Trumpeter has issued two versions of their 1/32 A-6 Intruder which was on many people's most-wanted list. While the kit is expensive, it is well done, well detailed and builds into a great replica. Of course that doesn’t mean there isn't some room for improvement. While the aftermarket has been slow coming, Eduard has issued sets for the A-6E TRAM version to spice up several areas of the kit as well as a canopy masking set.

This is a mask set for the Kinetic Su-33 Kit. This set helps save time masking the canopy and wheels by providing all you need with pre-cut masks.

In the packet is:

• 1 precut masking sheet
• 1 instruction sheet

The masks are for the front windscreen, main canopy and the wheel hubs

Summary

This is very good and time saving when it comes to masking, which is perfect for this kit and really helps.

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

For those unfamiliar with carrier aviation, when an aircraft is not actively in use, it is secured to the deck using a come-along device between attachment points on the aircraft and tie downs on the deck. The tie downs are dished out areas on the deck (flight deck and hangar bay) with a welded on set of metal rods that form a star shape. I became most familiar with a flight deck tie down during my shellback initiation as I blew the water out of one of the tie downs as I awaited the next station. When the flight deck or hangar bay has a fresh coat of non-skid applied, the tie downs are masked off. Depending on the era of the carrier you are modeling, you will find tie downs painted either white or a dark gray (I prefer Model Master Engine Gray to represent this).

Developed as a replacement for the Maschinengewehr 08, the MG-14 Parabellum was a machine gun used on WWI German aircraft that was capable of firing 700 rounds per minute of its deadly 7.92 mm ammunition. Although Anthony Fokker used this model gun in the development of the synchronizing gear for his aircraft, the gun was typically used in the flexible mounts of reconnaissance aircraft, bombers, and Zeppelins. The lighter weight of the gun (as compared to the MG-08), high rate of fire, and reduction in the size of the ammunition belt, set the MG-14 apart as a weapon of choice.

New on the scene, at least to this modeler, is the availability of canopy frame decals for modern jet aircraft. Close examination of many modern jet canopies and windscreen reveals a thin line between the clear and the subjects primary paint color. Often times a model omits replicating that detail, and occasionally modelers will attempt to replicate with paint or colored decal strips.

Furball brings a simpler, yet more elegant solution: Purpose-fit decals to replicate those thin lines. Picking up where canopy masks leave off, the Furball canopy frame decals provide a precise, crisp, easy-to-use solution. Furball Aero-Design delivers well with its 1/48 set designed for AFV Club’s F-5E/F Tiger II kits.