Anyone who knows me will tell you my favorite airplane is the Curtiss P-40 and I have a closet full of kits to prove it. One of them is a 1/72 scale Academy kit that I had allotted to the maybe-someday-stack because of conspicuous problems with the way Academy molded the P-40’s fuselage quarter windows. Well, now Aires has (or ‘have’, if you are reading this review in Canada or the UK) added a set of accurate P-40 well bays to their line of resin detail parts, and they’ve brought to my attention another problem area that needs addressing. The kit’s wheel bays are just as inaccurate as the shape of the quarter windows. Fortunately, Aires has done a nice job of solving that problem for me and has led me to move the kit to a higher position in the stack.

Quickboost has found another item which will enhance a small, but noticeable, part on Trumpeter’s P-40 Warhawk. This particular part is the engine exhaust which is on both front sides of the fuselage.

The Trumpeter part comes in two pieces and needs to be glued. When gluing the parts together, you will notice that the outer edge of each exhaust pipe doesn’t quite fit together and therefore needs to be compressed carefully so as not crush them. After that, it has to be cleaned up as careful as possible so as not to make one shorter than the other.

I would think the reason Trumpeter uses two pieces for each side is because each half can be made like a half pipe then joined together so as to have a hollow center. If this wasn’t done that way, then it would probably have to have been one solid piece, which the builder would have to drill out the center on a curved piece of plastic for each exhaust pipe on each side.

This 8.5 x 11 hardbound publication contains 240 pages and more than 500 photographs, both color and black and white completely one of the most extensive compilations of information on both the F-4D Skyray and F-5D Skylancer. It is well written, very complete and successfully gets the history across to the reader about the Navy’s first delta wing fighter.

The text takes you through design and development programs, the intense rivalry between the Air Force F-102 and the Skyray and the engine changeover to the Pratt-Whitney J-57 that became absolutely necessary to the survival of the Skyray. Also included are short articles on both the F-102 and F-106 for comparison purposes. The aircraft held for a time not only the aircraft low altitude speed record, but “time to climb” records as well. Interesting reading are the pilots comments who obviously loved this machine.

The Hellenic Air Force (HAF) is one of the major European operators of the F-16 with 157 on hand and 13 more to deliver. The HAF operates a mix of Falcons including F-16 Cs and Ds, blocks 30, 50, and 52 which means they operate both the GE and P&W engines. I have to say the HAF has one of the coolest camouflage schemes and so I was pleased to see that Two Bobs has released this sheet which covers recent block 50 and 52 F-16 Cs and Ds.

This is not an extravagant sheet since it replicates the spare tactical schemes of the HAF; which means that the flashes of color are predominantly the roundels and tail band. TwoBobs gives you the option to build two complete models of the seven aircraft schemes provided. The stencils include the newer gray markings and the older orange-yellow markings. The decals are printed by Microscale and are crisp and in register. Aircraft covered:

The F-8 Crusader has always been one of my favorite aircraft. I personally tend to model in 1/48 scale, however when the opportunity came up to review Aires 1/32 detail set for the Trumpeter F-8E/H, I could not resist. The set showed up, and I found an F-8 kit with a few other goodies shortly after, so I was all set.

Aires has always been a leader in the realm of aftermarket resin sets. I am used to their 1/48 line and the level of detail found on those, but was blown away with their treatment in 1/32. First, the set is large, and comes in a sturdy cardboard box with lid and clear picture of the contents. Opening the box you are greeted with several bags of large resin parts, a small photo-etch fret, and instructions.

The main areas covered by this set are: