Introduction

While it’s primarily remembered for the massive clash of armor on the ground, the battle of Kursk was also the debut a new Soviet fighter that would eventually help wrest control of the sky from the Luftwaffe’s Fw190 and Me109. That was the Lavochkin La-5/7 series of fighters. An offspring of the earlier LaGG-3 fighter, the La-5 was born when the inline engine of its protégée was replaced by a 14-cylinder M-82 radial engine. In spite of early teething problems that resulted in a redesigned cowling and the reduction of armament to 2 x 20 mm ShVAK cannons, the La-5 proved more than a match for the heavier Fw190A-4/5 series. The La-5FN was equipped with a fuel injected M-82FN radial, further improving its performance. Many Soviet aces, including Ivan Kozhedub (62 kills) and the subject of this built, Capt Pyotr Likholetov (30 kills), added to their scores flying the LA-5/7 series fighters.

First delivered to combat units in the fall of 1917, the Spad XIII was a refinement of the successful Spad VII design, featuring increased power and armament. Within months of initial delivery, 15 of 16 operational American pursuit squadrons had transitioned to the legendary French-built fighter. One of those squadrons was the 94th Pursuit Squadron, to which America’s leading ace of The Great War, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, was assigned.

Eduard’s most recent release of the Spad XIII depicts an early production configuration. The kit includes color instructions and marking guide, markings for 5 aircraft (3 French, 1 British, and 1 Italian), a fret of photo-etched details, a set of masks, 3 sprues of the customary beige injection molded parts, and a single small clear sprue with 3 windscreen options.

This is the second time that I’ve used one of the turned brass aftermarket pieces from Master Models Poland. The piece that I’m reviewing is the pitot tube for the Dassault Mirage 2000. As luck would have it, I’ve been working on a Heller Mirage 2000 and was really happy to receive this part.

The first thing I would like to point out is how good the packaging and instruction sheet is. The packaging consists of a zip-lock type bag while the part is in a smaller bag, keeping it from moving all over. The instruction sheet is very clear and easy to understand, only needing 3 steps. Cut off original part. Drill a hole (0.8 mm). Glue in the new metal part. Just be careful drilling the hole, especially in 1/72.

When I received the package with this item from Dave Morrissette, I thought the review might be a task, but this one turned out to be just wonderful.

What you get is a turned brass pitot tube which just glues on to replace the Hasegawa pitot. The brass part has the correct shape and fits right into the hole in the kit nose.

Then we come down to the part where this thing really paid off. I was fiddling with some fit issues with the canopy, and I hit the pitot with my sleeve. The plastic part would have been in about 4 pieces. The brass part just turned the nose (and the whole airplane) slightly. Zero damage.

Highly recommended. The caveat here is that the Hasegawa kit is quite old, and there’s no interior, the seat is sub-standard, and the aftermarket for the kit would be a seat and this pitot. So it’s up to you on what level of detail you want to install. This is a good start, though.

Quickboost has added the external fuel tank for the Eduard Hellcat F6F-3/5. It is molded in grayish resin, smooth, seamless and bubble free. It also includes a small PE fret for the strapping that secured the tank to the underside of the aircraft.

The external fuel tank in the Eduard kit is okay, but it is molded in two halves, while the Quickboost tank is molded as one piece. The PE strapping is also a plus, adding to the finished look. When adding this tank, there is no surgery involved, making this addition much simpler to install.

I highly recommend this product if you want a really superior looking model. Thanks to Quickboost for supplying the article and IPMS/USA for the chance to do this review.