This is the first of a three-volume set being published by Kecam. This first volume covers Japanese aircraft operated by Japan’s allies during World War 2, as well as those captured by opposing forces (other than the US, UK, and Commonwealth countries), and those pressed into service by various countries in the immediate post-war period.

The book is in a softcover format, with thick stock covers and pages finished in a high-quality satin finish. Black and white photos, as well as extremely well-done color profiles, appear on almost every one of the 128 pages. There are even a few rare color photos in some sections.

The authors dive right in to the topic, with the inside front cover having a table of all Japanese aircraft operated by the subject countries. Aircraft purchased, seized, or otherwise obtained by various Chinese forces, Thailand, Kwangsi, Manchuria, Korea (North and South), Nanking, Indonesia, the Soviet Union, and France are all listed.

Aviaeology provides well researched decals on four RCAF 418 squadron Mosquitoes that covers the changing markings during the service careers of these aircraft. Each subject is complete with narratives on time period and painting suggestions. The instructions and diagrams are provided on four photo copied sheets, but an email request to Aviaeology will get you a promptly sent color PDF of the instructions which will prove helpful. The PDF can be printed or sent to your tablet for reference in your model workshop, you can magnify the profiles as recommended by Aviaeology to identify the subtle shades and the finishes of these Mosquitoes. You also get a tutorial of the bombs and the racks used with complete painting guides for them. Listed below is a breakdown of the subjects.

The MHU-191 is a welcomed addition to the 1/32nd scale community of accessories. It is a very BASIC and easy to build resin kit. The kit was contained in a sealed cellophane bag and consisted of 4 resin parts carriers and a decal sheet. All parts were well protected and not damaged.

The total time it took me to unwrap, clean up, assemble, and paint the model was about 10 minutes. The parts separated from their carrier with very little effort. There was minimal flash and it only took a few passes with the back side of my razor knife to clean. I prewashed all parts and used ACC glue to assemble. The front wheels and draw bar are adjustable for different angles.

This new injection molded plastic kit is a great example of modern engineering that exhibits fine surface detail and great fit of parts. It is a builder’s kit, to be sure, and it was indeed a pleasure to build. The design of the parts is excellent and thoughtful allowing easy construction and clean up for a smooth finish. For example, the sprue attachment points are on the inner mating surface of many of the major components which makes cleaning up these areas as easy as it can be. Design features allow the wings to be posed folded, flaps posed up or down, the tail hook posed up or down and there are separate parts for posing the landing gear in the retracted or extended position (although this is not addressed in any way in the instructions). Slide molded parts provide for hollow details and single unit pieces that don’t require assembly and clean up of two halves. Overall, the kit is cleverly designed and simple to build.

This Beaufighter decal set is one of the latest from Canadian-based Aviaeology – SkyGrid Studio’s line of model-related products.

Upon first opening up the standard ziplock plastic bag that holds the decals and instructions, I was immediately impressed with the quality of the decals. There are 4 sheets included in this set, covering 4 aircraft (3 of which have multiple variations). In addition to the individual aircraft markings, a full set of national markings and stencil data is provided for one aircraft. These decals look first-rate, with little to no carrier film except where absolutely necessary. The decals themselves have a glossy finish and appear quite thin, but with good color density.