We are certainly going to continue to see great things from Furball; and IPMS/USA sincerely appreciates Furball Aero-Design’s support by providing one more of their great products for review. And thanks to the reviewer corps leaders for sending this set to me to work on!

External metal plates are commonplace engineering solutions to vibration and fatigue cracking on aircraft structures. In the case of the F-14 (and the F-15 under “Pacer Buffet” in the mid-1980’s) early block aircraft developed fatigue cracks in the vertical fins. The quick solution (before you have to buy new fins for the next generation aircraft) is to apply external stiffener plates. In the old days they were called “fishplates” because they were shaped like fish in profile. The purpose is to distribute the stresses out away from the crack location, preventing further damage or failure of the control surface. That’s what Furball has captured with this set.

History

The English Electric Canberra traces its roots back to 1944 when the Air Ministry issued a requirement for a successor to the De Havilland Mosquito 'with no defensive armament and a high-altitude capability to evade interceptors'. Taxi tests began in May of 1949 and the first flight was May 13^th, 1949…..and yes, it was a Friday! First delivery to the RAF was May 25^th, 1951 t0 101Sqn, Binbrook and in the next 3 years, 23 squadrons received the aircraft. The Canberra proved so successful that it was exported to many other countries (15) and also built in Australia and the U.S. there were (including prototypes) 40 variants of the Canberra. The B9i).6 was the interim interdictor version for the RAF pending delivery of the B(I)8. Based on the B.6 with a detachable ventral pack housing four 20 mm Hispano Mk. V cannon for strafing; also had provision for two wing hard points. LABS (Low-Altitude Bombing System) for delivery of nuclear bombs.

Recently I was given the opportunity by IPMS USA to review Aires Focke-Wulf Fw 190F-8 fuel point with covers for the 1/32 Revell Focke-Wulf Fw 190F-8 kit. One of the first things to notice with this product is the excellent presentation of the packaging with the sealed flap on the back of the package to allow for easy access to parts.

Upon removal of the resin fuel points and covers, you will notice the great detail that we have come to expect from Aires QB products. The molding on the fuel points and covers is excellent and it comes off of the resin block with little effort along with the help of a razor saw.

Recently I was given the opportunity by IPMS USA to review Aires Focke Wulf Fw 190F-8 Gun Cover for the 1/32 Revell Focke Wulf Fw 190F-8 kit. One of the first things to notice with this product is the excellent presentation of the packaging with the sealed flap on the back of package to allow for easy access to parts.

Upon removal of the resin gun cover you will notice the great detail that we have come to expect from Aires QB products. The molding on the gun cover is excellent and it comes off of the resin block with little effort along with the help of a razor saw.

Even though there is a separate gun cover in the kit, this cover is an addition to this kit, when looking at the side by side comparison you will notice that the Aires offering has a lot more underside detail and more defined lines and rivet detail on the top surface. If you are going to take the extra time to detail and open up the gun bay for display you will want this cover.

Recently I was given the opportunity by IPMS USA to review Scale Aircraft Conversions adaption of the Curtiss P-40B landing gear in white metal for the 1/48 Airfix kit. This set consists of two main gear legs, the two retraction strut pieces, which are on a metal sprue, and the tail gear strut. These are direct replacements for the parts from the Airfix kit. When comparing the kit landing gear and the SAC landing gear side by side you will notice they are very similar, other than the difference between plastic and white metal. Ignore the rough texture in the pictures all white metal is like this but will not show once painted. Overall this is highly recommended for stronger landing gear and added detail and is a great addition to the Airfix Curtiss P-40B kit. I would like to thank Scale Aircraft Conversions for another great offering in metal landing gear and IPMS USA for the opportunity to review this item.