Reviews of products for scale aircraft models.

Review Author
David Horn
Published on
Company
Brengun
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$18.75

Brengun produces a wide range of unique resin, photoetch (PE) accessories and full kits in 1/32, 1/48, 1/72 and 1/144.

This resin set comes in a small sturdy cardboard box containing four standard F/A-18 fuel tanks and a refueling “Buddy Pod”. The buddy pod consists of a two-part pod, two different styles of ram air turbine (RAT) hubs, jettison tube, basket housing and photo etch RAT blades. Panel lines are very crisp but deep enough where primer will not fill the panel lines. The upper detail on the pod that would be hidden under the pylon is detailed just in case the pod is displayed separate from your model.

Book Author(s)
Sergey Burdin & Alan E. Dawes
Review Author
Phil Pignataro
Published on
Company
Pen & Sword
MSRP
$20.00

With both engines mounted astride the vertical stabilizer, the supersonic Tu-22 Blinder was unique among modern bombers. It entered Soviet Air Force service during the height of the Cold War in 1961 and was a contemporary of the USAF’s B-58 Hustler. Though a direct comparison between the two aircraft is close to the “apples and oranges” conundrum, the Tu-22 was not as fast as the B-58 but was more versatile. In addition to its conventional and nuclear bombing capabilities, it could fly reconnaissance, anti-shipping, and radar and comm jamming (ECM) missions.

The book was first published in 2005 and this volume is a reprinted soft-cover version. Burdin and Dawes (who is also the translator) document the development, system design, operations, and combat experience of this bomber. Below are the Chapter headings which show the scope of the coverage.

Book Author(s)
Terry C. Treadwell
Review Author
Brian R. Baker
Published on
Company
Pen & Sword
MSRP
$34.95

History

This book covers the aeronautical activities of Americans in the military from the beginnings in the American War Between The States (Civil War) to the end of World War I. Actually, balloons were used by both Union and Confederate forces during that war, and there was some balloon activity up through the end of World War I. After the Wright Brothers made their first flight in 1903, experiments were conducted by Americans to develop military aircraft, although after the Wrights showed the Europeans how to build a practical and controllable airplane, more progress was made in Europe, so that by the time the United States became involved in the war, the British, French, and Germans were far ahead of us in military aviation technology. The U.S. had used a few airplanes in Mexico before our involvement in Europe, but not with great success.

Review Author
Allan Murrell
Published on
Company
Kitty Hawk
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$139.95

KittyHawk at long last produces a SeaHawk version of the BlackHawk kit that they produce. This is the SH-60B version with other SeaHawk variations also being released at the same time. The box is noticeably big and stuffed full of plastic sprues and includes most of the parts that are for the other variants, so you have a lot for you spares box remaining when the kit is completed.

In the box is:

  • 11 x light grey sprues
  • 2 x clear sprues
  • 2 x decal sheets
  • 1 photoetch detail set
  • 1 instruction booklet

While you get 11 runners, you also get plenty of unused (spare) parts that are for the other variants of this helicopter. All the runners are extremely well molded with very little flash and fine detail. Although I did find three parts that were not fully molded and had to do filling and scratch building parts to complete these. The decals allow you to finish the aircraft in 6 extremely colorful versions.

Review Author
Brian R. Baker
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$14.99

History

The Polikarpov U-2, later redesignated PO-2 in honor of the designer, Polikarpov, was originally designed as a light training and general purpose biplane, making its first flight in 1928. Its construction was typical of the period, with mainly wooden construction and fabric covering. It was produced in very large numbers, starting in the late twenties and production lasted until the early fifties in the Soviet Union and later in other countries. It was used as a primary trainer, communications aircraft, light transport, reconnaissance type, and even as a crop duster. Over 30,000 were built, and a number are still flying in Europe and North America. I wrote a review of this kit last year, and since a new issue has emerged, I’m doing it again. It is a slight different model than the earlier one, and I like biplanes.

Review Author
David Horn
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$16.95

Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) manufactures white metal landing gear that is a direct replacement for the kits plastic landing gear. The metal landing gear offer greater strength over the kit parts as well as having most of the mold lines removed. At times the metal will be bent out of shape but that is easily corrected by bending it back to the correct shape.

This set includes twelve parts, the two main gear struts, retract & bracing arms, two versions of nose struts, one compressed strut and one extended. All the replacement parts are exact copies of the kit parts which really helped on my kit since the nose strut was either broken off or missing (short shot in molding). You can see in the kit v.s. SAC parts the missing section on Freedoms part (extended strut).

Review Author
David Horn
Published on
Company
Brengun
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$10.00

The AN/ALE-39 & 47 Counter Measure Dispenser System (CMDS) carries a variety of flares, chaff and radar jamming expendables. Typically, these dispensers are carried on modern helicopters, transport aircraft and fighter aircraft. The AN/AAR-47 Missile Approach Warning System (MAWS) can be set automatically to initiate flare launch.

Brungen produces a wide range of unique resin and photo-etch accessories in 1/32, 1/48, 1/72 as well as 1/144.

This item covers a unique subject that will assist outfitting a wide variety of aircraft. There are resin chaff/flare dispensers produced for a specific subject complete with their entire mounting per subject. This accessory will allow the modeler to add it to kits where fidelity is poor or completely missing as well as add it on aircraft kits that a version specific resin update is not available.

Book Author(s)
Peter Caygill
Review Author
Michael Novosad
Published on
Company
Pen & Sword
MSRP
$14.06

From the Pen and Sword Website

Peter Caygill is one of Britain's leading aviation history authors. His meticulous research and personal interviews with ex-pilots and aircrew have lead to the publication of many successful books such as Jet Jockeys, Spitfire Mk V in Action and Lightning from the Cockpit. He lives in Darlington, Co. Durham.

Review Author
Michael Novosad
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$8.99

Background from Wikipedia

The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by the Supermarine Spitfire's role during the Battle of Britain in 1940, but the Hurricane inflicted 60 per cent of the losses sustained by the Luftwaffe in the engagement, and fought in all the major theatres of the Second World War.

The Hurricane was developed through several versions, into bomber-interceptors, fighter-bombers, and ground support aircraft as well as fighters. Versions designed for the Royal Navy known as the Sea Hurricane had modifications enabling operation from ships. Some were converted as catapult-launched convoy escorts. By the end of production in July 1944, 14,487 Hurricanes had been completed in Britain, Canada, Belgium and Yugoslavia.

Book Author(s)
Robert Panek and Krzystof Wotowski
Review Author
Paul Mahoney
Published on
Company
Mushroom Model Publications - MMP Books
MSRP
$11.99

Upon opening the narrow, softcover book, one is immediately presented with several pages of scale plans (in 1/72 and 1/48). No introductory history or anything like that, just right into the plans. This is followed by about 15 pages of photos, interspersed with snippets from the original aircraft manual. While there is no body of text, each photo has a generous caption. The wartime photos show several aircraft on different fronts, and not only show some great details, but give a sense of the conditions in which these aircraft operated. There are also several pages of drawings from the technical manual (augmented by photos) showing many of the cockpit details. The last several pages consist of color photos of the Hs 126’s engine (from a museum), a color rendition of the instrument panel, and some nicely-done color profiles. These profiles are all the same aircraft, a winter-whitewashed aircraft operating in Russa, ca 1941/42.