The new Airfix P-40B is an excellent example of the iconic fighter made famous by the Flying Tigers. The kit is nice but there are some things in the cockpit that need to be ‘fixed’. Aires has released this new cockpit set for the kit.

Inside the typical Aires blister pack are 21 pieces of molded in light grey resin. My example was flawless despite damage to the blister package. The set also has a small fret of photo etch that includes the instrument panel and seatbelts. A film of acetate is also provided for the instruments.

This set will require some thinning of the sidewalls to get it to fit properly. But once you get past that, the set fits together simply and easily. The parts breakdown is very similar to the kit breakdown. The pour stubs are easy enough to remove.

Quickboost has produced replacement seats with molded on harnesses for the Hasegawa 1/48 Ju-87B kits. The resin replacement is a simple drop-in for the kit’s plastic parts. The supplied item includes both the pilot and gunner seats cast in resin. There is no modification required to the kit parts to use these resin replacements.

A side by side evaluation (see photos) indicates a replacement of superior detail that will provide a more accurate rendition of the Stuka’s seat assemblies. Check your references for the appropriate seat to use. Be sure to wash the parts in soapy water to remove mold release agents and prime prior to using your favorite modeling paints.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to the IPMS Reviewer Corps and Quickboost for the opportunity to review this item.

AMK models has re-released an improved version of their 1/48 Kfir model. Based on what I read online the overall shape of the fuselage was improved, plus the weapons are now produced by slide molds technology. The rest of the sprues, I think, are the same as the original boxing.

In the box are 12 sprues for the airplane, plus multiple sprues for the individually molded weaponry. These sprues are packed in smaller boxes within the main box, ensuring all the sprues fit nice and firmly inside the box. No sprues will get damaged or rattled around in this box.

You also get an excellent decal sheet for 5 different markings: Israel, Sri Lanka, Ecuador, Colombia, and the civilian contractor ATAC, which provides air combat training for different Air Forces. You can finish the model as a C2 or C7 version and the instructions are absolutely clear regarding which parts to use with each version.

Confession

When I saw this item posted for review I immediately knew I wanted it, and volunteered to prepare the review. Only later after I had clicked the send button for my request did I think about what kit this accessory was meant for? I did some searching and found it was for the Hobbyboss kit. Great! I had the Kittyhawk kit. I immediately sent an email to Phil Peterson confessing my sins, and he responded that I should give it a go anyway.

I went on line to search for the instructions for the Hobbyboss kit and compared what I found to the parts for the Kittyhawk kit. On-screen and on paper things looked like they just might work. The parts breakdown between the two kits were very similar, except the parachute container on the Hobbyboss kit is molded integral with the vertical stabilizer. Now, I needed to wait for the parts to arrive for a real comparison and a chance for vindication.

Peter E. Davies lives in Bristol, U.K. and as authored or co-authored at least twenty-seven books on modern American combat aircraft, many with Osprey Publishing. He was published by the Naval Institute Press in 1997 with his hardcover book, The Harrier Story, co-authored with Anthony M. Thornborough. His Schiffer Military History hard cover on the Gray Ghosts, U.S. Navy and Marine Corps F-4 Phantoms published in 2000 is considered a must have. Peter published a hardcover book with Crowood Press, North American F-100 Suber Sabre, in 2003. He has also covered many aircraft in Osprey’s Combat Aircraft series, Osprey’s Air Vanguard series, and Osprey’s Duel series. Four of these have concentrated on the U.S. Navy's use of the F-4 Phantom II. All of Peter's books on this topic have contained extensive input from interviews with more than 100 former US Navy Phantom II aircrew, maintainers and mission planners