Brengun Models is a scale model and detailing parts manufacturer located in the Czech Republic. Their lines include limited production run multi-media kits and exquisitely detailed photo-etched, turned brass and white metal replacement parts for aircraft in the most commonly produced scales.

Brengun has produced a set of wheels with diamond tread patterns for any 1/72 scale F4U Corsair. There are no instructions, and any modeler familiar with resin parts will have no issues installing these wheels in lieu of the kit parts. A close-up evaluation of the parts (see photos), indicates a simple cut and replace installation that provides realistic scale-detailed wheels with significantly improved appearance to molded plastic kit parts.

History

The Dornier Do 217 was a German multi-purpose bomber in WWII and was developed as a replacement for the Dornier Do 17. It was produced from November 1940 to May 1944. The Dornier 217J was the night fighter variant with BMW 801 engines, powerful armament and radar (on the J-2). In total, in 1942-43, there were produced 364 Do 217 night fighter of different modifications. They were in service with several night fighter regiments.

The Kit

Upon opening a large & sturdy box you are presented with a whole lot of plastic! 8 runners & 3 main wing pieces of grey injected plastic and 1 clear runner and a 24-page instruction book and a very nice decal sheet. The plastic cleanly molded with very little flash and crisp detail and the clear parts are thin and very clear. Also, the decals are cleanly printed and in register. Don’t be alarmed at the number of parts as 92 of these are only used for the Do 217N kit.

Refer to Part One for the assembly review.

Review Note and Comments

I decided to make this a two-part due to the number of images and extensive text required to document the basic assembly phase. Although the assembly was a bit of a challenge for this model, the semi-finished model revealed a lot of nice surface detail that was appealing to me. This detail had some merit for an effort on my part to achieve a proper paint job and weathering application. If those efforts resulted in a nice-looking model the challenges faced during the assembly would make the effort worth-while.

Let's see what happens.

These little single books by MMP Books are quite interesting. They focus on a single subject that is covered very well. The only text is the captions which are written in English. They do an adequate job.

These books are designed with the modeler in mind. As such they have scale drawings in 1/72^nd and 1/48^th scale. I couldn’t find fault with these. They look very accurate to me. After the drawings there are some historical photos and pictures from the parts manual of the aircraft. Intertwined with those photos are plenty of detail photos that should satisfy most modelers. The detail photos are of the F-4 in the Canadian Museum. There are four color pages and one aircraft of Hermann Graf is presented in a three view profile.

Overall these books are very concise and to the point. They are perfect for a modeler who is on a budget but needs the information. At a little over $11.00 they are a bargain.

Aircraft and History

The O-2A Skymaster, known as “Oscar Deuce” is a small twin engine aircraft used primarily as a Forward air controller (FAC) and psychological operations (PSYOPS). The USAF starting using the O-2 in 1967 in the Vietnam War as a replacement for the O-1 Bird Dog. With just a few years service, the O-2 was intended to be replaced by the OV-10 Bronco but the O-2 remained in service, primarily for night operations.

The USAF requested Cessna to make a military version of its 337 Super Skymaster with “hardpoints” under the wings, additional windows for observers and new cabin arrangement. A unique feature of the Skymaster is the engine arrangement. Unlike traditional twin-engine aircraft with engines on each wing, the Skymaster has one in the nose and another on the rear fuselage. This arrangement allows centerline thrust so if one engine loses power, aircraft control (in yaw) is minimal if any at all which is a significant safety advantage.