Quickboost has added the antennas and details for the F-102A to their line of resin aircraft accessories. This latest addition is molded in a smoke, red and clear resin, it’s smooth, seamless and bubble free.

Comparing the Quickboost parts to the Meng parts is no comparison because they are replacing the little sticks and nubs that are already molded onto the fuselage or as in the case of QB parts #2 aren’t even there to begin with. You know, those little things sticking out in your way as you build and that eventually tend to disappear as you handle it. The thing that I like is that they already come molded in color and I don’t have to paint them. Just remove them from the mold blocks, remove the old antennas and lights from the kit body, which ever ones are still there and super glue them in place.

I very highly recommend this product if you want a nice and detailed F-102A. I would like to thank Quickboost and IPMS USA for the chance to do this review.

If you want to build a Saab Gripen in 1/72 scale, you currently have only one choice - the Italeri kits that include single-seat or two-seat versions. These kits have been around a little while, but are good representations of the early versions. One area of these kits that needs improvement is the sensor probes, both the pitot tubes and Angle-of-Attack (AOA) sensors. They are over scale and not the correct shape. Luckily for us modelers, this product from Master Model of Poland corrects the deficiency. Their package contains two AOA sensors, a nose mounted pitot tube, a tail mounted pitot tube, and a brass fret for the nose vortex generators. Since they are to scale, all of these pieces are extremely delicate. The two AOA sensors, mounted on the sides of the forward fuselage are "micro" sized. I quickly learned not to grab the model by the forward fuselage sides, as these sensors are also needle sharp. Ouch!

This is not your father’s Me-163 Komet! This first release by Meng Models in their 1/32 scale Quetzalcoatlus Series may be a long waited for item for those who enjoy this scale. Although the venerable Hasegawa kit can still be found, the level of detail in the Meng release is truly in line with what can be accomplished with modern technology. The kit built up well with few issues being encountered during construction, and the model looks great once assembled. Covers may be left off to display ammunition trays, the guns themselves, and fuel lines above the rocket motor. This was my second experience with a kit by the newcomer, Meng, and I will have no hesitation in purchasing more of their kits in the future.

Beautifully illustrated with specially commissioned artwork, this book offers a creditable account detailing the key rival battles between the Battlecruisers of the Royal Navy and the Kaiserliche Marine at the height of World War I. This book covers these opposing Battlecruisers and where they first met in January 1915 at Dogger Bank in the North Sea. The author explains why the battle was a tactical victory for British although neither side lost any of its Battlecruisers. He details the main differences in the designs in the British and German ships and how these two sides responded quite differently to this first engagement. In the book you’ll find out how these differences came into play during the battle of Jutland in May 1916, where of the nine of the British Battlecruisers committed, three were destroyed, all by their German counterparts. Five German Battlecruisers were present and only one of these was sunk.

Reid Air Publications has issued a new book and the winners are anyone interested in the F/A-18 A/B/C/D Hornet! For those of you unfamiliar with the series, Jake Melampy has written his series of books detailing specific airframes. F-16's and F-16's and others have been detailed before as well as others but the newest covers the entire series of the F-18's. The format of the books starts with the cockpits and works its way back to the wings, vertical stabilizers, horizontal stabilizers, fuselage and landing gear and finishes with all the ordinance used by the Hornets.