The F-16 Fighting Falcon began life as part of the U.S. Air Force Lightweight Fighter Program (LFP) in January of 1972 as the General Dynamics entry in the competition. The evaluation YF-16 first took to the air on 8 February 1974. Sharing an engine with the F-15 Eagle gained the favor of the plane with the Air Force. The Falcon has a unique ejection seat that is reclined in the cockpit, and utilizes a fly-by-wire system to aid in flight. Due in part to a multi-stage improvement program or MSIP, the F-16 was upgraded to the C and D variants, which began replacing the A and B variants in 1983.

Introduced in the latter half of 1944, the Mk. XVIe variant of Supermarine’s legendary design was optimized for low-altitude operations, featuring a Packard-built Merlin 266 powerplant, clipped wings, teardrop canopy, packing a pair each of 20mm cannon and 12.7mm machine guns, and toting either a pair of 250-lb bombs or a single 500-pounder. The Mk. XVI was the last Merlin-powered Spitfire variant to roll off the assembly line, and saw service with the RAF and a number of other nations into the 1950’s.

The Helicopter

The Mi-24 has been in service with the Soviet/Russian air forces since 1972. The design is interesting in that it has three engines; another tri-motor to add to the list. The 24 has undergone a number of redesigns, and the early versions had a much different cockpit setup. The Russian Air Force has announced that it will replace its 250 Mi-24s with newer more capable helicopters, starting in 2015.

The Mi-24 is nicknamed “crocodile” by the troops. The Mujahedeen in Afghanistan called it "Shaitan-Arba" (Satan's Chariot)". The Hind is unique in that it can carry 8 troops and weapons at the same time. Huey gunships had to have the seats removed to allow for ammunition and extra fuel storage. The crews didn’t think much of carrying the passengers, as they became a liability if the pilot had to do extreme maneuvers and return fire.

Quickboost just keeps adding to their line of resin aircraft accessories. The latest addition is for the ESCI/Italeri AC-47 Gunship. It is up to their usual standards; molded in grey resin, smooth, seamless and bubble free. One thing of note is that they are really easy to remove from the mold block because of a nice perforation. It only took me a couple of swipes with my saw blade to remove them.

The barrels on the ESCI kit part look alright and would make an acceptable model but the Quickboost replacements are superior because of the high level of detail. All that is needed is to cut the kit parts barrel off and glue the Quickboost piece into place.

I highly recommend this product if you want a really superior looking model. Usually replacement parts need some work to get them installed properly but these parts go into place nicely. Thanks to Quickboost and IPMS USA for the chance to do this review.

The “Parts”

Eduard is known for supplying kits and hobby supplies of superior quality and excellent engineering and the EX330 Canopy Mask for the La-5 is no exception. The mask is a 2x2 inch square, with the mask components pre-cut to fit the canopy of the Zvezda La-5, kit # 4803.

Assembly

The instructions that accompany the mask are easy to use and clearly identify the location where each of the individual masks will be used. The masks are easy to remove from the backing sheet. Simply insert the tip of a blade under each mask piece, gently pull it up and off the backing sheet, and then attach it as per the mask instructions. Once the mask piece is in the correct location applying gentle pressure will ensure a good seal between the mask and the kit part. Send a little extra time burnishing the mask edges down to prevent any paint-creep under the masking material.