Reviews of products for scale aircraft models.

Book Author(s)
Bert Kinzey Illustrator: Rock Roszak & Jim Rotramel
Review Author
Tim Hortman
Published on
May 13, 2023
Company
Detail & Scale, Inc.
MSRP
$19.99

You may be thinking that “I have the previous version (1982) of this book, so I don’t need this one.” – Well, you’d be unwise with that line of thinking.

This new volume on the F-105 Thunderchief has been totally updated. The text and photo captions have been rewritten and when possible, the photographs have all been printed in color. The plastic modeling section has also been updated to include the latest kit releases.

The book starts with a short introduction and history of the Thunderchief, followed by a detailed study of each of the Thud variants. Each variant is described in detail, and numerous photos illustrating each are shown.

Following the variants is a chapter on Arming the Thunderchief, with descriptions and photos of the munitions carried.

Review Author
Chris Smith
Published on
May 13, 2023
Company
ICM
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$38.00

It's not hard (at least not for me), to remember when anything related to Soviet military equipment and operations was a mystery in the west. Not until the cold war Soviet Union fell apart in the 1980s did, we get a good look at what the Soviets had been up to. This set from ICM give us the basics needed to portray what we might have seen behind the “Iron Curtain”. This kit includes two ZiL-131 utility trucks, a Mig 29 9-13 variant and 32 PAG-14 prefab airfield paving plates to create a base.

Review Author
Jarrod Booth
Published on
May 13, 2023
Company
ICM
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$58.00

ICM continues to pump out high quality model kits for us eager, plastic hungry modelers around the world! This is the second release of the Bristol Beaufort and represents the Mk.1A with tropical filters. These filters mounted on top of the engine pods and were used in hotter/dustier Mediterranean and North African environments. The downfall was the larger filters increased drag and reduced the cruising speed by about ten mph. The Mk.1A was an improvement over the Mk.1 incorporating a new machine gun turret and an ASV radar for torpedo bombers to search for surface targets. The Beaufort and her crews were relatively forgotten and unsung heroes of the Second World War.

Book Author(s)
Ben Skipper
Review Author
Chris Gibson
Published on
May 11, 2023
Company
Pen & Sword
MSRP
$28.95

This is one book in a line of military aircraft books from Pen and Sword in the Flight Craft series #27 Boeing B17. Now there have probably been hundreds of books published on the Boeing B17, many of which I have read. This is the first one I have read that incorporates design and development, camouflage and markings, in service and in action, B17 variants, with modeling the B17 and showcase models. This book seems to be aimed at the modeler who wants to incorporate more detail into his modeling.

The first half of the book gives a useful overview of the real thing with the design and development, to in-service and in-action, and detail of some B17 special variants. The book takes you from the first Model 299 through the B17G and all variants. The camouflage and marking section has 24 illustrated color profiles that show how varied the paint schemes and markings were of B17s, including the aircraft captured by the Germans and Japanese.

Book Author(s)
Scott Cuong Tran & Nick Tran
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
May 11, 2023
Company
Key Publishing Ltd
MSRP
$24.95

First, thanks very much to Casemate Publishing for providing IPMS USA a copy of this well formatted and image-rich minigraph.  We appreciate the opportunity to review this book!

Travis AFB almost 30 years ago, (’93-‘]96) was one of my frequent TDY locations while overseeing the KC-10 fleet as the KC-10 Maintenance Chief for Air Mobility Command.   Lots of great memories in working that place, and the people are still doing a fantastic job as the West Coast hub for Air Mobility Command.

Book Author(s)
Michael John Claringbould
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
May 11, 2023
Company
Avonmore Books
MSRP
$44.95

“There were lots of ways to get killed in the Southwest Pacific and weather was one of our worst hazards.” – Lightning Pilot Leroy Ross.

