I received this conversion set with great anticipation and look forward to installing it on my latest venture.

I have built quite a few Tamiya 1/32nd Phantom kits since its debut, a total of 77, to be exact. (I know this guy's lying…but it's true.) I used to build for a decal manufacturer that had over 100 decal sets for the F-4 and he wanted a model built for every one of them, all in 1/32nd. Well, he is out of business, so now I build for myself. I have used just about every aftermarket product out there for the F-4 and I'm always looking for something new. Eduard has come aboard with a very nice exhaust nozzle set.

Opening the package revealed some nice protective foam and each assembly was in its own plastic bag. No damage or lost parts. You get direct replacement parts for two engine intakes, discharges, tubes, and nozzles. Also included is a new arresting hook. All the parts are of a very high quality resin casting and photo etch.

A couple of new products from Wheeliant are two sets of Early Wheel Chocks for the U.S. Navy. They are cast in grey resin and come with simple details to set them apart. The instructions are adequate for assembly but give no painting directions.

Set 132-008, which is the "Blocks with Fixed Bar," comes with some small wire for the release fitting on the chocks. I had to drill and file the holes in the blocks to accommodate the bar. Only took a couple of seconds. Be sure you adjust the blocks to the wheel dimensions you are going to use them on before gluing the release cable and holder (piece # R-4). They are a sloppy fit and require a little more glue than you might expect, ultimately fixing the bar in place permanently.

What a great time to be a modeler! Zoukei-Mura continues their excellent 1/32 scale releases with an A-1H Skyraider. The kit is stunning with the option to fold the wings already included, great cockpit detail, and a full interior. Other options include positionable air brakes, a highly detailed engine, detailed gun bays, and many other options.

The kit is available now and Zoukei-Mura also allows the modeler the option of adding even more aftermarket to it as options, with a complete weapons set (that could be used for other aircraft and is excellently detailed), metal landing gear, turned cannon barrels, and a variety of photoetch and decals. I love the fact these are options, in that it gives the modeler a choice of how far he want to go with his own build and cost.

This delightful kit enhancement part come on a crisply cast frame in neutral tan-gray resin. The part replaces the nose pitot on any F-14 kit. Three tubes are included, allowing you to dress up three models, unless you operate like I do and retain spares for post-construction damage. The parts are all well supported with nice extensions. These extensions will allow you to drill out the nose and slide the new tube in, making a much stronger join with the model. The parts have sharp definition and no bubbles or sinks were found. The resin was just soft and flexible enough to allow easy trimming and sanding. The parts appear to be in scale, although I was unable to confirm this.

These parts will certainly dress up any F-14. I recommend them.

Thank you to David Lajer of Aires and the IPMS Reviewer Corps for the opportunity to review this gem! Your generosity is much appreciated.

Aires now offers a resin cockpit set for the Fujimi F-22 Raptor. This set has very well detailed resin pieces as well as photo etch. They are molded in the standard Aires grey resin and are flash and bubble free. They also include a 4 page, blue paper diagram, which is also a real help.

The resin pieces include a cockpit tub, ejection seat, control console and the hydraulic lifts to hold the canopy in the open position, as well as a very nice looking HUD display. The photo etch is also exceptionally good. It comes with everything else you will need to detail this small work of art. The cockpit that comes with the Fujimi kit will make an acceptable office but the detail that can be added with the Aires set is exceptional. There is just that much more detail when compared to the Fujimi parts. The seat is also beyond comparison. The kit seat is the usual multi part seat that has decal seatbelts while the Aires is much more detailed with photo etch bits and seatbelts.