As mentioned in a previous review, Trumpeter’s new kit of the 1/32 A-4 Skyhawk is one of the better kits that Trumpeter has recently come out with, and what Quickboost did for the Air Scoops of Trumpeter’s A-4 kit is what Quickboost also did for the upgrade of the antennas for the A-4 kit.

Quickboost’s antennas kit consists of five different types of antennas in a light grey resin and can also easily be “picked” off of the sprue and sanded so as not to hurt the design of the part. The antennas are so precise and real looking that they do enhance the look of the model. However they are very, very fragile and should be glued to the kit as one of the last parts to assemble, especially if there will be a lot of handling before completion.

This latest tool from CB Model Products is one of the best yet. This high precision punch and die set consists of 12 hardened steel punches and a clear acrylic/metal guide plate assembly. There is a desiccant included to help keep the rust off the metal parts. These pieces are contained in a compact plastic case with a nice hint and procedure sheet.

The steel punches are machined with a slight angle. These punches are designed to be used on up .030 styrene. The punches come in .040”, .051”, .058”, .069”, .080”, .088”, .101”, .110”, .119”, .127”, .140” and .151”. That should take care of most needs in 1/72, 1/48, 1/32, and 1/35th scales. You may want to wipe the parts down with some WD-40 and a rag to preserve these delicate parts for the long term.

History

No modeler of World War II fighter aircraft can possibly be unaware of the background of the Spitfire, so no discussion will be provided. Over 30 different Marks and variants of the Spitfire were produced before, during, and after World War II, and nearly all of them have appeared as 1/72 scale kits at one time or another. Of the long-wing Mk. VII, injection molded kits have been issued by Hasegawa, Jay’s Models, and a resin kit from CMR. Italeri’s kit, issued in 2012, is a welcome addition. I have built the Hasegawa kit and it is excellent, and the Italeri kit will be interesting competition. I have not seen the other two, but I understand from reviews that they both are very good kits.

The Kit

This is another of Hasegawa’s 1/200 series. This is their third 777-300, the other ones being done in ANA markings and a different JAL scheme. There are also two 777-200s in the series, both JAL. This is my first 1/200 scale kit.

The fuselage comes in white plastic, while the wings, horizontal stabilizers, landing gear, wheels, and doors all come in gray. There is no cockpit interior, but there is a clear windscreen.

Early on in the instructions, Hasegawa provides a wonderful feature, a nose weight. It’s a large screw, about 3/8 diameter, and about 1 inch long. It goes through a bulkhead which is glued into the fuselage. It’s plenty heavy, and there’s no danger of this model becoming a tail sitter.

I took a photo of this feature, but I’ve had some computer trouble, and the “in process” photos for this build are gone to the great bit-bucket in the sky.

Back in 1986 I was in Great Britain to attend the British Grand Prix. I wasn’t aware of the fact that between the support races they staged an air show. I was very impressed with the vintage British aircraft which included a Lancaster, a Spitfire, a Hurricane among a vast number of classics. The one aircraft that impressed me the most was the Avro Vulcan. When this big bomber passed over, it blocked out the sun and deafened all around. It made several passes both at low speed and also at high and also dirty with everything opened. Since that time, I have always wanted to build a model of this unique big bird.