Fine Molds has released several sets, in varied scales, for WWII German and I.J.N. aircraft. This review features the 1/48th scale set for German WWII aircraft.

The seatbelts are generic, not specific to any one particular aircraft. Upon opening the box and checking the contents, one finds four sets of shoulder harness/seat belt sets. The parts are molded in plastic. All of the traditional techniques for working with small plastic pieces come into play.

The parts have very small components, so it is recommended that the parts are removed from the carrier sprue very carefully. The belts can be shaped over the contours of the kit seat, gently of course, by simply applying a very small amount of pressure. Attaching the parts is simple. Just use the same adhesive that you normally use when attaching plastic parts to plastic parts.

There comes the point in every model when all the “necessaries” are installed on one side of the fuselage, waiting only to be joined with the “blank” half and that is where the trepidation sets in. I have built large scale planes that have had ¼” or more gaps requiring grinding, fitting, uncementing, and copious amounts of profanity... Well, Hersch, not in this case. In fact, aside from the complexity of the engines, this is almost a “shake box” kit...click fit!

I don’t know really what more I can say than “WOW”! This moose of a kit is as close to perfection as anything I have previously built. In fact, it gets my nomination for “Large Scale Kit of the Year” award. The previous segments can be viewed at Part 1 and Part2 .

From the beginning to the end of this build to be as follows:

Once again, Eduard steps up with an innovative photoetch accessory to add realism and context to 1/72 scale aircraft. In the tradition of their superb PE sets to go in and on aircraft kits, the growing series of prepainted PE flight deck and airfield operating surfaces adds this little beauty to its ranks.

Prepainted in natural wood flight deck color, this little gem provides a convincing and contrasting base to the blues of US Navy aircraft of the period. A few snips, and a tiny bit of filing or sanding, and the deck section is ready to mount to a firm base or slide underneath a favorite WW II Navy carrier plane. The only drawback is the small size, as larger aircraft like TBD Devastators, TBF/TBM Avengers, and SB2C Helldivers may seem to dwarf the piece – it seems better-suited for the smaller types like the F4F Wildcats, F6F Hellcats, and SBD Dauntlesses.

First seeing commercial service in 1936, the DC-3 was a descendant of Douglas Aircraft Company’s DC-1 and DC-2 designs, and was met with great acceptance by the commercial aviation industry. As war clouds brewed in Europe, American and British air services began their search for a capable, reliable, versatile, and durable aircraft to transport airborne troops and equipment, evacuate wounded warriors to rear areas, and to tow gliders. From that fundamental requirement emerged the C-47 Dakota, also known as the DC-3 Dakota by the Brits. Most famous for its crucial role during the D-Day Invasion of Normandy in June 1944, the Dakota saw service in all theaters of operation during the war, with many examples remaining in commercial and commemorative service to this day.

Available directly from L’Arsenal USA or L’Arsenal Models.

I would like to thank Tony Bunch and Jacques Druel for this review sample, and IPMS for allowing me to review it.

As a fan of the Armee de L’Air and the Aeronavale, I was happy to receive something new to hang from my Rafale models. L’Arsenal, more familiar to ship modelers, also offers a good number of aircraft details through their Aero line of products. The AREOS Reco NG pod is their latest offering in 1/48. To be honest though, I had to do a little research since I was not familiar with the AREOS pod. It is just now being fielded – the Armee de L’air having ordered twelve pods for it Rafale B and C fighters, and the Aeronavale eight for its Rafale M. The debut role for the pod was during the NATO intervention in the skies of Libya.