I like the Italeri 1/48th Ju-87 Stuka, but the one thing that bothers me is the shape of the propeller spinner. The kit item is too bulbous and blunt. Quickboost comes to the rescue.

The set consists of three pieces of perfectly cast light grey resin. The first one is the actual spinner, which is correctly shaped with just a small pour stub. The next part is actually three parts, the propeller blades, which are suitably thin and perfectly shaped. The third piece is the propeller jig for setting the prop blade angles and drilling the center mounting hole.

Overall this is a really nice and easy to use set that will fix the biggest problem with the Italeri kit. The prop jig will ensure that everything is the same length and same pitch.

Highly recommended

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

I love the looks of the F-16 and, in particular, the Israeli versions with its unique paint schemes. This new set by Aires is for the Kinetic’s F-16C Barak Block 40.

The majority of the cockpit set is the five molded resin pieces, with four of them in light grey and one in light caramel. The detail is exquisite, especially the one-piece cockpit tub with ejector seat rails and side controls. How were they ever able to mold and pull that? I have no idea, but it is some of the finest casting I’ve ever seen anywhere. This is the typical quality that I’ve come to expect from Aires. Well, even if your control stick is broken off, Aires provides you with another one, so don’t fret if it is loose in the packaging.

Kagero’s Top Drawing books offer the modeler a good reference for rivet patterns for those so inclined. Also, they are great references for those trying to accurize a kit.

This book contains six view drawings, top and bottom plan views, left and right side profiles, and front and rear views of all four aircraft types, A-D versions in 1/72nd and 1/48th. The 1/32nd scale drawings are actually on a separate foldout and only include the B-1 and D models. There are also some detail drawings of internal items, such as seats and instrument panels included. Cross section drawings are provided for the scratchbuilder as well. There is also a small drawing that shows the external differences.

If it was just drawings and riveting diagrams, then it wouldn’t be from Kagero. Besides these, there are five color profiles of different models. They are first rate drawings.

The Eduard Zoom sets are simple and very effective. The detail on these parts is quite phenomenal.

This set contains a single fret of self-adhesive pre-painted photo etch. Some people question whether using these pre-painted pieces is actually modeling. My opinion is I don’t care. They can replicate detail that I can’t even begin to obtain and it saves me time. So it looks good and takes next to nothing to install. I’ll be using them as long as they make them. The gun sight reflectors are included on a clear acetate sheet.

Besides the instrument panels, this set includes seatbelts, rudder pedals, map case, oxygen cover, and various switches. All this detail will be easy enough to add and will enhance the look of your cockpit with the minimal amount of work.

Simple, effective and realistic looking, what more do you want in a detail set? I love these sets.

Highly recommended

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

Lifelike Decals always offers some unique decal options and this sheet is typical Lifelike quality. Designed for the Tamiya P-51D and the Trumpeter/Revell P-51B, these decals offer some very unique looking machines.

The instructions are on three sheets, two single-sided A4 sheets and one half-page. The single-sided sheets include the profiles and plan views, as well as the historical and research data. The smaller half-page sheet contains the stencil placement.

Lifelike Decals has used Cartograf out of Italy to print their decals. Cartograf printing is perfect, with even the smallest detail being picked out. The decals are thin, in perfect register, and with good color saturation. They also respond to setting solutions and conform to compound curves. There are three sheets of decals. The first one has all the markings, while the little sheet has the nose art. The other sheet contains the national markings and stencils.