Another in a long line of excellent turned metal (brass) items from Master Model. IPMS USA sincerely appreciates Master’s support of our reviewer corps!

Master provides two turned-metal air data pitot probes to replace the kit items. These are destined to satisfy our requirements for strength and accuracy.

This package contains two metal parts in a double-bag system. First, the outer protective card with details on the contents, then an internal “small” bag with the scale, strong pitot tubes.

Not much to say: Pull out the directions, carefully drill holes where required (in this case the existing air data (pitot) probe mounting fairings on the wings, and use superglue to install.

The usual admonition applies to not stick yourself anyplace sensitive with these. They are stronger than they look.

This set is a replacement cockpit for the Italeri B-57G Canberra night strike aircraft cockpit. It is well cast in a medium grey resin with no pinholes or short casts. Light flash was present on a couple of the parts but was easily removed. It should be noted that care must be exercised when removing the pour plug from the bottom of the cockpit since, if you remove the plug completely up to the level of the bottom of the cockpit, the resulting floor of the cockpit is very thin. The set consists of the cockpit tub with detailed side consoles, side walls, and bulkheads, two pretty accurate, well detailed seats, front instrument panel, rear instrument panel relevant to the B-57G, throttle and gear levers (very fragile), a canopy strut jack, and a canopy support bow. This last piece has an extension that rests against the top center of the middle canopy bow. This extension is very fragile and prone to breakage.

Another in a long line of excellent turned metal (brass) items from Master Model; IPMS USA sincerely appreciates Master’s support of our reviewer corps!

Up front, Master provides turned-metal pitot probes for the excellent Airfix Javelin. This kit really needs these, as the probes go from robust, “fat” bases, to extremely thin probe fronts. And the kit items are usually bent right out of the box… Metal is the answer!

This package contains two turned metal probes in a double-bag system; first, the outer protective card with details on the contents, then an internal “small” bag with the scale, strong air data probes.

Installation: drill holes where required, in this case the existing air data mounts on the wingtips, and use superglue to install. Paint and be done!

Watch your eyes and other sensitive bits when working with these; they could cause serious damage for the careless…

Developed in the years following World War 2 to fulfill Naval Aviation’s “Heavy Attack” capability, the Douglas Aircraft design team under the legendary Ed Heinemann created the jet powered, swept winged A-3 (originally designated A3D-1) Skywarrior to carry nuclear destruction to the Soviet Union from the decks of the Navy’s new Midway class carriers. Replacing the little loved North American AJ Savage, what started out as a single purpose “heavy” bomber soon became one of the Navy’s most “multi-purpose” aircraft in its inventory. When its nuclear delivery mission was taken over by the A-5 Vigilante, the A-3 found itself with a new mission list that eventually included, “iron” bombing, aerial refueling, photo reconnaissance, electronic jamming and counter-measurers, electronic surveillance, high speed COD and VIP transport, and navigation training.

Finally, somebody has made figures for the helicopter models in 1/48 scale. Aero Line’s latest release is marketed as a Cobra crew. As far as I know there have been no previous US Army helicopter pilots available in this scale.

Packaged in a vacuformed shell, Aero Line has created two beautifully cast figures molded in light gray resin. The instructions are on the back of the insert card. There is no actual color callout, just the color profiles. The instructions show the flight suits in a Vietnam-era olive green like the two-piece flight suit of the time; however, with the way the figures are molded, you could easily modify them by removing the upper pants pockets and painting the flight suit in the sage green color of the one-piece and no one would be the wiser.