The arrival of the Zvezda Bf-109F-4 has been highly anticipated by this modeler. Having built the Bf-109F-2, I was excited about the possibilities. Packaged in an extremely sturdy cardboard locking-lid box, the kit features a beautiful painting of a JG54 aircraft in combat. This is just an exciting beginning to the model.

Inside the cardboard box, you are treated to three large light grey sprues, two smaller light grey ones, and a sprue of clear parts. There are over 200 parts and they are beautifully rendered, although my lower wings were slightly warped. This would be no big deal, as the upper wings would take care of the warp. The detail is gorgeous and perfectly rendered with no flash anywhere. You get parts for the F-4 and F-4/Trop. A relatively complete engine is included, and you’ll have to use most of it regardless if you have the engine cowlings open or not.

• Hobbyboss F4U-4 Corsair, # 80387, $55.99
• True Details Propeller and Cowling Set, #48552, $12.99

Huge thanks as usual go to our friends at MMD Squadron for providing us these great kits and manufacturing the accessories to improve them. We at IPMS USA appreciate your support (and thanks, Dick and Steve, for trusting my questionable skills to execute a review!).

This kit brings yet another Corsair to the stable. In the box is, of course, an excellent F4U-4 kit with minute, delicate surface detail. Multiple options such as antennas, folded or extended wings, and an open canopy are offered. A decal sheet with two Korean War marking options is provided, and a full-color “here’s what it should look like” paint leaflet is also there. All parts are individually bagged and protected; the cowl and clear parts are separated from the main parts by a cardboard divider.

For those who might have missed it, Eduard has launched the Bunny Fighter Club, a membership club from Eduard which will have special kits and aftermarket available to members only. To join, you need to purchase their excellent 1/48 MiG-21MF kit which has Bunny Club markings. The markings for the kit include the 2 Czech planes and the MiG-21MF flown by Lt. C. Bunnyfield. This colorful character has a light blue and green plane with orange details, with a large bunny on the tail wielding a missile.

All kidding aside, Bunny Club members receive some great perks:

In this detail set, Eduard provides modelers with a unique way to add detailed seat belts to any 1/48 scale WWII Luftwaffe fighter. Unlike previous Eduard seatbelt sets, this one does not include solely painted photo-etch parts. Instead, the photo-etch components in this set are for the buckles and other hardware, and the belts are provided in a flexible, pre-printed fabric that comes on a paper backing. This multi-media combination promises realistic looking results because of the flexibility of the belt material.

The drawings on the front of the small instruction sheet illustrate the somewhat complex assembly process, and the step-by-step instructions on the back describe how to do it. These cryptic instructions describe a process that proved to be more tedious than I had expected.

The steps read:

History

The Nakajima Ki-44 “Shoki”, code named “Tojo” by Allied intelligence during World War II, was rather unusual by Japanese standards, since it violated the traditional Japanese design emphasis on maneuverability at the expense of nearly every other performance attribute. Appearing shortly after the Ki-43 “Oscar”, the Ki-44 stressed speed, heavier armament, and rate of climb over other factors, and was intended as a high speed interceptor. The first flight was in 1940, and by 1941 several prototypes had been tested, these eventually being sent to China and later Southeast Asia for combat evaluation. Initial response by Japanese Army pilots was negative, but after they became familiar with the type, they achieved some successes, resulting in further production of the type. Production models were equipped with more powerful engines, and the type entered service as the Type 2 Single Seat Fighter, Model 2, or Ki-44-II Otsu, with four 12.7 mm machine guns.