Eduard continues its release of improved resin wheels with a set designed for the Hobby Boss A-6 Intruder. The set consists of eight beautifully case resin pieces, a wheel mask set and a set of great instructions. The wheel hubs are cast separately for the main gear with the front wheels being cast as one piece each. The masks included are normal kabuki tape masks and will help the front wheels.

Saab has been a Swedish company for a very long time. The Lansen was one of their earlier developments in the jet age, its first test flight occurring in 1952. The A32A version was specifically designed for ground-attack and maritime-strikes. 287 aircraft were built between 1955 and 1957, and the airframe was not retired until 1978.

Tarangus is a Swedish company specializing in Swedish aviation. Founded in 2009, they have already started a tradition of excellent kits and attractive subjects. The kits are limited run injection molding and are flash-free with excellent engraved panel lines. There are two versions of the Lansen kit available. This review is for the A32A version. The kit comes with 3 gray sprue, a clear sprue, and two resin seats. The panel lines are very well done. Be aware that this is limited run, so there are no connecting pegs or the like. It is a great limited run kit to start on if you have never built one before, as the fit is quite good.

The KV-85 was an interim tank solution to field a heavier gun than the 76mm mounted on the existing KV-1 series. By 1943 the 76mm gun was no longer effective at long range against Germany’s newest tanks like the Tiger 1 and Panther. The solution was to mount the 85mm D-5T in a new larger cast turret. Only 148 were made until production of the new IS series was brought up to capacity.

Bronco’s kit comes in a larger-than-normal sturdy cardboard box packed with sprues, an eighteen page instruction booklet, a small sheet of brass PE, braided copper wire, and a generous decal sheet. The instructions are well laid out line drawings which are not too cluttered given how many small parts there are in the kit. The PE mostly covers the air intakes and exhaust screens. There is an option for solid plastic intake screens but the exhaust screen is only offered as brass.

Eduard continues its F-104 accessories with this set which is a set of early wheels. The set consists of five parts, two main wheels with separate hubs for one side. There is also one front wheel. A masking set is also included. All the parts are perfectly cast and bubble free. Preparation involves removing the pour stubs and a light sanding. The separate hub makes painting easier.

The detail on the wheels is head and shoulders above the kit parts. There are no ejection marks to deal with and the hub detail is greatly improved. The wheels have the needed writing on them versus the smooth surface on the kit parts.

These are definite upgrades to the kit parts. Well made and more detailed. Recommended. My thanks to Eduard and IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review this set.

This automotive model review covers the HighJacker Off-Road Custom Van 1:20 Scale MPC Model Kit #813. This kit has been released before but thanks to the “Kats” at Round2 it’s back on the shelves and for its age the molds have held up well. This is a Skill Level 3 kit for modelers ten years and older. Molded primarily in white styrene, the kit includes over 200 parts, with transparent, clear red, and chrome pieces, and vinyl tires. It also has waterslide decals and instructions. This kit features a highly detailed interior with sink, stove, cabinet, and other kitchen accessories, as well as camping and hunting equipment. It also includes a full bed for the back area. When finished it is an impressive size measuring 9½ inches long, 4 inches wide, and 5 inches high.

First off I’d like to thank Eduard for supplying this great set of photo-etch parts. I’d also like to thank IPMS/USA for allowing me to review this product.

One of the more famous night bombers of the Second World War was the RAF’s four-engine Avro Lancaster. A total of 7,377 Lancasters of all marks were built. Of that number 3,039 were B.Mk.III bombers which were equipped with Packard built Merlin engines and an enlarged bombardier’s compartment. Nineteen of those Mk.IIIs assigned to No. 617 Squadron were modified to attack Germany's Ruhr Valley dams using the Barnes Wallis-designed "bouncing bomb". On the night of May 16, 1943, Wing Commander Guy Gibson lead the Ruhr Valley attack. Two of the four targeted dams were breeched, but eight of the 19 Lancasters and 53 crewmen were lost. After the raid 34 medals were awarded the survivors including Gibson’s Victoria Cross.

Thanks to Eduard Model Accessories for sending these excellent aftermarket missiles from the Brassin line 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.

The Satellite

Planning started for the Vanguard program in 1955. Both the launch vehicle and the satellite were to be named Vanguard, the only time that has happened in the U.S. space program. There were several "marks" of the satellite varying in size from 20 inches down to 6 inches in diameter with varying instrumentation on board and the first was slated to go up during the International Geophysical Year of 1958. The Martin Company developed the rocket and the Naval Research Laboratory developed the satellite.

History

The F/A-18D is a two seat variant of the early McDonald Douglas Hornet. The rear seat of this variation is configured to allow a Marine Corps naval flight officer to function as the system and weapons officer similar to that of the F-15E Strike Eagle rear seater. In this roll there are no flight controls situated in the rear cockpit. With the US Marine Corp the F/A-18D serves primarily as a night attack bomber and forward air controller.

