When I first saw that these were released, I was a little confused as they had previously released set 48585 which was a set of scoops. The confusion was solved with a little research. The initial release was for the OV-1 early versions while these scoops are specific to the OV-1D Roden release. Problem solved but there is no mention of which is which on the either set so modelers will need to do the research. On to the parts review.

The set includes three scoops with no seam lines and deep insets. Casting is perfect and removal is simple with a saw blade. Installation is also simple with one scoop on the left by the cockpit and the other two on the top of the fuselage. There is an excellent note explaining which Quickboost parts replace which kit parts. As you can see by the pictures showing comparison, these parts are much improved with better profile and depth in the openings.

The PJ Production company from Belgium makes some very nice resin aircraft kits as well as resin aftermarket accessories for aircraft and lots of pilot and ground crew figures. This set provides a very comprehensive set of weapons for the Mirage III/5 aircraft. The set includes; Matra R-550 Magic 2 and AIM-9B Sidewinder AAMs as well as JL-100, LAU-32 and LRF-4 rocket pods. Also included are a Barrax, a Barracuda 2 and a Phimat pod. I believe that the first two are ECM pods and the latter is a chaff dispenser. Finally, a pylon is provided for the centerline of the fuselage. This can carry either two STRIM Bombs or two Alkan P-65 Adaptors for bombing practice. In each case, the proper French pylon is included. This weapons set can be used to outfit several Mirage models and other French aircraft. These parts are nicely molded in resin and require very little clean-up.

Aires Quickboost has released an easy set to convert the AMK 1/48 Aero L-29 Delfin to the L-29R reconnaissance version. The major differences were the camera bay that fits under the forward fuselage and the installation of semi-permanent auxiliary fuel tanks on the wing tips. The supplied instructions identify proper placement of the new Quickboost parts. If you have the older Planet Models 12448 resin model kit of the Aero L-29 Delfin, this set will probably work on it as well, although I do not have that kit to test fit.

Quickboost has molded the camera bay and the auxiliary fuel tanks perfectly in light tan resin with no apparent bubbles. The Quickboost auxiliary fuel tanks and camera bay are supplied on two resin sprue with thin resin attachments to the parts that should minimize any cleanup.

History

On 26^th of August 1940 during the Battle of Britain, the two aircraft represented in this kit met over the English coast, during which the Do-17z would fall victim to the guns of the Defiant, and the Defiant itself would fall victim to escorting Me 109s moments later. Two of the four German crew were lost in the encounter. The Defiant’s crew survived a crash landing. Fast forward to 2013 when an underwater survey revealed this very Do-17 in shallow sand off the English coast. In an extraordinary effort the RAF museum sponsored an expedition to raise the wreckage from its watery grave. (Click here for the Recovery article). It will eventually be placed in the RAF museums “Battle of Britain” hall to complete a collection of aircraft that took part in that battle. You can follow this continuing effort on the RAF museums website.

Model Art Issue 932 is typical of other Model Art magazines in that it is written entirely in Japanese, with occasional English words, usually in article titles or in captions.

This issue covers: