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.

Aires continues to produce some very finely detailed resin parts that upgrade the accuracy of model manufacturer’s releases. The Aires Hobby Models F-100C/D exhaust nozzle for the Trumpeter 1/72 F-100 is no exception. It is molded at the correct length, and comes with a very nice turbine complete with fins and a photo etch flame holder, plus a really nice ribbed burner can and exhaust. The interior of the burner can has only one barely perceptive seam on the inside, but I can certainly deal with it being there. When compared with the short, two pieces can from the kit, it’s a no brainer. I’m still trying to clean up the seams in the 1/8^thinch space between the internal ridges. And there are no nasty ejector pin marks to clean up, either. I don’t know how Aires made the mold, but I’m happy with it. The kit burner can has two locator rings molded to it and corresponding grooves on each of the fuselage halves, which lock and align the can in place.

Format

This paperback publication contains 196 8.25” x 11.75” pages, and includes more than 120 black and white photos, scale plans, maps and several color profiles. This is the second volume in this series that addresses the war in North Africa from December 9, 1940 - February 7, 1941 before the Germans became involved to save their Italian allies. I personally have always been interested in the North African combat theater, especially the Afrika Korps, but this publications offer some insight into the battles before the DAK became involved.

Contents

There are numerous photographs of aircraft, mostly Italian, and the pilots, again mostly Italian. There are several color profiles of Italian aircraft and two maps of the area at the back of the publication.

Wingnut Wings is now offering decal sheets for markings that go far beyond those included in their growing line of WW I aircraft kits. The decals are packaged in zip-lock sleeves along with a comprehensive full color 4-page instruction booklet that includes application instructions, aircraft profiles, top and bottom wing plan views, historical information and period photos of each of the aircraft covered by the decal sheets. These sets exhibit the same high level of quality as do all of the kits marketed by Wingnut Wings.

Set 30011 provides markings for five Albatros D.V fighters from Jasta 18. Some of them require upper and under wing lozenge patterns (and rib tape) that Wingnut Wings sells separately.

The markings are for:

A) Albatros D.V 2117/17 flown by Oliver Beaulieu-Marconnay, Jasta 18 in late 1917 (who was credited with 25 victories)

B) Albatros D.V 4594/17 flown by Paul Strähle, Jasta 18 from 1917-1918 (credited with 15 victories)

I would like to express my sincere thanks to Minicraft Model Kits for providing this kit to IPMS/USA and to them for allowing me to review it.

In the mid-1930s United Airlines decided they needed a larger plane than the DC-3s they were using. They contacted Douglas Aircraft to develop such a plane. Douglas designed and built a large aircraft they called the DC-4E (E for experimental). It flew for the first time on June 7, 1938. More than twice the size of the DC-3 (138 ft. wingspan and 97 ft. long) the cabin had a wide pressurized cross-section, a tricycle landing gear, and triple vertical stabilizers similar to the Lockheed Constellation. With its four Wright R-1820 engines developing 1450 hp each, it could potentially fly nonstop from Chicago to San Francisco.