 9, 2024
Company: Modelsvit

BLUF -Bottom Line Up Front

As Modelsvit states on their website, they specialize in short run (limited production) kits. The kit builds up into a reasonable scale model of the P-51H. Modeling experience with limited run kits and patience will result in a reasonable representation of one. This kit is not for beginners! It is really for experienced modelers.

The Modelsvit P-51H was first released in 2019. The version of the kit in this review was re-released in 2023 with a new set of markings. There have been a few P-51H’s released earlier by Hawk, Historic Plastic Models, and Classic Airframes in this scale. I have no idea how those build up, so there is no comparison to those kits.

Per the internet (Wikipedia), the P-51H was the last version of the P-51 built in any… more

Cave Bear

Published: October 3, 2024
Company: Atlantis Model Company

Well, I never thought I would build, let alone review an Atlantis kit. But you know what, it is a fun little build.I even engaged my wife into providing feedback as to what colors cave bears really are, or were. We recalled our trip to the Lascaux caves as a result. These caves and the cave bear go back to the same time. What prompted the build, is the Coastal Carolina modelers in house contest next year of any Atlantis kits. So, seeing it was available, I opted to review it.

The kit was originally released in 1972 under the Aurora brand. The kit can be snapped together in a few minutes, painted, and ready to go in about a day. There are only 30 parts and they snap together well. This is an ideal kit for younger modelers and is a good kit to get them started into a lifelong hobby… more

Hurricane Mk llB

Published: March 21, 2024
Company: Arma Hobby

Introduction

This is a continuation in the Hawker Hurricane series being released by Arma Hobby. This is the fourth release in the Hurricane series. Previous releases included the Mk IIc and Mk IIc tropical, and the Mk IIc “Jubilee”. The Sea Hurricane (Mk IIc) is their next release. I believe that this review will be applicable to any of their Hurricanes. It is obviously a common molding for all variants.

Reviewer’s Comments

I recently reviewed the Hobby Boss Hurricane Mk IIc and I thought it would be great to review an Arma hurricane as a comparison.

Bottom Line Up Front

This is a great kit. It is well engineered, goes together well, is accurate, and a fun build. It is designed for modelers of all skill levels. The Arma team obviously did a great… more

Hurricane Mk. IIC

Published: January 4, 2024
Company: Hobby Boss

Introduction

This is a new tooling of the Hawker Hurricane Mk. IIC introduced in 2023. This is the second of four planned releases by Hobby Boss of their Hurricane series. The following comes directly from their website:

The Hawker Hurricane was a combat aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s, designed by the British aircraft manufacturer Hawker Aircraft Ltd. The Hurricane was one of the principal combat aircraft that defended the United Kingdom during the Battle of Britain. This fighter plane played a pivotal role in the Second World War, primarily serving with the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force and Soviet Air Force. The Hurricane was mass-produced, with over 14,000 examples manufactured from 1937 to 1944.

Bottom Line Up Front

It has… more

Bf 109 G14/U4

Published: July 15, 2023
Company: Zoukei-Mura

Bottom Line Up Front

This is a new tooling of the Bf-109 G14 from Zoukei-Mura introduced in 2022. As with the two other Zoukei-Mura kits I have built (J2M3 and DO-335), this kit is really designed to have all of the panels opened. Especially those around the engine. With the panels opened up, you don’t need to worry about gaps and alignments. If you build the model with these panels closed, you will have to address the gaps, because they can be significant. If you want to build a 109 in this scale with the panels closed, you are better off with the Hasegawa kit. The Revell kit also has the ability to open up the engine bay and is less expensive. This kit is very detailed and you should take your time in building (or assembling) it. It builds up into a nicely detailed… more

Bf 109 G14/U4 Part 1

Published: July 9, 2023
Company: Zoukei-Mura

Introduction

This is a new tooling of the Bf-109 G14 from Zoukei-Mura introduced in 2022. The following comes directly from their website:

The special limited-edition Bf 109 kit featuring the aircraft piloted by Erich Hartmann, the WWII Luftwaffe ace who shot down the largest number of aircraft in the history of air combat, will be available via pre-order only. In addition to the Cartograf printed exclusive decals featuring the famous black tulip, a resin figure of Hartmann himself by Master Box will also be included with each limited-edition kit! From the outbreak of WWII in 1939 to the end of the war in 1945, the Bf 109 gave way to many ace pilots until it finally disappeared into the yonder. Now it will be revived as an SWS kit!

The Bf109-G14 series started… more