Dutch Decal has released this decal sheet in 1/48 scale to coincide with their excellent book on the Grumman Tracker used by the Royal Netherlands Navy. The sheet also gives modelers a chance to do something a little different with their Kinetic S-2 kit. There is also an option provided on the sheet for a single Airspeed Oxford, which the Royal Netherlands Navy used in 1947. Special Hobby has recently released a kit of the Oxford in 1/48, so now I suppose I will have to buy one of those.

What you get is a turned brass pitot tube which just glues on to replace the Hasegawa pitot. The brass part has the correct shape, and fits right into the hole in the kit nose.

I installed the aftermarket pitot tube on my F-102. It went on the aircraft with no problem and adds to the looks of the aircraft. The only problem was determining the correct color it should be painted. In pictures of the F-102, it was painted in different colors. It turned out to be a very fine feature.

Highly recommended. The caveat here is that the Hasegawa kit is quite old, and there’s no interior, the seat is sub-standard, and the aftermarket for the kit would be a seat and this pitot. So it’s up to you what level of detail you want to install. This is a good start, though.

Thanks to Master Model for the part and to IPMS/USA for letting me review it. This got that 1970s-vintage F-102 out of my stash.

History

Originally produced in 1941 as the M1A1, the gun was continuously updated and, during the 1960s, was rebuilt with its designation changed to M114, M114A1, and M114A2. These weapons served in Vietnam. The kit represents the M114A1 designation that served in the Vietnam War.

Kit

Inside the box are 10 spruces molded in olive drab plastic. All are sealed in plastic. The kit also includes 1 PE fret, 1 decal sheet, and an instruction booklet with color photos/drawings of the gun. There are 28 steps in the instructions, with a section on how to build the rounds and powder canisters/bags that are included with the kit. The parts are all nicely molded with very little-to-no clean up. The box art shows five figures stationed around the gun in the firing position, but they are not included with the kit.

For decades, modelers here in the West were left with little choices when it came to modeling Soviet and Eastern Bloc aircraft. What was available was slim and, at best, based on grainy pictures and third-party drawings. However, as history unfolded, more became available after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and Eastern Bloc nations became part of the information exchange. More accurate kits were produced – but, alas, not much in the way of ordnance.

Within the last few years, there has been a keen interest in providing accurate and highly detailed weapons loads to match the highly detailed models now on the market. The accessibility of solid reference material, coupled with advances in resin molding technology, has created a perfect environment for a host of new aftermarket items to hit the shelves.

Bob Sanchez and Twobobs continue their excellent new releases with a set for the EA-18 Growler. This set covers Electronic Attack Squadron 130 (VAQ-130), also known as the "Zappers" and based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. Currently part of Carrier Air Wing 3, the Zappers deploy aboard the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75). VAQ-130 is the oldest electronic warfare squadron in the U.S. Navy.

This set covers two planes, the CAG plane with black tail and spine with a green dragon breathing lightning bolts, and a line plane in all gray with the same markings. This kits listed are for Revell and Hasegawa F-18F with the Steel Beach conversions. I would suggest that the Hasegawa Growler release may be your best choice and it was reviewed here: http://web.ipmsusa3.org/content/ea-18g-growler.