The latest journal of Cross & Cockade International - Spring 2015 Vol. 46/1- is the first of the journals that will make up Volume 46. C&C I is the quarterly publication of the non-profit UK based organization known as The First World War Aviation Historical Society. They have continuously published these journals since 1970 with the objective of furthering the study of First World War Aviation History. This journal continues the organization’s mission by providing considerable information on a wide range of WWI aviation subjects…this time delivering the interesting history and personal accounts of pilots engaged in reconnaissance flights in the early years of the war, a feature article about the Royal Navy’s ship born kite balloon operations, a tabulation of RFC aircraft supporting the British Expeditionary Force in 1914, and a six-page photo feature of aircraft from albums of the Gerhardt-Japp collection.

Thanks to Aires Hobby Models for sending these excellent diorama figures for review. Thank you to the IPMS Reviewer Corps for letting me review them! I am very appreciative of the chance to contribute back to the scale-modeling community.

This review covers four separate releases that complement each other very nicely. The four figures represent WWII U. S. Army aircraft mechanics in the Pacific Theater. One mechanic figure is pushing upward, perhaps against a fuel tank or engine part, another could be wiping down or polishing, and another figure is mopping up. The last figure is taking a rest on a footlocker sipping a bottled beverage. They are all cast in gray resin with protective pour plugs surrounding the figures. I found the resin to have a very nice balance of workability and strength. I had no troubles with brittle parts or needing to do excessive sanding. Flash was minimal and easily removed when present.

Thanks again to a great IPMS supporter, Ross at SAC… and to IPMS leadership for providing it to me for review. Metal gear rule!

This set provides 15 metal parts to replace the main and nose gear for the new Revell 1/48 Panavia Tornado. Besides the three struts, retraction arms, torque links, and associated extension and compression arms, there are also the torsion arms which fit at the top of the main struts which twist the gear as it retracts. Continuing their recent business model, Revell’s kit is a superior, cost-effective alternative to past 1/48 Tornado kits; detail is there, and out of the box you will have a show-stopper. Adding the metal SAC gear is, however, an excellent option.

One thing to note up front: the kit gear has two-sided struts; the SAC gear is one-piece per strut. In this scale, it matters…

Delta One Decal is a new European decal manufacturer. At time of writing, the Delta One Decal website is not live, but they have an email address: delta1decal@gmail.com.

These are limited edition decal sheets that cover generic Bort Numbers (Warsaw Pact nose numbers) in both “square corner” and “rounded corner” versions. For several numbers you get more than one style (see images).

Each set comes with red numbers (black and white edges), blue (black edge) and yellow (black edge). In addition you get some generic Red/Russian stars.

Brengun has produced a detail set of modern US Navy Wheel Chocks. With all the plethora of 1/48 scale kit out there, these make a great display item. The set consists of twelve nicely cast resin pieces. Four of these are the blocks, two are the rails, four are the ends to the block and the last two are two tiny locks for the rails. The tread patterns and lines on the blocks is very well defined. The ends are separate in this scale to allow a good channel for the rails. The rails include the toothed pattern used to lock the chocks in place just like the real item. The lock are very small so caution will be needed.