The Aircraft

The Tu-22M3 Backfire C has had a somewhat confusing development history. The original Tu-22 was NATO code-named Blinder. It had two pod-mounted engines above the rear fuselage, one on either side of the vertical stabilizer, and fixed sweptback wings. Then Tupolev came out with what I think is almost a new design, with the engines mounted in the rear fuselage and intakes along the fuselage side, and variable-position wings...I think the first on a large Russian bomber. This was the Backfire. The designation for this aircraft was Tu-22M1. The M probably stands for “Modified.” There were only nine Tu-22M1s built, and it was fairly quickly replaced by the Tu-22M2. The M2 had more powerful engines, a bigger wing, and an area rule fuselage.

• Product/Stock # QB 72 390 Sea Harrier FRS.1 Pylons for Airfix kit, $8.50
• Product/Stock # QB 72 385 Sea Harrier Outrigger Wheels for Airfix kit, $6.50

We continue to express sincere appreciation to our friends at Quickboost for providing us more of the prolific output of their company; I buy a lot of their items and hope others do as well. Without their expertise, we would be the poorer!

Not much I can say for these additions...the new Airfix kits are a boon to the modeling community, addressing the need for simple yet detailed kits for the newcomers and also us old guys. But sometimes the details cry out for more. As usual, Quickboost steps up to the plate!

Lockheed’s derivative of the venerable T-33 as the Navy’s carrier-capable jet trainer, the T2V/T-1A bears a strong family resemblance to the T-Bird, but was a far different animal. A redesigned and strengthened wing with leading edge droops, different flaps, and boundary layer control was a big item, while a strengthened fuselage and gear, plus the raised rear cockpit for better visibility by the back-seater, gave the Seastar its characteristic humpback look. Larger tail surfaces, intakes, tailpipe, and an uprated J33 engine were included. Additional fuselage speedbrakes were added to the fairings aft of the wing, and other improvements were added as well, along with upgraded ejection seats, a hefty arresting hook, and a catapult hook.

The first release of C-47/DC-3 kits from Roden has been issued as a C-47B from the 53rd TCW, 437th TCG, 83rd TCS. The parts have some nicely engraved detail on them, but on my sample it wasn’t entirely consistent. It looked great on the wings, tail, and the sides of the fuselage, but on the top and bottom of the fuselage halves, it faded out and was pretty faint. The rear door is molded as a separate part to fit into the space in the left fuselage half, and contains the main entry door and cargo door with its hinges.

Clear parts consist of two strips of windows which fit inside the fuselage, two landing light lens covers, the astrodome, and the windshield, which on my sample was missing from the sprue and wasn’t in the poly bag, either. A replacement was promptly and graciously supplied by MMD-Squadron, so construction could continue.

Mushroom Model Publications has released the latest installment of their Yellow Series titled Messerschmitt Bf 109F. Like all the other books in the series, it is printed in glossy paper and lavishly illustrated with period b&w photographs, color profiles, and color pictures of restored aircraft. Also of note is also the fact they have included 3D computer-generated images of different parts of the airplane (nose, control stick, etc.).

In addition to the above, there are 1/48 scale plans of all the main Bf-109F variants, plus a 620mm fold-out (2-feet) color profile of a Bf-109. I wish I could frame it!

The main sections of the book include: early stages, armament, prototype (Bf-109F-0), main variants (F-1 to F-4), production series, modifications (/Trop, reconnaissance, etc.), final variants (the rare F-5 to F-8 marks), research programs, etc.