Every once in a while something nice happens to you. This little photo-etch set is just the sort of thing I’m referring to. I’ve had the major parts of a Hasegawa Ki 48 Lily kit clipped off the sprues for some time in the hope that eventually I would locate enough reference material to guide me in adding cockpit detail when I continue with the build. The opportunity to review this new Platz photo-etch detail set for the Ki 48 was just what I needed to move me from a state of static inertia to critical mass. The kit box was located among the ‘in-progress’ stack, reopened, contents examined, the workbench was cleared and my Optivisor was back in place.

This large book (8 ¼ inches x 12 inches) was originally titled Aviation Modeling Techniques: The Greatest Guide when first published by Euromodelismo.. The book is profusely illustrated with almost 1000 color photos. The book is entirely in French. Each chapter covers the complete building process of one aircraft model. These chapters cover aircraft from WWI up to modern day.

Each chapter features a step by step guide to the building process. From detailing, assembly, painting and decaling each step is thoroughly discussed. Typing some of the captions into Google translation yielded some interesting and helpful information. Some of my favorite chapters include one showing the build of a Ki-43 and another on the F4D.

Beginning on page 160 is a Gallery of other completed models. Some favorites here are a complete but unpainted IL-2 showing the metal and wooden areas to advantage, a super-detailed 1/72 FA-18 and an F7U under construction.

This series of decal sheets is long overdue, and covers an area that modelers have needed for a long time. I have had experience with Aviaeology’s products in the past, and have found them to be excellent quality decals. One advantage that this company offers is that they always do their homework in historical research, getting things right.

Editor's note: Eduard M.A. has requested that the following information be included in this review: The product reviewed "..that it's actually prototype product, and that there might be differences/enhancements when compared to the final, publicly released deck.." The item as given was not intended for review. Oct. 10, 2011

The Product

This was presented to IPMS President Dick Montgomery by Eduard at the 2011 IPMS convention held in August in Omaha as a not yet released item to be submitted for review. I told Dick, “I will do my best to give a complete and honest review.”

The base appears to be made of some type of hard plastic with very nice engravings and has what looks to be a date ‘2001’ embossed on the hollowed backside. Measuring 11 5/8” x 15 5/8”, this thing is big. It depicts an elevator centered in the wooden deck. The coloring is eye-catching, to say the least, and looks great from a couple feet away.

The Contents

You get a heavy duty envelope with 4 plastic sleeves inside. You get:

• 73355 PE, one self-adhesive mostly cockpit, and two really big PE frets for interior and exterior detail
• CX257 Canopy and Wheel mask
• 73008 Remove Before Flight Tags

You also get 2 full pages of instructions, folded so that you have 8 separate half pages of instructions, plus a half page instruction for the masks.

The Aircraft

The F/A-18 Hornet has been around for a while, and it looks to be almost as big a winner as its predecessor, the F-4 Phantom. One of the stories going around St. Louis in the 90s was that the plant wanted to build 5058 Hornets, one more than the production run for the Phantom. Well, the production line is still open, and they’re past 1100 now.