Hobby Boss continues its F-14 series with a modern F-14D. The kit is large. There are 27 sprues of well-defined gray plastic, along with vinyl tires, a photoetch fret, one sprue of clear parts, and three decal sheets. Ten of the sprues are for weapons, including two GBU-12, two fuel tanks, four Mk-82's, four GBU-31's, six AIM54's, four AIM-7's and two AIM-9's. The kit features an open gun bay, refueling probe, two complete engines (that can't be seen), and a complete optional radar.

When this kit came out, the first thing that attracted me was the markings. The VF-101 markings with a black tail and white grim reaper were excellent, but then I noticed that the second markings were from VF-213 aboard the USS Carl Vinson where my son is stationed, so it became a no-brainer. Also, I had built the excellent 1/48th scale carrier deck from Skunkmodels, so it was time to build a kit to rest on the deck. This meant I want the plane to represent a configuration ready to take off.

The November issue of Scale Aircraft Modelling is another excellent piece of scale art. There are the usual two Feature Articles, an Aviation in Profile piece, industry news, and a series of Compact Build Reviews.

The two feature articles for this issue are a 1/32nd scale build of the HobbyBoss P-61 Black Widow and a 1/72nd scale build of Airfix's Lancaster B.III Dambuster. The HobbyBoss P-61 build by James Ashton goes into some detail of the build and adds True Details Wheels and Kits-World Decals. Where this article really shines is in the description of weathering and painting. The articles details paint chipping using the AK interactive chipping system, and also the post-shading and using the oils to weather. The effects are superb and the article is lavishly illustrated.

The A3D-2 Skywarrior strategic bomber, commonly referred to as “The Whale,” was the heaviest operational aircraft to be operated from an aircraft carrier. It’s service as a bomber was sort-lived and it became a successful refueling and electronic warfare/ reconnaissance platform serving the US Navy and its defense contractors for many years after most aircraft of its age had already been retired. There is little info actually available in print or online for this aircraft, but from what I could see the kit carries the lines well and appears to be, for the most part, an accurate representation.

The US Navy Multiple Ejector Rack MER-7 is a weapon suspension unit that attaches to an aircraft's main racks (pylons or hard points) and can carry up to six weapons, such as a variety of bombs. This is currently used by the Navy only, as, according to sources, the Air Force quit using them in the 1990's. They have been used on the A-6 to F-105's.

History

The Petlyakov Pe-2 (nicknamed Peshka – “Pawn”) began life in 1939 as a high altitude fighter project, designated VI-100. It was designed under very unusual circumstances, as the design team which included both Vladimir Petlyakov and A.N. Tupolev had been swept up in one of Stalin’s paranoidal purges, and both were imprisoned as “threats to the state.” However, they managed to begin design work during 1939, producing a high altitude fighter prototype by the end of that year. Later, when the Russians discovered that Germany didn’t have any high altitude bombers, the fighter project was canceled.