Eduard has issued this interior set to upgrade the HK Models 1/32nd B-25 interior by addressing several areas. The set comes with two large photo etched frets and one small colorized fret, all of which have excellent relief on the parts and great color on the small fret. This set addresses the tail gunner position, the top turret gunner position, both exit hatches, and the rear fuselage interior, along with barrel covers for the guns.

History

The M1 Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. Designed for modern armored warfare, the M1 is highly mobile, well armed, and heavily armored. Features include a gas turbine engine usually fueled with JP8 jet fuel, composite armor, and separate ammunition storage in a blow-out compartment. Weighing nearly 68 tons, it is one of the heaviest main battle tanks in service.

The M1 Abrams entered service in 1980, replacing the M60 tank. The M1 remains the principal main battle tank of the United States Army and Marine Corps, and the armies of Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and Iraq.

Three versions of the M1 Abrams have been deployed – the M1, M1A1, and M1A2, incorporating improved armament, protection, and electronics. The M1A3 is currently under development.

The iconic Sd.Kfz.231 has joined the fleet of Dragon’s 1/72 German vehicles from World War Two. Like its cousin, the 231 served in every theater of action. With dual driving positions, it served the Wehrmacht until 1943 when the production run came to end. The kit has five sprues and the two halves of the vehicle each molded separately, for a total of 93 parts. There is a small decal sheet and color schemes for five vehicles. The quality of the molding is very good. The sprues were loose in the box, though each sprue is individually bagged. Despite being knocked around during shipping, none of the pieces were damaged or separated from the sprue.

I recently built the Hasegawa 1/32 scale Bf-109 F4 “Jabo” version. This was a great kit to build. In fact, if by some miracle I win the lottery or find a decently paying job, I actually plan on picking another one up.

The decal sheet gives you three versions to build: Oberleutnant Frank Liesendahl from 10 Jabo /JG2, Unteroffizier Felix Sauer from 10 Jabo /JG53, and Oberleutnant Werner Langemann, 10 Jabo /JG53. Unlike the Hellcat I reviewed a short while ago , the decals for this kit were crisp, clean, and really well done. The white is a clean, bright white, and the Blue 1 I plan on using for Liesendahl’s aircraft looks like it will stand out when applied.

I happen to love F-86s in any shape or form, and the “D” is one of my favorites. I have built a few in the past in most scales and welcomed this one by Hasegawa in 1/72 as I never built one in this scale.

With this kit, Hasegawa chose to do it in the unusual “Shark Mouth” markings. This is a pleasant change from the usual marking as seen on most “D” models.

Upon opening the box, I was greeted with the usual Hasegawa silver plastic in four sprues, plus a clear one. The moldings were crisp with engraved panel lines. I had looked at an older kit of the “D” by Hasegawa and it seems to be the same kit, only with new decals.

Assembly was straightforward with no fit problems. The wings went on without the need of filler. One must remember to add a weight to the nose to prevent tail dragging. The cockpit was very nice; however, I think that seat harnesses could have been molded to the seat for a better look. I added some from tape.

This kit is basically a slightly upgraded re-box (reboot) of their Premium Edition Kit 6317 that came out in 2008. The new parts are two photo etched tool boxes instead of one, a newly designed photo etched tool box to fit on the rear of the fighting compartment, different Magic Tracks specifically for the Kursk campaign, and a new set of decals that are supposed to allow you to build any vehicle that served with the s.Pz.Jg.Abt.653 or s.Pz.Jg.Abt.653 units at Kursk.

This is a multimedia kit comprised of 270+ styrene parts, magic tracks in the early pattern, three photo etched frets, a turned aluminum gun tube, decals, and the set of instructions that need to be reviewed very carefully before gluing any parts together. Most Dragon models today are a collection of old sprues with new sprues added to create a new kit variant, and Dragon has done so with this kit.

Master Model is a company that makes turned brass aftermarket parts, specifically pitot tubes, refueling probes, and antennas.

The first thing I would like to point out is how good the packaging and instruction sheet is. The packaging consists of a zip-lock type bag, while the part is in a smaller bag, keeping it from moving all over. The instruction sheet is very clear and easy to understand, only needing 3 steps. Cut off original part, drill a hole (0.8 mm), glue in the new metal part – complete. Just be careful drilling the hole, especially in 1/72.

When compared to the kit part – there is no comparison. The kit pitot tube looks like a little blob of plastic, while the Master Model part is a complete work of art. Once you use a couple of these pieces you will be completely spoiled and never want to use the kit pitot tubes again.

Should you be looking for a little something different to build, I would like to point you in the direction of this one-quarter scale instrument panel that is being offered as a Limited Edition release by the folks at Eduard. The kit assembles with relative ease, and is a good representation of the instrument panel used in the Messerschmitt Bf-110C variant, although the variant is only mentioned once on the side of the box. The needles used in the various gauges are the only tricky items to handle during construction, so this would be a good item for modelers fourteen and up, as the box recommends.

New from Floyd Werner and Werner’s Wings are decals and history for the Night Stalkers, the 160th Special Operation Aviation Regiment (SOAR). This set of decals covers the history of the group from its conception in 1981 through Operation Gothic Serpent in 1993.

The aircraft covered here are H-60's and H-6’s in 1/72 scale. The decals are also offered in 1/35th and 1/48th scales. The decals cover eight markings for the H-6 and 9 markings for the H-60. Each scheme has a specific color guide and also notations about specifics of that particular helicopter. There are notes about antennae locations, markings, and history of all airframes.

History

The Polikarpov U-2 biplane was designed and built during 1928 as a primary trainer for the fledgling Soviet Air Force, and it seemed to possess all of the characteristics desired by that service, including rugged all-wood construction, a low-powered but reliable power plant, and excellent flying characteristics. It was produced in massive numbers, approximately 40,000 of them eventually being manufactured in the Soviet Union and foreign countries. The type was adaptable to many uses, including training, air ambulance, night bombing, crop dusting, and a few were even used as floatplanes. During the war, the plane was re-designated Po-2 in honor of the designer, Nikolai Nikolaevich Polikarpov. A few were even used by the North Koreans during the Korean War for night harassment, as, having all-wood construction, they had a very low radar profile. There are still a few flying today, especially in Europe.

Model Art Modeling Magazine is a Japanese publication that is released monthly. The text is mainly in Japanese with some English subtitles throughout. One selling point about these magazines is the high quality of the photographs and the models that are used.

Rockets Away! Revell’s new kit of what was essentially the first factory muscle car is a welcome nod to us “longer-lived” modeler-folks who can recall the marriage of GM’s first OHV V-8 and Oldsmobile’s clean styling as being either our first cars or someone in our family’s. The phrase “Not your Father’s Oldsmobile” comes to mind and no…this one wasn’t…exactly…but my Dad did have a ’51 Eighty-Eight which – even as a ten-year old – I recognized would go like the proverbial scalded ape.

Zvezda has brought out another anti-tank gun for their war-game "Art of Tactic". This time it is the British version used by the BEF during the Battle for France.

The kit contains 22 parts for the gun, 9 parts for the 2 crewmen, a base, and a flag piece for the game, as well as a movement card. The kit has the same snap together construction as the other guns in this series and is made out of some type of softer plastic than regular injection kits, but not as soft as other figures. The plastic can be trimmed with a sharp knife. I did resort to Tamiya liquid glue for some parts to make sure nothing falls off later on. One of the parts for the gun is an optional carriage to display it in travel mode behind a vehicle.