Reviews of products for scale aircraft models.

Review Author
Rick Reinert
Published on
Company
Hobby Boss
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$53.99

Introduction

This is a new tooling of the Hawker Hurricane Mk. IIC introduced in 2023. This is the second of four planned releases by Hobby Boss of their Hurricane series. The following comes directly from their website:

The Hawker Hurricane was a combat aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s, designed by the British aircraft manufacturer Hawker Aircraft Ltd. The Hurricane was one of the principal combat aircraft that defended the United Kingdom during the Battle of Britain. This fighter plane played a pivotal role in the Second World War, primarily serving with the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force and Soviet Air Force. The Hurricane was mass-produced, with over 14,000 examples manufactured from 1937 to 1944.

Review Author
Chris Martin
Published on
Company
AOA Decals
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$27.00

Summary

This updated 1/48 decal sheet supersedes 48-006 and now includes additional options from 32-023 (VA-65) and 32-027 (VA-75). Five Navy squadrons are covered with multiple options for each squadron.

New full airframe data/stencils provided for one aircraft; however, additional data/stencil sheets are also available to purchase separately, see 48-023.

Decals also included for MERs and fuel tanks.

What’s in the Bag

7 total double-sided 8½ x 11 glossy sheets

  • 1 introductory sheet
  • 3 sheets for stencil placement
  • 2 sheets with upper surface views
  • 3 sheets with side views
  • 1 sheet with accuracy modifications for the Hobbyboss kit
  • 2 sheets with marking notes for each scheme

Three decal sheets

Review Author
David Horn
Published on
Company
Werners Wings
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$20.00

Werner’s Wings has been around for some time and is known primarily for rotary wing subjects offering resin, 3D printed details and decals in 1/32, 1/35, 1/48 and 1/72nd scale. Their attention to detail rivals all other resin and decal companies on the market and that can be attributed to the owner, Floyd Werner, who retired from the US Army as a Cobra attack helicopter pilot and continues flying the Cobra with the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation. Thanks to Floyd’s personal experience with rotary aircraft and his connections in the aviation community, reference material he uses can be trusted to be the most authentic.

Review Author
Paul Dunham
Published on
Company
Special Hobby
Scale
1:72
MSRP
$20.70

Special Hobby’s short-fuselage P-40K kit was first issued back in 2018. I am glad to see it re-issued in 2023 (you can never have too many P-40s). The kit includes three runners of gray plastic, one of clear parts, a resin antenna and mount, decals, and instructions. Runner ‘B’ has lots of parts for other P-40 versions, so be careful that you use the correct ones. The parts and decals are individually bagged to prevent damage or loss. The kit comes in a sturdy top-opening box, so it should be safe from crushing even if it winds up at the bottom of your stash. Markings are provided for three U.S. and one Soviet P-40. Color call outs are provided for Gunze Sangyo Mr. Color and Aqueous Hobby Color paints.

Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
Company
AOA Decals
Scale
1:48
MSRP
$26.00

AOA Decals has released a decal sheet (#48024) that updates and supersedes their own #48-001 and #48-006 sheets covering USMC A-6A, A-6B and KA-6D Intruders during the Vietnam War, including markings for an astonishing 19 aircraft spanning the period 1966 to 1973.

There are markings for:

  • VMA (AW)-224 Bengals, based on the USS Coral Sea during 1971-72
  • VMA (AW)-225 Vikings, based on Da Nang, South Vietnam 1969-71
  • VMA (AW)-242 Batmen, based on Da Nang, South Vietnam 1966-70
  • VMA (AW)-533 Hawks, based on Chu Lai, South Vietnam (1967-69) & Nam Phong, Thailand (1972-73)

All the aircraft are in the high-viz camouflage of the era. Some of the airframes had black noses, while others had white. Some of the aircraft also had colorfully painted rudders -you have decals for the rudders or you can paint your own using the decal as a template for home-made masks.

Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
Company
AOA Decals
Scale
1:48
MSRP
$20.00

AOA Decals has released a decal sheet (#48022) that updates and supersedes their own #48-007 sheet covering A-6 TRAM Intruders during Operation Prairie Fire (Libya, 1986) and Desert Storm (Iraq, 1991), including markings for five aircraft in the Libya strikes and four aircraft in the Iraq strikes.

Provided markings are:

  • VA-34 Blue Blasters, based on the USS America, for the Libya strikes (1986)
  • VA-55 Warhorses, based on the USS Coral Sea, for the Libya strikes (1986)
  • VA-85 Black Falcons, based on the USS Saratoga, for the Libya strikes (1986)
  • VA-35 Black Panthers – based on the USS Saratoga, for the Iraq strikes (1991)
  • VMA(AW)-533 Hawks – based at Sheikh Isa base (Bahrain), for the Iraq strikes (1991)

All the aircraft are in low-viz camouflage with the main difference among them being the squadron markings and any individual marking for the airframe.

Review Author
Bob LaBouy
Published on
Company
Magic Factory
Scale
1:48
MSRP
$73.00

Overall Evaluation

Move over, there’s a new sheriff in town’ – at least as quarter scale Corsairs are concerned. As I have built this F4U-2 kit, I am overjoyed with the kit’s attention to details and overall accuracy. As I previously said: Almost any way you slice it, this is a beautiful kit! And, for the price, you receive two beautiful Corsair kits. These kits are highly recommended both for newer builders interested in the Corsair as well as those who felt the best such kit was the other Japanese company. Now we have a higher bar and it’s a great set of Corsairs.

Now, as for the review itself-

A Very Brief History the Corsair [from manufacturer’s website]

F4U Corsair is a famous carrier-based fighter aircraft deployed by U.S. Navy in WWII. With the first prototype manufactured in 1940 and final variant produced in 1953, it has the longest production run of any U.S. piston-engine fighters.

Book Author(s)
Andy Evans
Review Author
Rob Booth
Published on
Company
Phoenix Scale Publications
MSRP
$29.95

With the recent demise of some of our favorite scale modeling publications, the stars have aligned for Andy Evans and David Francis and their magazine designers Jonathan Phillips and Andy Folds. As a result, they were able to team up and put together Phoenix Scale Publications to the benefit of those of us in the scale modeling hobby. Their excellent Phoenix Scale Modelling and Phoenix Aviation Modelling magazines became available earlier this year.

Aviation modelers will also benefit from their outstanding Airmark and Red, White and Blue Series of aircraft reference books.

The subject of this review is the “Real to Replica Blue Series #2 – The SAAB JAS 39 Gripen”. This soft cover 8.25” X 11.5” book contains 96 pages of background and development, color reference photos accompanied by a reference commentary for each picture. There is also a color profile artwork section and kit modeling references.

Review Author
Rob Booth
Published on
Company
Brengun
Scale
1:72
MSRP
$11.36

Brengun Models is a scale model and detailing parts manufacturer located in the Czech Republic. Their lines include limited production run multi-media kits and exquisitely detailed photo-etched, turned brass and white metal replacement parts for aircraft in the most commonly produced scales.

Brengun has produced a set of two AGM-88 HARM missiles for any appropriate1/72 scale aircraft kit.

Book Author(s)
Antonio Luis Sapienza Fracchia
Illustrators: David Bocquelet, Luca Canossa, Tom Cooper, Antonio Luis Sapienza, and Ivan Zajac
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

Helion is a UK-based company that produces books on many aspects of Military History from the Late Medieval period through to the present day. Helion was established in 1996, and since then they have published over 1,200 books, with 100 or more new titles coming out every year, for readers around the world.