These modern D models are the result of a block upgrades in 1987 and 1989 which gave the Hornet the capacity to carry new missiles and air-to-ground weapons. Now fitted with forward looking infrared, night vision goggles, multi function color displays and moving maps the Hornet is capable to strike anytime of day or weather deep behind enemy lines.

Trumpeter from China has released the first of a series of boxings for the deHavilland Hornet. This boxing represents the Mk.1F, with two other boxings scheduled for release later this year.

Upon opening the box you find 7 sprues (one clear) with about 80 parts in sharp and flash free plastic. Also a decal sheet for two finishing options - both overall silver - is provided.

I have read in British websites that there are some shape issues around the nose, the fuselage length and with panel lines that should not be there. I am not an expert on the Hornet, so I cannot speak to that. Please do your own research on the accuracy component of this model.

Those who know my modeling proclivities are well aware that I’m always fascinated by the small and obscure. This model, the first from this company if the kit number is to be believed, fits both of these categories nicely.

History

The need for armored support early on during an amphibious invasion was indicated early in the war. It was apparent that there might not be a chance to unload armored vehicles directly on the beaches. This meant that invading armor would need to be unloaded off shore and wade to the beach. In order to do this the tank needed to be waterproofed and a means to supply air to the intakes and to dispel exhaust gases would have to be designed. The answer to this problem was the deep wading kit. These were usually manufactured on site and consisted of a quick release upper stack mounted to a lower stack. The forward stack was for the intake and the rear stack was the exhaust. Once the stacks were in place, the tank was further waterproofed by sealing the transmission, the glacis machine gun, the muzzle of the main gun, the gun shield, hatches, lights and ventilators. Just about anything that could spring a leak was sealed.

Academy is re-releasing their 1/35 Tiger I, this one being the “Mid” version and in a special boxing for the 70^th Anniversary of D-Day.

Upon opening a large box you are greeted by 10 sprues –many of which are part of the “early” boxing- plus two small photo-etch frets (engine grille covers/zimmerit tool) and plastic tracks, representing the “combat” (wide) tracks.

The part count is considerable (over 250 parts) however several pieces won’t be needed. I estimate a bit over 200 parts are required to complete this model. All the parts are crisp, perfectly molded and have no flash.

This boxing does not include the full interior –as other boxings- but it has a new tooled turret. I will be honest, it looks very similar to the original one (still included in the box) however it is possible to see a slightly asymmetry when looking at it from the top. It is very subtle, but it is there.

Quickboost has added a set of exhaust stacks to their line aftermarket parts for the new 1/32 scale Revell Spitfire Mk.II. The Quickboost set provides a pair of exhausts that feature detail that closely matches the kit-supplied parts. These parts accurately depict the flattened shape of the openings in the first two exhausts in each stack and the circular opening of the last one.

The Revell kit provides exhausts with open ends, however, they are comprised of four parts, and the modeler must clean flash from the openings of each exhaust port prior to assembly.

Hobby Boss released a 1/48 scale kit of the Blohm & Voss Bv 141 reconnaissance plane last year. The Bv 141 greenhouse canopy is comprised of many separate panels that require a lot of masking in order to paint the frames. Eduard has come to the rescue with a mask set for this kit. This set includes all the masks needed for all the clear parts on the kit as well as masks for the wheels.

This is the first time I have used Eduard masks for masking canopies and I have to say I am very impressed. The pre-cut masks fit all of the openings perfectly and in just over an hour I was finished masking all the clear parts. If I would have done this manually with tape, it would have easily taken me at least 5-6 times that long to do the same thing. For the round, machine gun window on the top of the canopy, you have to use either liquid mask or tape to fill in the center section as the Eduard set only provides the outline area.

During the early 1930’s, the nation of Czechoslovakia was a leading European arms manufacturer, whose armaments industry was dominated by the giant Skoda conglomerate. In 1933-34, Skoda produced what became known as the LT vz.35 light tank, and this was accepted into the Czech Army, becoming its main tank. However, the tank suffered from numerous flaws, and was much disliked by its crews. Enter the firm of CKD, a conglomeration of various engineering firms, one of whose acquisitions was the Praga Works, makers of trucks/passenger vehicles/tractors. Praga decided to go into the tank building business, selling its products both to the Czech Army, and a number of export markets. With the poor experience with the LT vs.35 in their minds, as well as the need for rearmament due to the rise of Nazi Germany on its border, the Czech military looked around for a new tank design. Praga offered up its TNH design, which proved very reliable and certainly better than anything Skoda had to offer.

In the modeling community, Osprey Publishing is well-known. I doubt that there is a modeler in this group who does not have something from Osprey in their bookshelves. They have several ongoing series that tackle a variety of topics, including the ‘Duel’ series. As the title suggests, each book concentrates on two similar pieces of equipment and how they stack up against each other. The sixty-sixth volume of the duel series tackles the opening campaign of the Second World War – the fall of Poland in the early fall of 1939. The author of the volume is David R. Higgins and the illustrator of the color plates is Richard Chasemore. At 80 pages of text, this is a fairly standard length for this series.

