The Japanese F-2A fighter is loosely based on the General Dynamics F-16, and if one did not know any better, you would think that is what you were seeing. The F-2A is the single seat fighter of the Japanese Air Self Defense Force (JASDF).

This sheet is in Platz’s NBM21 Decal line – “Natural Born Modellers” and arrives in a clear plastic package slightly larger than the standard decal sheet we have come to expect.

This great set of decals shows the 50th Anniversary scheme of the F-2A from Tsuiki Airbase 8WG 6SQ in 1/72 scale. The decals were printed in Italy by Cartograf and are in perfect registration, and seemingly contain every stencil mark on the real aircraft! I am not joking here, folks – there are a ton of decals on this 6x9 inch decal sheet!

It seems that when a new kit hits the market, it quickly is followed by a flood of aftermarket detail sets. Fortunately, Aires understands that kits purchased today may not reach the workbench for some time, so they also continue to release aftermarket sets for kits that many of us have in our stash (or that we have not yet added to that inventory). Set #2158 is a glowing example of that. Trumpeter’s 1/32 MiG 3 kit has been on the market for a few years now, and Aires recently released a highly detailed mixed-media cockpit set to add considerable detail to that kit. The detail in this set’s resin components, as is normal with Aires sets, is crisp, delicate and complex enough to make the MiG’s cockpit quite convincing. Those parts are cast in Aires’ typical gray resin and, as usual, there are no pinholes or excessive flash to worry about (just a thin sliver of flash here and there that comes off easily).

First thanks go to our friends at Stevens International who provided IPMS/USA this kit, and thanks to Trumpeter for having (once again) stepped out and provided what the modeling community had only previously dreamed of; a 1/32nd scale F-18G!

These accessories are manufactured by Quickboost to provide additional detail to currently produced models. In this case, the accessory kit consists of two parts, a resin casting of the mechanical compass located behind the gunner’s position on the JU-87D, along with a clear plastic cover which fits over the unit to protect it from the elements.

From the photos I have examined, these compasses are not prominent features of the airplanes and don’t show up on many photos. When the gunner’s canopy is slid back, the unit would be invisible underneath the canopy. Nevertheless, they generally were installed, similar to those on the JU-88, which are depicted on some of the better JU-88 kits. None, to my knowledge, appears on any JU-87D/G kit. Therefore, this unit would be useful on any of the late-model Stuka kits, whether they be Fujimi, Academy, Revell, or even the old Frog kit. A scale drawing of the exact location is provided in the instruction sheet.

Note: While this book has been out of print since approximately 1992 it can still be found at Amazon.com. A softcover was released in 1992, priced at $15.00. The original was published in Japan by Kobunsha Co., Ltd., in 1970.

While unpacking my book collection from 6-year old moving boxes, I came across a treasure trove of books long forgotten. “Eagles of Mitsubishi….” came out of the box and, after taking a look, I decided that this was worthy of a review.

“Eagles of Mitsubishi….” is written by Jiro Horikoshi, Chief Designer of the Zero-sen fighter. The Zero-sen was the premier fighter for the Japanese Navy during throughout WW II. Much like the Messerschmitt Bf-109, the Zero went through upgrade iterations, starting with the original design stemming from the Imperial Navy’s design requirement released in October of 1937. Much like the Bf-109, the airplane was forced to soldier (sailor?) on throughout the war as the prime fighter for the air services.