Being fresh off of the review of the 1:72 scale MiniArt “Building w/Garage”, kit #72031, we now have the “City House” kit, #72030. This is a model of a typical European multi-family dwelling. Like the previous kit, this kit represents a complete, undamaged building and not a ruin. It is also all injection molded styrene with none of the vacuum-formed parts found in some of their 1:35 scale releases in the same genre.

The Box

The 13.5’” by 10.5” by 2.25” box is the preferred top and bottom (lid) type. There is a nice artist’s rendition of the building on the box top which can serve as a helpful painting guide, although colors can ultimately be left to the imagination of the individual modeler. However, considering the weight and quantity of the box contents, and like the last kit, I felt that the box top was a bit flimsy, although this one has managed to stay together thus far.

The Ship

The USS Olympia was a protected cruiser launched in 1892 with a long and distinguished career that included being Commodore George Dewey's flagship at the misnamed Battle of Manila Bay. Misnamed because it wasn't really a battle. The Spanish squadron never left anchor and the Americans just cruised back and forth shooting them up, even taking time for a lunch break in the middle of the action. She was a flagship in WWI, escorted transports across the North Atlantic and participated in the allied intervention in the Russian Civil War at Murmansk. She brought the remains of the Unknown Soldier from WWI back to the United States and served for a while as a training ship, but was finally decommissioned in 1922. She has the honor of being one of the only ships from this period still afloat along with the Mikasa in Japan and the Aurora in Russia.

History

The Albatros series of Biplane fighters, beginning with the D.I of 1916, became one of the standard German fighters of World War I. Initially powered by a 160 hp. Mercedes D.III engine, subsequent developments of the aircraft switched to a new wing arrangement, partially intended to improve pilot visibility, and partially to follow the example of the French Nieuport 17 series. The engines remained basically the same, although upgraded models produced 175 to 185 hp., improving performance somewhat. The D.IV reverted to the earlier wing, and was not produced, but the D.V had the “V-strut” wing and the 160/185 hp. Mercedes.

Aerobonus continues their excellent diorama releases with a US Navy Torpedo loading cart. I searched the Internet and found out it was also used to load bombs. The kits is molded in four parts of Aires dark gray resin. There is the main body which is molded in one piece. There is a sizable pour stub to remove but it is all on the bottom and easy to remove. There is one sprue which contains both handles and a insert for the center with molded in straps. The handles are very thin and fine and they need very slow careful removal to make sure they don't break. The resin is good to work with and with some patience, I removed them slowly and sanded the parts off. The insert goes into the center easily. The handles are left and right so make sure they spread enough to get a weapon between them. I glued them in and called the build finished.

Any modern flightline, including the deck of a carrier, has a collection of specialized vehicles and carts used for the movement and servicing of the aircraft. Skunk Models Workshop has been offering a steady stream of accessories for the modern jet-age modeler who may want to create a diorama or pose a few items of equipment around the aircraft for visual interest. This latest offering by Skunk Models Workshop is a collection of weapons carts used by the US Navy in the arming of aircraft prior to a mission or the de-arming of aircraft post mission. Called yellow gear due to its historical color, all of the flightline equipment is now white.