Kenny Loup and Gator Masks and More have been around for a while supplying masking sets for ships and planes as well as Gator Grip Glues. For this review, we are looking at a masking set for U-453 in 1/72 scale for Revell’s excellent U-boat kit. U-453 was on active duty from 1941 to 1944 when it was sunk. The boat served in the Mediterranean Sea and carried a unique camouflage scheme that went with that locations. The ship had splotches of darker gray (Dunkelgrau52) which were hard edged along with an inverted V on the conning tower.

Inside the package you’ll find a long (over 3 feet) of precut vinyl masks, a picture of U-453 and instructions. The vinyl material is yellow and cut precisely to the blotches needed and the inverted “V” on the tower. There are masks for both sides. The profile drawing exactly matches the cut outs and the instructions give all the needed guidance plus contact info if there are questions. You can see by the pictures the size of the masks.

Scale Aircraft Conversions provides a nice set of metal landing gear for a number of aircraft. I jumped at the chance to get the SAC gear for the C-119 because it looks spindly, and I need all the help I can get to keep my models intact.

The SAC parts are very good copies of the kit gear. The other wonderful thing about the metal gear is that if you have a little trouble getting alignment as you install the parts, you can tweak the metal parts into alignment without breaking them.

Installation was just like the kit instructions say, and the wheels fit onto the SAC gear legs perfectly.

Overall Assessment.

Highly recommended. The parts fit nicely, they are stronger than the kit parts, and you don’t have to paint the SAC metal parts to make them look like metal parts.

Many thanks to Scale Aircraft Conversions for the review item and to IPMS USA for the chance to add strength to my Dollar Nineteen.

Brengun has produced a photoetch improvement set for Eduard’s 1/144 scale MiG-15. There are parts to redo the cockpit interior, new landing gear doors, wing fences, a pitot, and antennas.

The project begins with the cockpit. The Eduard cockpit front is cut away, and the rest is thrown away. The PE kit contains the cockpit floor and sides, consoles, a seat and instrument panel. Also, you get seat belts. Wow. And there are two extra panels which are inserted on the cockpit sides after the fuselage is assembled.

I made a mistake here. I thought I should carve the plastic wing fences off and install the PE parts at this point in the assembly, before doing the landing gear. It turns out that the wing fences are much more susceptible to being knocked off than the gear doors or the landing gear. I had to put the surviving wing fences in the envelope and hold them after I knocked all of them off. The instructions are wise here, follow them.

The Kit

This was my first F-Rsin kit. Probably won’t be my last, though. Their catalog is just full of airliners that don’t make the cut for the major manufacturers. This isn’t F-Rsin’s first Martin 202/404 either. They have a resin version of this aircraft too, but it costs about twice as much. I hope they produce their NORD 262 in plastic. Or I may just buy the resin kit anyway. I may be the only IPMS USA member ever to get a ride in a NORD 262. Yeah, that’s a war story.

The kit is very simple. Two fuselage halves, wings are 4 pieces: left/right, upper/lower, with separate nacelles. Cockpit and passenger windows are done with decals.

Hauler has been around for a few years now. I mostly thought they produced resin items in the 1/48 scale arena. I was surprised to see this 1/35 item offered in the review area and since I had requested the Bronco Loyd Carrier and I figured I could knock this nifty looking item out as well.

The items come packed in a cellophane bag with a hard paper backing. Included are a small instruction sheet and three resin parts. The resin parts are the stove, the stove pipe and a small pile of wood. The parts are beautiful castings. The only thing I would have changed is the pipe attachment. The kit has you gluing the pipe to the stove. I think the stove should have had a depression that the stove pipe actually fit into. This would have provided a far more secure join.

This is a small photo etch sheet with numerous details intended for the Eduard Avia B.534 fighter kit that has been issued in 1/72 scale. The kit already has excellent detail, but the photo etch parts will enhance the appearance of the model, adding things that would be very difficult to scratchbuild.

A very detailed instruction sheet is included, with drawings large and clear enough to be useful under any conditions.

This Tiger I kit by DML is the command version used by Tiger I ace Michael Whitman and is an early production vehicle. This kit has distinctive early production characteristics including smoke dischargers, cylindrical cupola, pistol port, and are accurately reproduced. Included in the box is a molded complete crew set as though posing for a propaganda photo. There is a small fret of photo etch parts included which most noticeably is the engine deck screens.

Thanks to Aires/Quickboost for providing more of their prolific output for us to review, and to IPMS leadership for sending it my way.

Once more, a quick review for a quick upgrade; Quickboost have provided 12 miniscule Resin gun barrels with round cooling vents for use with the Airfix Lancaster B II. This is the Hercules radial-engined Lancaster release, but the gun barrels will work on this kit and their recent other Lancaster B I and III Merlin engine released kits as well. As noted in my other review of the .303 barrels with oval holes, these should work on just about any aircraft requiring .303 gun barrels.

The muzzles are hollow, and the simulation of the round perforations is well done. In my case, Painting them black, then using the side of a #2 pencil then (GENTLY) polishing with a soft cloth was able to bring out the detail.