The Sopwith Triplane was a follow-up to the highly successful 80hp Pup that was widely liked by the young pilots of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). The Triplane prototype was powered by a 110hp Clerget rotary. The prototype was quickly accepted and sent to the front for trials with A Squadron of the RNAS. A Squadron took the new Tripe into combat as soon as it arrived in France. A second Triplane powered by the 130hp Clerget was sent to France in August of 1916. This new highly maneuverable aircraft was an instant hit with the RNAS pilots who had a chance to fly it in combat. Although similar to the Pup, the Triplane fuselage was redesigned for the larger 110hp & 130hp rotary engines. The wingspan was the same as the Pup, but the narrow chord wings allowed better visibility for the pilots. It was more maneuverable than the Pup and had a quicker rate of climb.

The Jaguar GR.1/GR.3 is Kitty Hawk’s second release of the Sepecat Jaguar in 1/48th scale. There are many things in common with the first release. The molding is very well done, and the plane has a great shape. One thing off the bat you will need to watch for is the instructions. In my booklet of instructions (which have great color views of the entire plane and all schemes and the weapons), steps 19 and 20 were missing. These steps involve adding the wings and tail parts, as well as the location of several parts on the bottom and top. A quick e-mail to Kitty Hawk and they forwarded the missing steps – I have scanned them and attached them here. The second problem with the instructions is that several of the parts were very difficult to place and the directions were a little vague. A few brief internet searches, and these were resolved.

As with most kits, the Hannover CL.II’s instruction book focuses first on assembling the cockpits, and the assembly sequence, although involved, is very straightforward. But, before anything is assembled, the instructions guide the builder to paint the sidewalls and all of the various cockpit components according to the color callouts provided on pages 4 thru 7. Because there is much to be seen in the Hannover’s cockpits, painting the small details will require some time and patience. However, I personally found the experience to be both educational and enjoyable. In my opinion, building a first Wingnut Wings kit probably will prove to be a very different experience for model builders who are accustomed to assembling other mainstream plastic model kits. Looking inside a WNW kit box, a builder will find both a plastic model kit and an education rolled up in a brilliantly engineered package.

Model Art Modeling Magazine is one of the finest periodicals on the market. Each issue is a gold mine of high quality illustrations and imaging. In the case of this publication, the entire magazine focuses on the Bf-109F.

The book features six sections, each focusing on a different aspect that is of interest to a hobbyist.

Color profiles

Some of the profiles featured color call-outs, identifying the RLM colors, by RLM number, being displayed. These profiles are also quite detailed as to markings, including some stenciling, that one will find on the airframe.

Quickboost has added the gun barrels for the Airfix A-4B to their line of resin aircraft accessories. This latest addition is molded in a grayish resin – smooth, seamless, and bubble-free. They are easily removed from the mold block, taking only a couple swipes with a saw blade to remove.

Comparing the Quickboost gun barrels with the Airfix barrels, you can see that the Quickboost barrels are more to scale and have the ends drilled out. If you tried to drill out the Airfix barrels, you would have quite a job ahead of you and could possibly destroy one or both.

I very highly recommend this product if you want a really nice and detailed set of gun barrels. All that you need to do is cut off the molding block and drop them in place with a little CA glue. It’s a very easy upgrade to do.

I would like to thank Quickboost and IPMS USA for the chance to do this review.