The Squadron

The Mosquito was flown by 100 RAF, four RAAF, two USAAF and one RCAF squadrons, plus 45 other units. The RCAF unit was the 418 "City of Edmonton" Squadron

This squadron was formed at Debden on 15 November 1941 in the night intruder role, equipped with Bostons. However, work up was slow and it was early spring 1942 before the squadron was fully operational, flying its first mission on March 26th.

As well as flying the standard Boston, it also used examples armed with a solid nose mounting 20mm cannons which proved to be quite effective in the night fighter role. In May 1943, the squadron converted to Mosquito VIs and, on 15 September, 1943, performed in the escort fighter role to a force of Lancasters from No 617 Squadron attacking the Dortmund-Elms Canal.

This set of “upgrade” decals is another product by Afterburner in a long line of high-quality decal sets. Designed for the Hasegawa F-18 Super Hornet, this Upgrade Set provides well over 100 markings, stencils, instrument panel faces, restraint harnesses, and even red landing gear door edge markings for the awesome Hasegawa Super Hornet.

This set of decals easily achieves all of the standards for high quality decals. The decals do not allow for underlying colors to bleed through after application. Registry is dead on, and the decal proportions are correct and proper. There is very little carrier film that will need to be trimmed away. The sample taken from the sheet indicated that the decals are strong enough to withstand some handling during the application process, and yet thin enough to adhere to any raised or engraved detail upon which the decal is placed. The sample was treated with SolvaSet and did not show any sign of a negative reaction.

Master Model out of Poland has released a number of pitot tubes turned from brass. This 1/72^nd F-104 pitot tube is similar to other Master Models pitot tubes in that it is turned brass and is a simple replacement for the kit part. For this review, I compared the Master Model’s pitot tube with the pitot tube from the Hasegawa F-104G. The Master Model pitot tube has a lot more finesse than the kit part, and it also looks a lot better than what the kit provides. That being said, the fit is a little loose. You can either use a little CA to solve this issue, or you can fill in the kit nose and drill out a new locating hole.

This brass pitot tube is a welcomed addition to any 1/72^nd F-104 kit. It is a simple replacement to the kit part but provides a huge improvement in detail over the kit part. If you are planning on building an F-104, I highly recommend you pick up one of the Master Model pitot tubes; you won’t be disappointed.

The US Navy’s most widely-used torpedo bomber of World War II, the Grumman TBF Avenger filled a critical gap in combat capability shortly after the United States’ immersion into the war. The Grumman TBFs and license-built General Motors TBMs replaced the aging and obsolete Douglas TBD Devastator. Avengers operated in a host of roles through 1954, including torpedo bomber, level bomber, and anti-submarine duties.

What classic breakfast food is capable of propelling itself at “Mach 3+” and capturing the imagination of modelers of all ages? It must be none other than Hasegawa’s SR-71 Blackbird in its offbeat and popular Egg Plane Series.

Like it’s other egg-shaped cousins, this recent release is molded in a single color plastic with a sprue of clear canopy parts. Our SR came in black, and was crisply molded and snapped together in no time at all. A couple strategically-placed dabs of liquid cement ensured durability during an expected lifetime of little boy play. Camden, 6, was able to complete the majority of assembly without close supervision or assistance from “big hands” to get parts to snap together – very “kid friendly!” Overall assembly time was under an hour.