David Doyle’s latest book continues to expand on Squadron Signal’s long standing In Action series that initiated back in 1971. This is a completely updated and expanded edition over Squadron’s earlier Aircraft In Action number 35, a 50-pager on the F-111 by Lou Drendel that was published in 1984. This 2019 release is a totally new book that can be considered complementary to the earlier In Action. This latest edition focuses on color photographs (although black and white pics are used where appropriate) in addition to the additional 30 gloss pages.

Ray Rimell’s (Raymond Laurence Rimell) latest in the “Building the Wingnut Wings” series was originally intended to be a paired build with the Wingnut Wings Halberstadt Cl. II for a combined Albatros Special. The sheer volume of material saw that these two aircraft would be quickly separated (Building the Wingnut Wings Hannover Cl. II was the previous release in this series). The Halberstadt Cl.II was designed as a two-seat escort fighter to meet a 1917 requirement to protect reconnaissance aircraft. As the war progressed, the Cl.II saw an increasing role in ground attack. The first release by Wingnut Wings was in November 30, 2018, with a Cl.II Early version (kit 32049). Wingnut Wings released the Late service version (32062) on the same day. The bonus was a release of a “Duelist” edition featuring Halberstadt Cl.II Late and a RE.8 ‘Harry Tate’ to complete a triple play.

Background

This is AFV Club’s third release of a “Q”-Scale F-104 kit, with the first two releases covering the ROC Air Force and JASDF F-104J aircraft. All three were released in 2019. AFV Club, based in the Republic of China (Taiwan) began releasing kits in 1990 and is owned by Hobby Fan. Distribution in the United States is through Apex Global Inc., doing business as Merit International Ltd.

The Kit

In 2016, Airfix released to wide acclaim, a B-17 G. Rather than giving a summary of the bomber, I will just say this – Airfix chose to create a variant used in the RAF. The kit is based on that new mold and is a variant of the B-17 G. The British adapted 85 B-17 G’s to be used for weather monitoring and electronic warfare. The kit has markings and profiles for two RAF aircraft plus stencils common to both aircraft. The biggest difference is that this variant is missing the ball and chin turrets. The G model’s distinctive chin turret was replaced by a radome. Ten sprues are in typical Airfix light blue plastic and packed together in one bag. Instructions are in a booklet of new type with CAD drawings. Colors listed as Humbrol line. It is easy enough to find equivalents if you use other paint brands. Given the state of the mold, there is very little flash.

(Note: This is a split review of a combination package, I took the 1/144 version and another reviewer is doing the 1/72 kit).

While one can argue whether this aircraft would have truly been a stealthy fighter, the fact remains that it is one of the most intriguing possibilities to come out of the minds of the Horten brothers. Much has been written about their innovative designs, their clashes with Luftwaffe leaders, and the remaining Ho229 at NASM – I encourage the reader to dive into the plethora of research and opinions. But for now, let’s dive into the kit build.

17 light gray parts and one clear sprue make for a quick build – you could literally finish this little jewel in one setting unless you’re a slowpoke like me. The cockpit is basic but in 1/144 with a small canopy, you’re not going to see much of it anyway.