Airfix has been busy lately coming out with newly tooled model kits, and the A-4B/4P Skyhawk continues that trend. The A-4 Skyhawk was a very successful light attack design by Douglas for the US Navy (and foreign buyers) and had a very long and effective career. There are many books that will go into great length on the development and history of this aircraft, so I will only deal with the build of this model kit. 73 parts are molded in a soft gray plastic (two more are clear parts), so be careful and don't sand to aggressively. Some have mentioned that the recessed panel lines are too deep, but what I found on my model was the fuselage lines got less deep towards the top and bottom of the fuselage and I had to rescribe these to match the rest of the fuselage, but it only took about 15 minutes to do so.

A relatively new company on the modeling scene, Great Wall has released a handful of kits to date and, with reference to this review, they have two variants of the FW-189, an A1 and an A2, along with a third ski-equipped A1 version. Aires has stepped up to the plate and has released a resin wheel set (with paint mask) for the trio of kits. Typically, I buy a resin wheel set for a single reason and that is to obtain a set of weighted wheels for the kit I'm building. Many of you (and you know who you are) prefer the kit’s un-weighted round wheels, and that fine, too. In the case of the Great Wall kits, they ship with weighted wheels. What is a modeler to do? In this case, Aires is your answer. Unlike the kit parts, the resin set they provide is the round, non-weighted wheels. Problem solved.

History / Background

The Soviet D-30 (122mm howitzer) entered service with the Russian Army in 1963 as a replacement for the M-30 and M-1942 artillery pieces. Nearly fifty years on, the D-30 is still in active service in over fifty armies today, including the Afghans under supervision of US forces. Unlike a conventional artillery piece that utilizes two trail legs the D-30 uses three, and when deployed, the trails are placed into a very stable configuration separated by 120 degrees. In travel mode, the D-30's rearmost legs fold forward alongside the forward leg, and the entire gun is pulled via the tow ring on the muzzle. With this build, I broke one of my cardinal rules for modeling: avoid equipment made after 1946. Why did I break this rule? For one, the gun has been in service as long as I have been around, and for some strange reason I am attracted to the unconventional three leg configuration.

Model features (taken directly from Wingnut Wings’ website):

Released in October 2012

• High quality decals for 5 aircraft
• 166 high quality injection moulded plastic parts
• 6 photo-etched metal detail parts
• Highly detailed 17 part 100hp Gnome Monosoupape engine
• Optional 2 & 4 blade propellers, instrument boards, undercarriage, aileron controls and ammunition stowage
• Fine in scale rib tape detail
• full rigging diagrams.

You know what? – it’s all true and you get a lot more.

The Aircraft Manufacturing Company de Havilland 2 (AMC DH.2) first flew in June, 1915, was sent to the front in July for evaluation, and was promptly captured in August. This didn't deter the development, and by February, 1916, they were there to stay. By July, 1917, they were slowly replaced by more modern aircraft but continued to serve well into 1918.

• Slats: Product/Stock #32317, $24.95
• Flaps: Product/Stock #32318, $24.95

I am reviewing these as one set, because if you want to use one, you will certainly want the other.