This is the second PJ Production figure that I have had the pleasure of reviewing, and like the first, assembly was easy, with minimal part clean-up being required. The detail is reasonable for this scale, and the figure can be used with most early 1950’s U.S. Navy aircraft of this scale, as the pilot is outfitted in khaki clothing alone, and not wearing a G-suit that was to come. The only modeling skill required involves painting a figure; otherwise, I would recommend this as an item manageable by modelers of nearly any skill level.

With the release of newer modern-era Soviet aircraft, such as the MiG-21, MiG-29, Su-27, Su-25 and others, there is a market demand for a figure to stand beside the aircraft for scale appearance. Until now there has been a very limited selection. Aerobonus answers this call with their simple, but effective, figures.

The latest release is a winter-dressed pilot. He has his helmet on and his hands in his pockets. The figure’s head is tilted up slightly, as if looking at the cockpit or an overflying aircraft. The pilot figure comes as a one-piece molding that is flawless. I don’t see any mold lines that need to be cleaned up. Just a simple cut at the feet and this figure is ready for paint. The painting instructions are printed on the back of the packaging insert. The painting instructions are very basic, with a simple drawing calling out generic colors like white, black, and gray-blue. That said, the callouts are adequate for the figure.

Another awesome kit from Plus Models is a milling machine which would fit in many dioramas such as an auto or machine shop. The kit is a true multimedia kit with 29 resin parts, a photo etch fret, a length of wire and decals to make a duplicate of a LeBlond No. 3 Plain Milling Machine. The parts are perfectly cast and the photoetch is nicely engraved. The decals represent the metallic plates on the machine and are excellent also.

Construction involves removing a lot of casting gates. This is true for all parts except the sprue that have the handles. Once the gates are removed, I added the motor and main arm to the base. I also added the controls and electrical boxes and the main arms and the end guard. I left off tray and adjustment guide as they can be added later. The main drive belt guard was also added. I also made the mistake of adding the tiny handles to all of the arms. More on that later. I also assembled the parts for the tray and adjustment guides.

The kit of Ernst Udet is one of three German World War One pilots currently offered in MiniArt’s 1:16 scale Historical Figures Series. Udet was the second highest scoring WWI German ace serving in the Great War (and the youngest), who later went on to become a world famous postwar air show performer and light plane manufacturer. He flew for the movies, was instrumental in the development of the Luftwaffe, advanced the concept of dive bombing and was a driving force in adopting the Stuka dive bomber. He lead a very colorful life, becoming a member of the Nazi party and struggled for years with alcoholism until he committing suicide after Germany invaded Russia in 1941. There have been (and currently are) numerous kits of his brightly colored Fokker D.VIIs available from various manufacturers and the man himself has been the subject of a number of smaller scale figure models. In his day, Ernst Udet was almost larger than life.

This kit is one of MiniArt’s Diorama Series and includes a damaged brick wall section cobblestone street, and streetlight. The kit comes boxed with parts in a plastic bag. Kit contains three vacuum formed pieces for the wall sections, wall cap and base. The kit also includes one molded plastic sprue for the streetlight fixture. The base section has cobblestone pavers, piles of rubble, and rubble behind the wall. The cobblestone base has a worn vehicle track at an angle across the front. The wall is set at a slight angle and the base appears to have enough space for one 1/35 scale vehicle plus a few accessories.