Introduction

The American Bullfrog (Lithobates Castbeianus} are the largest frogs found in North America. The bullfrogs title is derived from the low frequency mating call of the males. These frogs can weight as much as a pound and a half and measure up to eight inches long! They are found just about anywhere in the U.S. although they are latecomers to the western U.S. having been exported there in the early 1900s. They are nocturnal hunters who can eat just about anything that fits in their mouths. The females are actually slightly larger then the males. Anyone who’s been on a camping trip by a lake or stream knows the racket these things can make!

Model Art Magazine is a monthly magazine that covers aircraft, armor, ships and car modeling. Model Art started releasing magazines in 1966 and has evolved from there over the past forty six years.

The February issue starts off with a report from the 2013 Tamiya fair. Some of the kits on the horizon are a 1/6 Harley Davidson FLSTFB Fat Boy Lo, 1/72 Mitsubishi A6M3/3a Zero Fighter Model 22 (Zeke), 1/35 Ford GPA with engine, 1/35 German Horch Kfz. 15 "North African Campaign", 1/48 Russian 1.5 ton Cargo Truck Model 1941, paintbrushes and tools. Also included in the first few pages is a page dedicated to the Eduard 1/72 Mig-15 in Czechoslovakian in Service Dual Combo and the Eduard aftermarket sets that could be used with it. Another page covers an auto show and then the next installment of I.J.A/N. Airplane Illustrated. This month’s installment covers torpedo sighting devices. They use photos of the actual units and drawings in the article.

When I first saw this model kit as being available to review for IPMS/USA, I must admit I was ignorant of its importance in the history of tank development and warfare. Developed from the British Vickers 6 Ton tank of the late 1920s, the T-26 series of tanks was one of the most important of the 1930s, and together with the Soviet BT series, provided the backbone of Soviet tank forces in the interwar period. The T-26 was the most numerous tank of the Spanish Civil War, provided a large component of Soviet tank forces during the Finnish/Soviet conflict of 1939-40, and despite falling behind in design compared to improvements in anti tank gun development, was the most numerous tank in the Soviet arsenal when Germany launched Operation Barbarossa in June 1941.

Review

The S2F Tracker needs no introduction. It has been in service for decades with Navies from all over the world. Kinetic has the only 1/48 injection molded kit in town and as such it is getting the attention from different aftermarket manufacturers.

Quickboost has released a series of aftermarket details (wheels, pylons, radar, etc) including one for the propellers, which is the subject of this review. The addition of a “Tool” is a great idea to ensure all the blades have the same pitch and very easy to use.

The resin parts are clearly sharper and finer than the plastic ones. Perhaps the main differences relates to size. The resin propeller hub is a tad longer than the plastic counterpart and the resin blades are a bit longer and narrower than the plastic ones. I do not know if that might have something to do with earlier/later marks of the Tracker. Check your references.

I was not familiar with the Siebel 202 “Hummel” (Bumble-bee) prior to this review, and the internet is not overflowing with information about this little gem. This build crosses a couple of firsts off my list: 1) a full resin kit, and 2) a kit from the Czech company Master-X. Up front, I will say that if given another opportunity to build one of their kits, I will do so again.

What you receive in the sturdy little box is a very nice set of clean, detailed resin pieces molded in a couple shades of beige, as well as two black pour stubs with the small resin pieces, including landing gear parts, the control stick and a few as yet to be identified pieces. They also include a basic assembly guide, with color guide on the back side of the sheet, as well as a small photo etched fret, one canopy, and a nicely made decal sheet printed by Aviprint (more on this later).