History Brief

The A6M2-N floatplane was developed from the Mitsubishi A6M Zero Type 0, for the purposes of supporting amphibious operations and defending remote bases. It was based on the A6M-2 Model 11 fuselage, with a modified tail and added floats. This aircraft was the brainchild of Shinobu Mitsutake, Nakajima Aircraft Company's Chief Engineer, and Atsushi Tajima, one of the company's designers. A total of 327 were built, including the original prototype.

The Product

My sample came in a standard size box featuring attractive box art. The contents were well packaged and included; 9 grey plastic sprue, 1 in clear, 1 instruction sheet and 1 decal sheet. This kit has been around for a few years now and has been re-released with differing decal options.

This 1/48 scale decal set, available from Iliad Design, provides markings options for six different Spitfires flown during WWII in the China Burma Indian theater. Markings are included for one natural metal, one dark green, and four camouflaged aircraft flown by British Indian pilots. The Iliad set includes multiple national insignias and roundels for each aircraft, along with the red lightning bolts for British Indian fighter pilot and instructor Frank Carey.

The six options are:

History

The MiG-15 was one of the early Soviet fighters which, using German technology and originally a British engine, achieved equality in the Cold War race for a modern jet fighter. Most modelers and historians are familiar with the history of the type, so I’ll spare the specifics and keep the historical section short. The prototype was powered by a Rolls Royce Nene engine, and early production models were powered by imported British engines. Competing with the similar Lavochkin 174 prototype, the MiG-15 won out, and entered production in 1948. Numerous variants were produced between 1948 and the mid-fifties, when the type was replaced by the similar MiG-17. The MiG-15 was produced in numerous variants, including fighter, fighter-bomber, two seat all weather interceptor, reconnaissance, target tug, and dual control trainer. Nearly 18,000 are believed to have been built in the USSR, China, Poland, and Czechoslovakia.

Many thanks to Mr. Ross MacMillan of Scale Aircraft Conversions and the IPMS Reviewer Corps for allowing me to try this neat conversion and replacement set for the new Kitty Hawk TF-9J. I am delighted to report on another sweet add-on and upgrade.

The 7 white-metal parts arrived in a blister pack, backed by the distinctive SAC company logo. The heft of the parts is very noticeable. All parts are free of sprues with the exception of the main mount retractors and nose well equipment. The parts require very little buffing, cleanup and polishing. The TF-9J kit gear struts directly replace the SAC parts. The main mount parts and nose strut parts attached to the kit fuselage with no difficulty. Kit parts that are replaced by SAC parts are D4 and E31, 33, 34. No replacement is provided for D1, but no replacement appears to be needed.

The Mikoyan MiG-29, NATO reporting name: "Fulcrum" is a jet fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. Developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s, the MiG-29, along with the larger Sukhoi Su-27, was developed to counter new American fighters such as the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, and the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. The MiG-29 entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983.

Marking options are:

• MIG-29B- 1938-2008 Hungarian Jubileum

The instruction sheet is printed in a beautiful full color sheet, with appropriate colors listed for mottled grey camo and blue tail fins. The foldout shows the full profile (left and right) of the aircraft and the top camo and flat bottom. All colors in the instruction call for Gunze paints.