History

The Curtiss P-40 was one of the most famous fighters of World War II, and went through a long series of modifications during its service life. Although not up to the standard of later fighters, it was available in substantial numbers, and could generally hold its own when flown by competent pilots. While later replaced by P-38’s, P-47’s, and P-51’s, P-40’s continued in service in many air forces after the war, and some were flown by civilians, often for racing. Quite a few are still flying today, and it is not unusual to see one at a fly-in or air show.

Even with all of the modern molding technology available now, plastic has its limits as to how thin and how small details can be made and still be moldable. Pitot tubes and AOA (Angle of Attack) sensors are where this shows the most on scale model kits. Take a kit that is nearing 30 years old, and it becomes grossly apparent that something must be done to improve these details, and for the most part these small details can make an old school model seem new again.

One of the newest additions to the fleet of available 1/72 scale F-14D Tomcats is the offering by HobbyBoss. The kit is comprised of one hundred and six individual parts, and they assemble to make a fair representation of this iconic aircraft that was retired from service in 2006. This kit provides the markings for three different aircraft, representing Fighter Squadron 2 serving aboard the USS Constellation (in both low and high visibility) and Fighter Squadron 31 aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt. Assembly was for the most part easy, making this a kit that I would recommend for anyone who wants to add a mighty Tomcat to his fleet of aircraft.

This is the second decal set released by Wingnut Wings with alternate markings for their new 1/32 Fokker D.VII kits. As noted in my review of Fighting Fokkers part 1, Fokker D.VII fighters were built by three manufacturers: Fokker, Albatros, and OAW, and this set (#30007) provides the unique markings for five of the Fokker D.VII fighters that were built by the Albatros…plus two bonus D.VIIs (as described below).

History

The Sunderland prototype first flew on October 16th, 1937, and the first of the production Sunderlands flew on April 28th, 1938. Production started in 1938 and was ended after 8 years. 777 Sunderland’s of all variants were built, and it served in the RAF from June, 1938 ,to May, 1959! Twenty-one years in frontline service for the RAF, and even later for France and New Zealand. (The last New Zealand Sunderland was retired in 1965!!) The Mk I was 85ft 8in. long and had a wingspan of 112ft 8in. Weighing in at 44,600lbs, it was powered by 4 Bristol Pegasus XXII engines rated at 1010hp each, allowing for a top speed of 210mph at 6500 ft.(cruising speed was 178mph). The Sunderland could fly over 1700 miles and was equipped with a galley, bunks, a sink for washing up (with a 25 gal. tank), and a proper, flushing toilet with a supply of water in an 11 gallon tank!