Since Tamiya now has three 1/72 Corsair releases on the market, Aires has added a highly detailed set of F4U-1 Corsair dropped flaps to their line of aftermarket parts. This set enables modelers to build a 1/72 Corsair with flaps dropped without the need to carefully remove and modify the non-dropped flaps molded into the Tamiya kits’ wings.

I flew the AH-1 Cobra for 15 years, and to say that I’m intimately familiar with it would be an understatement. I love this helicopter and flew it in combat and as a maintenance test pilot. If the Army still had it in the inventory, I would still be in.

Aires has added the wheels and masks for the SU-27 Flanker to their line of resin aircraft accessories. This latest addition is molded in a grey resin; it’s smooth, seamless and bubble free.

For comparison I pulled out an Italeri Sea Flanker from my stash but found out that the Sea Flanker had 2 wheels up front. I called a friend of mine and he had the right kit so I compared it to the Encore SU-27. The Aires parts seem to be a little more detailed than the Encore wheels and the Aires paint masks are a very welcome addition to assist in painting.

I very highly recommend this product if you want a nice set of tires for your SU-27 model. I’d like to thank Aires Hobby Models and IPMS USA for the chance to do this review.

Hasegawa has been releasing many of its kits as Limited Edition issues during the last few years, and this iteration of its new-tool “advanced 737” kit in the colors of Air Do---the relatively new identity of Hokkaido Airlines---follows suit. The moldings and parts are the same as previous issues, with white fuselage halves and gray for all other parts. (Photo 37Parts.jpg) The kit comes with a stand plus alternate parts for displaying the model with gear retracted or extended. A forward interior bulkhead is provided with a big metal bolt to insert in its center, to act as ballast and prevent tail-sitting. Just to make sure my model had enough weight up front, I inserted the bolt into the front of the bulkhead instead of the rear, so the bolt head was closer to the nose.

Fine recessed surface detail is the hallmark of this kit and there was no flash on any of the parts---even the tiny gear struts and engine exhaust cones.

MMD-Squadron has added a 1/48 scale US WW II era parachute to their True Details resin aftermarket parts line. The parachute is sculpted to represent a chute in pre or post-mission repose with integral pack, cushion, harness and hardware visible. It is well sculpted with an amazing amount of detail for such a small item.

This parachute would be a perfect diorama accent for any US WWII aircraft model, posed the way parachutes were typically placed on the wings or stabilizers of aircraft prior to a mission so pilots could quickly ‘suit up’ for a takeoff. Two parachutes come packaged on a blister card with a foam pad backing to protect the fragile features of the casting. They are molded in gray resin on a very thin layer of molding scrap. No assembly is required. They just need to be sanded off the small casting scrap, painted and positioned. A fresh #11 blade can then be used to carefully trim away scrap from the edges of the parachute without damaging the details.