When Eduard released the Bf109E Instrument they also released a mask to go along with it. Unfortunately the only way to purchase this mask is through Eduard's store and you have to be a member of the Bunny Fighter Club.

Now when it comes to masking a model you could take and make your own mask with one of the many medias available, or you can purchase a ready to use mask for that specific model and cut your masking time in about half. The mask for the Instrument panel helps in several difficult areas. One of the areas that the really comes in handy is for some of the raised details on the instrument panel that have to be painted. Another very helpful part of the mask is for molded on bolt heads. It makes painting these a breeze. You can follow the link above for a better idea of what is included or Eduard has a great article on building the instrument panel which includes a breakdown of the mask. The article can be found by following this link:

Lifelike has produced this set of decals for he recent RS Models Ki-100 kit. They can also be used for the FineMolds kit but the producer does not that there might need to be some modification.

In the package, there is one decal sheet which covers the five aircraft. The decals are printed by Cartograf and beautiful, in register and colorful. Also included is the sheet with five full color profiles of the aircraft and their histories and information which is wonderfully researched. Last is a page indicating the paint colors and also the stencil placement and reference sources.

The planes covered are:

History

The Fiat G.50 was Italy’s first single-seat, all-metal monoplane with an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear. The prototype of the G.50 was first flown in 1937 and introduced into service in 1938. The G.50 served Italy in the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Air force) in the Battle of Britain, in Africa, and in the Aegean theatre, and helped to defend against the invasion of Sicily. They also served in the Aviazione Legionaria (Italian Expeditionary Force) in Spain. 35 were flown to Finland and served in the two Finnish wars against the Soviets. Although fairly quick (max speed was 292mph) and maneuverable, it was lightly armed with just two 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns in the cowl.

Super Scale (Squadron Products) has released and excellent new set of decals for the Academy F-4B Phantom. This set covers an F-4B from the VF-32 Swordsmen aboard the USS John F. Kennedy (CFA-67) circa 1970.

The decals come with a single sheet of colorful decals and include the markings for BuNo 152972. The national insignia are also included, along with some specific stencils. The decals are printed by Cartograf and are perfectly in register and very colorful. The highlights are the large yellow/black tail flashes and sword on the rudder. The intake warnings are colorful and also included.

These decals are a great addition to the excellent Academy kit. Highly recommended. My thanks to Squadron Products and IPMS/USA for the chance to review these decals.

Quickboost is well known for creating nicely detailed drop-in replacement parts to enhance the detail of plastic models. This time they present a trio of pitot tubes for the Mirage III, for either the Eduard or the Hobby Boss kit.

The pitot tubes are perfectly cast in grey resin, with a smooth, bubble-free finish. The molding includes two side walls to prevent accidental damage of the parts while in transit or storage. Removal of the parts should be easy, with either a hobby saw or even by scoring with a #11 blade if you take your time.

This set provides you with spare parts, which is a very thoughtful decision from Quickboost, as pitot tubes are very easily broken off. If you are careful in construction, you have spares for your next Mirage!

Perhaps the single best advantage of this replacement part is the lack of a mold seam (in comparison with the plastic one), and we all know that a nose-mounted pitot tube is one of the focal points of any airplane.