This is the third of three reviews of the new Eduard 1/144 MiG-21s. The aircraft here is the MiG-21SMT, the “home grown” MiG. Other versions were for export, but the SMT was the one the Soviets kept for themselves.

The MiG-21 in its various forms has been around for a really long time, entering service in 1959, and it’s still in service. The early versions are considered second generation fighters, but the newer versions, such as the MF, SMT and bis are third generation. That big added hump on the fuselage and upgraded avionics/electronics bring the MiG-21 into the third generation. The SMT has the biggest hump of the three.

The Kit

You get two of every part, with an extra canopy for each one. You also get a pair of Eduard masks for the kit(s). Five different MiGs could be built from the decals, all Soviet, although one was based in Poland. As a change of pace, I decided to build the all-silver one.

Among World War II naval aircraft, the Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter achieved a record that remains unsurpassed: 5,156 enemy aircraft downed, and in less than two years of combat operations at that! Clearly, it was the right plane in the right place at the right time. Meyer and Ginter’s new book provides a little something for everyone with an interest in the Hellcat, no matter what the angle. The book begins on the very first page with Mr. LeRoy Grumman’s design philosophy, which sets the tone for all that follows: “Grumman will only build an easily produced, maintained and reliable combat aircraft that can be readily mastered by a 200-hour, war-time pilot trained to fly from a carrier, engage in successful combat, sustain combat damage, return to the carrier and land his aircraft after dark so that he can be available for combat again the next day.”

USMC Aviators is the 3rd book written by Gregory Pons, and was released on May 22, 2012. The previous two books were 8th Air Force, American Heavy Bomber Groups in England, 1942-1945 and 9th Air Force, American Tactical Aviation, 1942-1945.

This hardback book of 191 pages contains both color and black & white images. Originally written in French, the English language version of the book was translated by the author and David A. Reid. All of the images and documents contained in the book come from reliable sources, including the author’s collection, photo albums of veterans, and U.S. Government archives.

Once again, “birdcage” canopies have met their match in the form of an Eduard mask set. This recent release from Eduard saved many minutes of precious benchtime by providing perfectly-sized and crisply-die-cut masks for the 14 clear windscreen and canopy panels, not to mention the landing light lenses and wheel hubs.

I highly recommend this mask set to all modelers building the Italeri/Tamiya 1/48 Hurricane – it’s well worth every penny of the investment.

Thanks to Eduard and IPMS/USA for the review sample and for the time saved on an epic build!

Eduard’s set of photoetch landing flaps adds another level of depth to the Italeri/Tamiya Hurricane Mk I kit. Although few reference photos of aircraft on the ground show the flaps dropped, they do add a degree of interest to finished model.

The single fret of components, as expected from Eduard, is beautifully engineered and produced. Instructions are clear and concise.