This new sheet from Dutch Decal highlights several US- and English-built aircraft used by the Indonesians during the ‘50s. The included history talks about Opeartion “Haik,” which centered on clandestine US operations in Indonesia in 1958.

Decals are provided for a very interesting set of aircraft: B-25 Mitchell, P-51D/K, C-47B, Piper L-4, Auster, Catalina, and B-26B Invader, with the standouts in my opinion being a couple of sharkmouthed Mustangs and a lovely Invader in not only a sharkmouth but also a sharktail.

Full color profiles show each scheme in detail with wing placements for the Mustangs and Mitchells. Also included are a few small pictures displaying a few of the aircraft in real life.

Dutch Decal has a great reputation for their decals and this looks like another excellent set. Now, maybe I need to get another Mustang for one of those sharkmouths.

Aires has developed a highly detailed cockpit for the Trumpeter 1/32 A-4 Skyhawk. This set includes twenty highly detailed grey resin parts and one clear resin part, plus a photo etched sprue which includes the seat belts, rear views mirrors, and other small details to add to the cockpit.

Not unlike their other cockpit kits, the fit of the cockpit tub is pretty much on the money, but some sanding will be necessary for a perfect fit. The quality of the resin is up there where one has come to expect the great quality from Aires, which is truly fantastic. I found no bubbles or missing corners anywhere on the parts. There is some minor flash, but a few licks from a sanding stick or the like will handle it with no problem at all. I did make sure to wash the parts with mild detergent because there was a lot of the releasing agent present.

The P-51 has so many options that it is hard to keep up with them all. The wheels are one area where you can have diamond, cross hatch, smooth, and radial tread. Don’t worry, Ultracast has them all in their product line.

Just like the rest of the Ultracast wheels, this set has exquisite detail throughout. Some may go unnoticed, such as the valve stem for adding air to the tire. The radial tread is perfectly proportioned and looks fabulous. When I think of radial tread, I tend to think of modern airplane wheels, so if you are going to do a post-war modern warbird, these wheels are essential.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Ultracast and IPMS/USA for the review copy.

The F-100 is an impressive model. I’ve built the 1/32^nd scale F-100 from Trumpeter and I have to tell you that I enjoyed the entire build. I enjoyed it so much that I went out and bought all three versions of the 1/48^th scale kit. It is the F-100D and F-100F that this set is designed for.

The later style speed brake had a cut out to allow its use with drop tanks and ordanence on the center line. This set is so easy to use that you would think it would be a Quickboost product. There is no cutting required. Just substitute the resin insert for the kit ones.

I am presently working on the new Airfix Curtiss P-40B right now, it’s built, painted and decaled all that’s left is to do a panel line wash, apply weathering and add the little bits. The Airfix kit exhausts look fine as is, however the exhaust ends are solid I suppose one could drill each out, tedious but not difficult or you can replace them with Quickboost’s new P-40B resin replacements. The ends are hollowed out so no tedious drilling and the price is low so it won’t break the bank account. The Quickboost set directly replaces the kit parts so you don’t have to modify anything. My sample was perfectly cast, no air bubbles or any blemishes of any kind. See the pictures below. I recommend this set without reservation and will be buying more of these sets in the future.

Thanks to Quickboost and to IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review this sample.