This is the first kit of what I expect will be a number of F-35 kits from Hasagawa and represents the U.S. Air Force version of the Joint Strike Fighter. The Marine F-35B and Navy F-35C are sure to follow.
The Junkers J.1 (Company Model J.4) was one of the most advanced airplanes produced during World War I. When most other plane were of wooden construction with wire braced wings, the J.1 was all metal, with cantilever wings and tailplane, and featured a .20 inch armored shell structure which served as the forward fuselage, protecting the engine, fuel tanks, and crew. The structure was covered mainly by corrugated aluminum, which was to become a Junkers trademark later copied by Henry Ford for his Tri-Motor. Powered by a 200 hp. Benz Bz IV 6 cylinder in-line water cooled engine, the aircraft had an empty weight of 3,885 lbs. and a gross weight of 4,787 lbs. This resulted in a very heavy and underpowered aircraft, but given the role of the aircraft and the state of the art at the time, it was still an impressive airplane. Comparing the type with modern lightplanes, a 65 hp.
The AIRES Mig-15bis engine replacement is a model kit in and of itself. It replaces the 3 part “engine” of the Eduard 1/72 kit. The AIRES kit is made up of 30 resin and 19 photo etch parts. The kit gives you a complete Klimov K-1 engine! The resin is fantastic with great detail and is very easy to remove from the pour plugs. The photo etch is very fine but has strength, so it doesn’t feel flimsy at all.
Build-wise this engine goes together very well and the instructions are pretty easy to follow. The only thing they don’t provide is a list of colors to paint the parts. There are many photos though on the web of Klimov K-1s, so it isn’t too hard to find the color scheme, but it would be nice if they told you what colors each part needed. I used Alclad aluminum, burnt iron, steel and, dark aluminum along with Model Master flat black.
LPS Hobby has been producing many decal sheets of previously unavailable markings, previously incorrect markings and some unusual markings. This particular sheet is no exception. This sheet provides markings for three camouflaged P-51’s which were over-painted with what is believed to be RAF Dark Green and Medium Sea Gray. The decal sheet is printed by Microscale and is in perfect register.
The first aircraft is P-51D-5-NA, “Tangerine”, piloted by LT Henry A. Pfeiffer, 364FS, 357FG, Leiston, England, Autumn 1944. The second is P-51D-10-NA, “Master Mike”, piloted by Lt. Col Joseph E. Broadhead, 362 FS, 357 FG, Leiston, England, January 1945. The last aircraft, and the one I chose is P-51D-15-NA piloted by Major Howard D. “Deacon” Hively, 334 FS, 4FG, Debdon, England, December 1944.
This item from Quickboost is a direct replacement for the control stick for Trumpeter F-105 kits and should be compatible for their D and G models. They should also be useable on the Hasagawa or Monogram/Revell kits. Three new sticks are provided in the package. The detail is a bit finer than the Trumpeter version but they are a bit fragile. As you can see in the pics, I broke off one of the grips just while handling it for the pictures. So use some care when you are removing the sticks from the runner and the flash from the stick itself.
No instructions are provided as they are a direct replacement for the kit part.
So, just be a little careful and you will have a nicely detailed stick for the pit.
Thanks to Aires and IPMS/USA for the review kit.
This new item from Quickboost is a direct replacement for the control stick for Bf 109E models. They recommend it as a replacement for the new Airfix kits but I am sure it would work in any 72nd scale Emil. One nice aspect is they give you 3 new sticks and as I have two of the Airfix kits and a Tamiya one, I am sure all 3 will get used. The detail is a bit finer than the Airfix version and it includes the boot at the bottom of the stick.
No instructions are provided as all you need to do is cut them off the runner and use as a direct replacement for the kit part.
Another simple and quick update for your modeling pleasure.
Thanks to Aires and IPMS/USA for the review kit.
Considered by many to be the most famous aircraft used by the Japanese in World War II, the Zero is the subject of hundreds of books. And yet, with all of the information already available on the A6M this book, illustrated and authored by Artur Juszczak will make an excellent addition to your research library.
The advertising literature for this publication indicates that drawings and data have been pulled from original technical manuals, with dimensional details and images gathered from surviving airframes located in museums. These pictures and details cover the aircraft inside and out.
I found that the advertising for this book was quite accurate. The images are outstanding and will prove very helpful to the modeler, showing interior and exterior colors, color demarcation lines. The book goes far beyond what one would expect after having read the advertising.
Dana Bell has proven over and over again to be one of the best authors when it comes down to aircraft details. This book is yet another testament to that.
This volume covers the “raised canopy” version of the Corsair, or the definitive WWII version of the Corsair: the -1A, -1C and -1D, plus the British and New Zealand versions as well.
The first few pages of the book have a short (too short if I might say) description of the raised canopy airframes, their main systems and differences with the birdcage and within the A/C/D versions.
It also includes a list of every serial number, changes to the airframes within each serial number ranges and manufacturers. This list could be the ultimate source of information for the modeler that wants to ensure his/her model will be an exact replica of a given tail number.
The F9F-8 Cougar was a carrier based early swept wing jet that was light, fast and had good range and load carrying capacity. It was developed from the F9F Panther which was a straight wing jet. The operational career for the F9F was 1951 to 1974. It was also used as a photo recon and two seat trainer.
Kitty Hawks 1/48 scale F9F Cougar is the first 1/48 kit since the Revell kit and a couple resin kits of the 60s and 70s. It seems the Cougar has been like the red headed stepchild of the model world. That has changed now that Kitty Hawk has the F9F-8T trainer and the F9F-8 and -8P Cougars.
This kit includes resin and photoetch parts to replace the base kit engines on the Revell Monogram B-17F/G kits. The Brassin engines have extremely fine detail, go together well, but require experience with resin and photoetch pieces. The engines add fantastic detail to the base kits and are a challenging but rewarding build.
This kit is the iconic Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 American radial engine developed by Curtiss-Wright, and widely used on aircraft in the 1930s through 1950s. These kit engines are replacements for the parts supplied with the Revell Monogram B-17F/G aircraft kits.