Author Michael John Claringbould begins his book with the following first paragraph of the Preface,

“The day of Sunday 16 April 1944 marks the biggest non-combat loss the USAAF incurred in any theater in World War II. After a delayed morning departure more than three hundred Fifth Air Force aircraft departed to attack Japanese airfields and installations at Hollandia in Dutch New Guinea. Not one aircraft was lost to enemy action, but over three dozen were lost to a vicious weather front. The date quickly became known as Black Sunday within the Fifth Air Force.”

Review Author
Steven J. Corvi
Published on
May 11, 2023
Company
Arma Hobby
Scale
1:72
MSRP
$40.00

What is in the Box

  • 2 gray injection molded plastic sprues
  • 1 clear sprue
  • 1 3-D printed resin parts
  • 1 set of pre-cut masks
  • 1 decal sheet with 5 markings options
  • 1 instruction book

Construction

This Arma 1/72 Hurricane IID starts with an unconventional build sequence, wings first, which includes the modification for the [-IID] 40 MM canons armament. This is really the only part of the kit that may cause concern for the neophyte builders. The plastic is a bit soft so careful sanding and re-scribing is necessary. Arma does give you a nice little resin [3-D printed] template for the upper wing. This provides the access panels to the 40mm underwing canons. You have to remove the four 20mm Hispano Suizo canon details on the upper & lower Hurricane IIC wing. Essentially, the plastic in this kit is the previously released Arma Hurricane IIC kit.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
May 11, 2023
Company
HK Models Co.
Scale
1:48
MSRP
$125.00

The B-17 Flying Fortress. Is there a more iconic aircraft of WWII? I’ve always loved the aircraft, especially the B-17F. The beginning of the air war in Europe was spearheaded by the B-17F. The most famous is the ‘Memphis Belle’, but there were other B-17s that flew much longer than that. One of those was assigned to the 303rd Bomb Group, ‘Knockout Dropper’ was one of the first B-17s in the 303rd, it was also the first to finish 50 and 75 missions over Nazi occupied Europe.

Until recently you were only able to build a B-17F by using the old Revell kit. When HK Models announced the B-17F and after seeing it at Telford in 2019 I had to build one.

Book Author(s)
Usman Shabbir and Yawar Mazhar
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
May 11, 2023
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

Helion’s latest book in the Asia @ War series is a square back soft cover includes 76 gloss paper pages. The cover color illustration by Pablo Albornoz depicts A116, one of the Royal Pakistan Air Force’s 35 Tempest IIs. Here, she is seen flying over the mountains and lakes of Kashmir in 1949. Tom Cooper’s color side-profile is of L973, a Hawker Sea Fury T.20 serving in a target-tow role. Her undersides were painted yellow with diagonal black bands. The white fuselage band was applied in the field by the squadron’s maintenance personnel. The rear cover features a color side-profile by Peter Penev of a de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth in British standard trainer yellow. Compare this with the color side profile of this aircraft on Page 34i where she was painted in high-speed silver from the factory, and passed down through the RAF, the Indian Air Force, and finally to the Royal Pakistan Air Force. This aircraft was manufactured by Dockers Brothers Aircraft of Birmingham, England.

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
May 11, 2023
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$10.28

First the usual “thank you very much” to Aires for providing us another of their excellent resin items for review. We at IPMS USA truly appreciate your support…

This is a simple set for Trumpeters’ Mig-19 “Farmer”, in that the kit seat does not provide a figure for those of us who actually use them for scale and human factor in a kit. Consisting of five molded resin items (torso with legs, head/helmet, two arms, and ejection seat upper brace) on one pour stub, it is simple to primer and paint for a final product. All ensconsed on one ejection seat.

AND, a painting guide is included for the seat and figure. Yay!

First, the seat appears correct and accurate in design and layout. Simple gray paint and it’s done!

I tend to attach the arms and head before painting, as I have found there are still gaps that need filling with the resin and superglue or epoxy to attach the parts… this way I can primer the whole thing and paint it in fairly rapid order.