Arma Hobby continues to build on their 1/72 scale inventory with the release of this Cactus Air Force Deluxe set. I have previously had the pleasure of reviewing their F4F-4 Wildcat Expert Set (kit 70047) as well as their P-39Q Airacobra (kit 70055) and this release essentially combines the two kits albeit with a different version of the Airacobra. With the addition of 3D printed parts for both aircraft, the already great level of detail is improved for some key areas. I highly recommend this kit to modelers experienced in handling small parts looking to represent the Cactus Air Force planes between August 1942 and February 1943.

Building a battleship, especially one this large and complex, can easily appear overwhelming. So, as with any large model project, its easiest to tackle it as a series of subassemblies. That’s more or less the way the instruction sequence is arranged, and it simplifies painting, if nothing else (I found out the hard way that the Tamiya spray can and the bottle lacquer are not the same shade of Kure Grey - too different to use the two together). So everything on this model is painted from the bottle through the airbrush. Otherwise, the Tamiya lacquer goes on beautifully.

Tamiya’s new ‘Panzer IV/70(A)’ kit depicts a late war German ‘stopgap’ design attempting to mount a high-velocity L/70 75mm anti-tank gun on a minimally modified Panzer IV chassis. The resulting vehicle had a taller profile than most other turretless Panzer IV and III types. Since this is a late-war vehicle, the lack of zimmerit is appropriate.

I've previously built two of the 48th scale Tamiya tanks: the M-10 Tank Destroyer and the M1A2 Abrams, and they are great for a non-armor buff like me, both in size (not too big for the display cabinet) and part count (low to moderate, can be built in a week or two).

The M8 Howitzer Motor Carriage was a variation of the Stuart M5 light tank, powered by twin Cadillac V-8s with a 75mm M3 howitzer. Production yielded 1788 units from early 1942 to January 1944, and M8s served in Italy, Western Europe and the Pacific theater.

You get decals for two tanks: 106th Cavalry Reconnaissance Group, operating in Germany February 1945, and 758th Tank Battalion, Fifth Army operating in Italy, April 1945.

Value Gear Details, based in Flagstaff, Arizona, produces a wide range of high-quality resin accessories for most common model scales. Many of the accessories and stowage sets are universal, which is a nice advantage. This allows the model builder to customize the look they want by mixing sets or you can use one sets intended for specific subjects, such as the “German Tank Bits” family of accessories.

The set featured in this review has 21 pieces. Also available is set German Tank Bits #1 consisting of 22 pieces, and German Tank Bits #2 with 21 pieces.

The detail of these is stellar. I never cease to be amazed at the level of fine detail Value Gear achieves!