The F-4 Phantom needs no introduction, and has been a modeling staple for decades. The F-4J version used by the USN (and USMC) featured upgraded AWG-10 radar, J79-GE-10 engines, slatted tail surfaces and drooped ailerons. It saw combat in Vietnam and continued to remain in the USN/USMC line up for years. Like the F-4B, the F-4J saw combat over Vietnam and would continue in service for quite a few years. After later upgrades the F-4J was then re-designated as the F-4S.

If you are looking to add a figure to your F-5 Freedom Fighter, you may want to investigate the latest offering from the Aires Aerobonus line. The figure is posed in his ejection seat with his hands resting on the throttle and stick. With a little care in removing the parts from the pour plug, and some painting, this figure is an easy addition for most modelers to place in their aircraft.

The packaging for this figure is simple with a clear plastic bag containing the ejection seat and majority of the body of the pilot (the arms and head are separate) as well as a folded sheet of paper that provides drawings of the assembled figure as well as painting recommendations. The build was quick and easy, as the arms and head are set into position without issue.

The A5M “Claude” known internally to Mitsubishi as the KA-14 and formally as the Navy Type 96 Navy Carrier-based Fighter was the first all metal monoplane to enter service as carrier-based aircraft. The Claude is the direct predecessor to the A6M “Zero” and did see combat through the beginning of the Second World War but had been pretty much removed from combat by 1942. Late in the war a few were even used as kamikaze aircraft.

This is a white metal landing gear set is to for the Eduard 1/72 Fw 190A-5/8, R-2/8, F-8 aircraft.

The white metal parts are very good and have more defined details than the original kit parts. They are a very good replacement for the already well-detailed kit parts. The advantage is these white metal parts will provide more strength and last longer than the kit parts.

The parts are well cast; you do need to sand off the few cast seams and metal pour points. The parts were a perfect fit to the existing mount and were easy to assemble. A couple of the parts were a little bent, but very easy to fix.

I recommend these parts are a great addition to an already extremely well-detailed kit.

Thanks go to Scale Aircraft Conversions for providing this set to review and IPMS USA for allowing me to review it for them.

(Again, no preamble this time; only building reports. )

The exterior set contained one item overlooked by many; behind the set of holes on the cheeks of the chin scoop is a set of interior grating; What this is FOR, I have no clue, but it’s there, and the fun part of hogging out plastic on a small rectangular part is, well, not there. But it’s mandatory, and I’ve put it aside for now so I can finish up the rest of the other review items I have lurking in the “to build” pile.

The final item provided in the Big Ed set is a set of canopy masks. Now, mind, I will remind myself to check in the future, because this is not your ordinary set of masks. No. It includes the interior masking! So, after I had dutifully fitted half the INTERIOR mask around the EXTERIOR of the bubble canopy, I realized there were not two sets of masks for the sake of providing them, but were specifically called out as interior and exterior.

I felt pretty dumb.