The F4U-1D, F7F Tigercat, Hellcat and the TBM-3 Avenger all used the same propeller. The Corsair needed the additional clearance for deck handling so the 13’1” Hamilton Standard prop was adopted. If you wanted to depict this or even more importantly, correct the AMT Tigercat props, you had to normally rob them from a Hellcat kit. You don’t have to do that anymore.
On occasion there is just something that comes out that you want to say, “WOW, what a great idea!” This is one of those products and one of those occasions. The wing racks in this package are nice enough but the addition of the bomb loading system is so cool! If you build dioramas this is a set that you must have.
The set provides approximately 50 resin parts molded in light yellow resin that are perfectly cast and blemish free. That said, my two wing rack ejector systems had two sway braces broken off in transit. Not a big deal as the resin pieces are kept in a Ziploc bag. There is a small fret of photo etch pieces as well. A length of wire is included to allow the modeler to “use” the pulley system.
Want something that will set your model apart from the rest? That little something that is unique and adds visual interest? Well, Profimodeller has just the thing for your 1/32nd He-111 or Ju-88, an oxygen system complete with flak helmets and oxygen masks with straps.
You get four resin pour blocks with a German helmet, mask with hose, and some oxygen bottles. All of mine were perfectly formed and cast out of light yellow resin. A fret of photo etch provides a good amount of detail such as the suspension assemblies inside the helmets. That is the level of detail we are talking about here! Also included in the set is a length of tubing to represent the oxygen lines.
This is the first offering I’ve seen from Profimodeller, who are based in the Czech Republic. It is an ambitious first offering, designed for the Revell-Germany 1/32nd scale Ju-88 kit. This set is designed to fill in the vast open area of the tail wheel well and give you a better looking tail wheel assembly and replicate the internal structure.
The set is packaged in a sturdy cardboard box with three Ziploc baggies. The first bag contains the resin pieces which are cast in a light caramel color with no noted defects found. One of my parts was broken off the sprue but it proved to be no problem as it broke off where I would have had to cut it anyhow. The second baggie holds a myriad of white plastic styrene strips and tubing. This is simple enough to separate. The final baggie contains the Photo Etch parts. There are some large parts and some very small ones and they all appear to be perfectly etched.
When you are building the Eduard 1/48th scale Bf-109s, you are struck by the quality of the plastic parts. But, like any kit, there are limitations that plastic can do. Resin is the answer in many instances. In this case, Eduard, the manufacturer of the kit, does the work for you. This does a couple of things – first, it ensures that the parts are going to fit the kit they were designed for. I like this concept. Secondly, these parts take less time to make a big difference over the kit parts. I’m all about being able to build faster.
Packaged in a sturdy plastic carton are two resin wheels, two spoke assemblies, and one tail wheel assembly. The resin is perfectly cast in light grey and dark grey resin with no blemishes or air bubbles. Also included but hidden in the packaging are masks for the wheels.
Airfix has returned to the forefront of modeling with the release of the Westland Lynx family. This release is the naval version of the Lynx. Airfix has also released an Army version. Typical of most naval aircraft, the helicopter can fold its blades and tailboom for storage onboard ship.
This release contains 331 pieces of light blue/grey plastic. My review copy had no flash that I could see. The parts are all packaged in a heavy gauge cardboard top-opening box. The box is packed with the parts and decals. The parts are sealed inside a plastic bag inside the box. Thankfully, the clear parts are packaged in a separate plastic bag. The decals are on a large sheet inside the instructions book, so be careful when opening it up.
These two piece exhausts are perfectly molded in light grey resin with six very thin exhaust stacks. There isn’t a lot to say in a review about these pieces. They are perfectly cast, drop in replacements for the kit parts and hollowed out to perfection. I know I could never hollow them out as good as Quickboost without ruining most of the tubes. So for that reason alone these are a great investment.
The packaging doesn’t say it but I’m sure you could make these fit your Hobbycraft or Hawk kit as well.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to Aires and IPMS/USA for the review copy. You can obtain yours by contacting www.modelchoice.net or your local hobby shop or online retailer.
With the release of the Encore (upgraded Monogram) A-37 there is renewed interest in this little dragonfly. The kit is really nice, despite its age.
Perfectly molded in light grey resin these two gun barrels have the shrouded miniguns inside of thinned fairings. The addition of these little jewels will add to the look and aid you from having to clean up a seam on the shroud. This will ensure the shroud is round. You’ll also have hollowed out gun tubes inside of the shroud.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to Aires and IPMS/USA for the review copy. You can obtain yours by contacting www.modelchoice.net or your local hobby shop or online retailer.
This Beaufighter decal set is one of the latest from Canadian-based Aviaeology – SkyGrid Studio’s line of model-related products.
Upon first opening up the standard ziplock plastic bag that holds the decals and instructions, I was immediately impressed with the quality of the decals. There are 4 sheets included in this set, covering 4 aircraft (3 of which have multiple variations). In addition to the individual aircraft markings, a full set of national markings and stencil data is provided for one aircraft. These decals look first-rate, with little to no carrier film except where absolutely necessary. The decals themselves have a glossy finish and appear quite thin, but with good color density.
Although I must admit that my all-time favorite aircraft will always be the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, right next to it in second place is the legendary Messerschmitt 262 Stormbird (also known as the Schwalbe {Swallow}). In my stash of unbuilt kits are several boxes containing various versions of the plane, and yes, there may a double or two present. I have seen and photographed the Me 262 that is kept at the Smithsonian Air and Space museum on more than one occasion, and have several books in my personal library on this legendary fighter. Anyway, I normally start my reviews talking about the history of the item I am assessing, but thought that I would instead talk about my interest in the topic before delving into the contents of this book.
