History Brief

The Chrysler 300 was so named for its awesome 300 HP FirePower 90 degree V8 Hemi; the name “Hemi” is short for its unique “hemispherical combustion chamber” design. This powerful engine featured dual 4-barrel carburetors, high performance camshafts mated to stiff valve springs, solid lifters, special manifolds and forged crankshaft. Then this bad boy was mated to a modified two-speed “PowerFlite” fully automatic torque converter transmission, sporting Goodyear Special Safety Super Cushion four-ply tires, heavy-duty shocks and leaf springs, front stabilizer bar and brakes. All were above the standard for its time, not to mention a 150-mph speedometer and enlarged dual exhausts. The C300 had the beautiful body styling of a sports coupe and came in three factory color options. In short, the 300 was nothing like Detroit had seen before, with a base price of $4,055 and power steering not standard equipment, it was the first true Muscle Car.

This book is typical of the excellent Naval Fighters series, of which this is number ninety-one. Ginter books are well known to modelers and aircraft historians alike. They provide an excellent reference source for both common and obscure Naval and USAF aircraft. All are packed with photos, drawings, and details needed by modelers, and this volume does not disappoint.

This book covers the last model and upgrade to the F2H design. The book starts out with a basic summation of the changes made to the aircraft to create the F2H-3/4. The next 22 pages consist of detail photos and drawings of all the nooks and crannies modelers crave. Coverage then begins of every squadron in the USN and USMC that used the Big Banjo, totaling 123 pages. There is also an 11-page section covering the Banshee in Canadian use. The book concludes in the usual way with a summary and short review of all available model kits of the F2H-3/4.

Once again, Eduard steps up with an innovative photoetch accessory to add realism and context to 1/72 scale aircraft. In the tradition of their superb PE sets to go in and on aircraft kits, the growing series of prepainted PE flight deck and airfield operating surfaces adds this little beauty to its ranks.

Prepainted in natural wood flight deck color, this little gem provides a convincing and contrasting base to the blues of US Navy aircraft of the period. A few snips, and a tiny bit of filing or sanding, and the deck section is ready to mount to a firm base or slide underneath a favorite WW II Navy carrier plane. The only drawback is the small size, as larger aircraft like TBD Devastators, TBF/TBM Avengers, and SB2C Helldivers may seem to dwarf the piece – it seems better-suited for the smaller types like the F4F Wildcats, F6F Hellcats, and SBD Dauntlesses.

The Yak-38 Forger was the Soviet Union’s equivalent to the Harrier. Built to operate from the Kiev class Aircraft-Carrying Cruiser, the Forger provided limited air defense and anti-surface ship capability. Unlike the Harrier, which relied on a single engine to provide all of the vertical thrust, the Forger had two dedicated lift engines behind the pilot to assist with VTOL. The engines were covered with a large louvered door assembly. Whenever the aircraft was parked, this door was open and the louvers closed, as shown in the accompanying photo from a Soviet State Publication on the Navy. In flight, the door was closed and the louvers open, except during takeoff and landing when the door lifted to provide greater air flow.

Hull Assembly

We left off last time with a big box of parts just waiting for the magic of modeling to happen to them. I’m happy to report that things are moving along. In this installment, we get to step 36 of 61 in the instructions. It seemed like a good place to report, since the masts and rigging begin in earnest after that, so you won’t have as open a view of the deck. Before any parts are cut lose and glue uncapped, you have to make some decisions about colors. The instructions list seven colors in the Testors range. The photos on the box show a pristine ship with an off white hull representing a lead-based antifouling coating used on war ships. Since this is (according to my story) a cargo ship turned pirate ship, I elected to show the lower hull in off-black or a pitch-based coating.