The Convair B-36 Peacemaker was an enormous bomber built in the early days of the Cold War as a deterrent to a Soviet attack. The largest piston-driven production aircraft, the 384 Peacemakers built were in service from 1948 to 1959.

Richard Marmo’s book is an excellent reference on the dismantling and preservation of B-36J III Serial Number 52-2827. This is the last Peacemaker built and is named “City of Fort Worth” in honor of where the factory was located. This is Volume 2 of a planned multi-volume series. Part 2 primarily involves removing the 6 massive piston engines, the ailerons, and the outer wing panels.

Detailers will also like this book as it has many hard-to-find images taken during the dismantling process, such as a good view of the Pratt & Whitney R4360 both installed in the nacelle and by itself. Also covered is the General Electric J-47 jet engines in the wing pods.

A new 1/144th scale aircraft kit from Platz, however, the molded parts are from F-toys with markings for 2 aircraft and one of them is for a 2022 Ferris paint scheme.

In the Box

This is a two (2) airplane kit boxing. The parts are molded from another company, F-toys, and is noted on the website. Each jet is collected in its individual bag. Parts are molded in light gray with 3 sprues, an upper and lower fuselage-wing halves, and a bag with clear parts for the canopy and nose radome. The panel lines are recessed and considered wide and soft for 1/144th scale. There is flash on several parts so sanding will be necessary to remove the excess plastic.

On the underbelly of the fuselage there is a large rectangular slot with nothing in the instructions to fill this area. One can only assume it is a connecting point for a stand to be inserted and allow the plane to be displayed in flight. But no stand is provided.

From the Phoenix Scale Publications website, “Phoenix Scale Publications is a partnership of four people who have worked in the modelling and aviation press for many years and have come together to produce two brand-new, high-quality modelling titles and a new book series – for modellers, by modellers – with each partner bringing their own unique talents.”

This Air Profile Book is authored by Andy Evans, who, during his 40-year career has been involved with five aviation and modelling magazines, as well as an author of numerous articles. His accomplishments include over 60 aviation and modelling books to his name.

Mortons Media Group was established in the 19th century and has been producing book-length publications since the early 2000s. The company established a dedicated books division in 2019 and Mortons Books has already earned a reputation for publishing high-quality titles by authors who are true experts in their field. For the best reads on rail, aviation, nostalgia and history, look no further. This book, part of their imprint Tempest Books, addresses all aspects of aviation history covered in authoritative detail. The aviators and aircraft of the Second World War are profiled by our titles alongside more modern fighters, bombers, reconnaissance aircraft and transports. 'Secret projects' and experimental designs are also an important part of the Tempest Books portfolio.

What is in the Box

• 3 gray injection molded plastic sprues
• 1 clear sprue
• 1 set of pre-cut masks
• 1 decal sheet with 3 markings options
• 1 instruction book

Construction

The Arma 1/48 Hurricane IIC starts with an unconventional build sequence, wings first, which was like their 1/72 kit. The parts are cleanly molded with crisp detail and accurate scribing. There was no flash, the parts are molded with no sink marks, and what few ejector pin marks I did see were all in areas that were not visible on the model. There is an errata in the kit to change the fit of the wing. It is minor but something to be aware of. Also, there is an error on the ejector ports for the 20mm cannons. One must be filled while another has to move in the same area. This is up to the individual modeler to make an absolutely accurate Hurricane.