History Brief

Given the codename "Grace" by the Allies, the Aichi B7A Ryusei was a large and powerful single engine, two-seat carrier-borne torpedo-dive bomber. It was produced by Aichi Kokuki KK for the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service during the Second World War. The B7A first flew as a prototype in May 1942, but problems with the experimental NK9C Homare engine and airframe issues delayed the type and it didn’t enter into production until two years later in May 1944. Despite the plane's weight and size, it displayed fighter-like handling and performance, it even outperformed the A6M Zero which was in service at the time. Not only was it was a fast, agile and highly maneuverable machine, it could also carry a single 800 kg bomb, two 250 kg bombs or six 60 kg bombs at once.

The Autumn 2015 edition of Windsock World War Centenary is the third edition of Volume 31. This edition’s cover story features an enlarged version of Ronny Barr’s Pfalz D.III 4059/17 side profile as Lance Krieg dives into the Silbergrau color debate. David Hardie provides his build notes for the Wingnut Wings Roland C.II ‘Walfisch’ along with 19 photos illustrating how he did it.

The first of a series by the late Harry Woodman focuses on an unpublished update to his rare Scale Model Aircraft in Plastic Card that portends to be a must have. This feature provides updates to the original and is supplemented with plenty of archival material and color photos. The color feature by arvoart.com is the 15th part of the Great War Paint and depicts fifteen aircraft, highlighted by the Swedish Thulin D. Of course all the usual suspects also are here with reviews of on-topic books, journals, calendars, kits, accessories, and last, but not least, figures

Chapters include:

SAC has been around for a few years, and to my mind fills a serious need for models. As kits get more expensive, they have more detail, weigh more, and you have more invested in it. Plastic landing gear is not such a great idea in this case

This set adds structural strength to the huge Revell B-1B. It also prevents the model from taking damage as simply as plastic or resin gear would. And face it, with all the resin I just put on this kit, it needs metal gear

Now, I know many have not or will not build this kit. It’s huge. It has presence. And it’s an accurate rendition of the “Bone” .For the most part. But with work, it looks great when complete. This model is now on display on the overhead desk of my pod in our B-1/B-52 System Program office, and has garnered a lot of attention…

Thank you to Tamiya, Inc. for providing this excellent kit for review and to the IPMS Reviewer Corps for allowing me to document my build experiences. Sharing this review with the scale modeling community would not be possible without the exceptional support of the IPMS Reviewer Corps. Thank you everyone!

The Mosquito is one of my favorite aircraft with its underdog success story and stunning operational history. Tamiya’s representation of the fighter-bomber version of the Mosquito is superb. Please refer to an earlier IPMS pre-build review of this kit that describes the richness of the kit parts, decals, photo etch materials, instructions and research documents.

Many thanks to the Hauler Brengun Company and the IPMS Reviewer Corps for allowing me to review this unique diorama accessory. Hauler Brengun is a valued contributor to the IPMS Reviewer system and I am very pleased to report on my experience with this excellent accessory, a modern USN tow bar.

USN jets are one of my favorite modeling subjects, and small details such as this tow bar add greatly to displays of completed kits. These towbars are ubiquitous anywhere aircraft get pulled around.