When it comes to resin detail parts for aircraft, Quickboost is one of the top manufacturers on the market. One of their newest releases is a set of pitot tubes for the Trumpeter 1/48 Seahawk FGA Mk. 6. The set comes in finely cast resin and includes two pitot tubes and mounts. As with all Quickboost sets, the instructions simply list which parts from the kit to replace with the resin parts

As with every Quickboost set I have worked with, the parts are free of defects and flash, and are easily removed from the pour plugs, with little clean-up. This is a must-have detail set for anyone working with the Seahawk FGA kit. My thanks to Quickboost for providing the review sample

Editor's note: This publication is also available in a downloadable version from the publisher.

As a Desert Storm veteran, it was quite a unique thing the first time I actually saw an F-117 in the air. The initial raids against Baghdad brought to light the existence of these stealth fighters and their capabilities. Firsthand accounts of air combat have always been a favorite read of mine. This book was right up my alley.

This soft bound book features 200 pages of accounts from the pilot, ground crew and commander’s perspective during the war. The book features many previously un-published black and white photos. These will be helpful and informative for the modeler. Every photo comes with an extensive caption that provides insight.

The decal set consists of one 4.75 x 7.5 inch sheet accompanying by a color glossy 8.5 x 11 inch instruction and placement page in a ziplock plastic bag. I always appreciate the resealable bags, for storing unused decals afterwards and protection from coffee. The decals themselves were printed by Cartograf. Markings for two aircraft are provided, BuNo 162224 of VAQ-135, and BuNo 163527, VAQ-137. Very well-done and unique unit art is included for each aircraft, as well as numerous decals for some ECM pods and drop tanks. The formation light panels appear to be a reasonably accurate color. Unfortunately, there are only formation lights for one aircraft. Consider this if you actually are going to build both aircraft off this sheet. General and detail side views of both are included, and there are two general top and detail views. FS colors are provided for the color schemes, and the decal inks appear to match the FS color chips fairly well.

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.

The F/A-18 E and F are different aircraft from the A to D models. The whole plane is larger, the engines are more powerful, and it’s stealthier. The engine intakes are square and the landing gear doors have sawtooth edges, which reduce radar return.

Here’s a picture of my recent CF-18A with the F/A-18E.

The Kit

You get two kits in separate plastic bags. The only difference between the two kits is that the F model has a longer canopy. Otherwise, they’re part-for-part the same kit. You even get two ejection seats and the extras for the rear cockpit with the E.

The Detail Parts:

We all know what a propeller is, but what is this “tool” of which we speak? Trumpeter provides a block of resin with a “bed” for the prop blade to be placed into, and a locating hole and ring for the spinner. When placed into the “bed” the prop will assume the correct angle for alignment with the spinner. Using this tool, which is also included in many of the other Quickboost prop sets, alignment of exactly the same angle and orientation will be achieved for each of the three blades. What a great idea!