Review Author
James Binder
Published on
January 23, 2021
Company
Airfix
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$54.99

Airfix has been steadily updating its catalogue of 1/72 aircraft. One of their newest is the Avro Shackleton MR.2. This kit is a doozy! You will never have to look back at the old mold Shackleton kit again. Airfix gives you the choice of building either the early version with top turret or the late version with added antennas and turret removed. It also comes with a full interior with radarscopes, seats, panels etc., along with a detailed bomb bay with weapons, and movable rudders and elevators.

Review Author
Mike Hinderliter
Published on
May 2, 2016
Company
Master Model
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$10.00

Master Models is a company that makes turned-brass after-market 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 or losing one of these small pieces. The instruction sheet is very clear and easy to understand, needing only 3 steps: 1) Cut off original part; 2) Drill a hole (0.5 mm) and (0.7 mm) for the 20mm cannons; 3) Glue in the new metal part with CA.

Just be very careful drilling the holes, especially in 1/72 scale.

When compared to the kit part there is no comparison. The kit pitot tube and guns look like little blobs of plastic, while the Master Model parts are complete works of art. Once you use a couple of these pieces, you will be completely spoiled, and will never want to use the kit pitot tubes or guns again.

Review Author
Luke R. Bucci, PhD
Published on
May 2, 2016
Company
Aoshima
Scale
1/700
MSRP
$30.00

Bottom Line: Same model as Aoshima 01035 IJN Mamiya kit, 1931 fit, but with Kantai Collection Fleet Girls (KanColle Kanmusu) extras to accompany the model. Simple but effective portrayal of a Japanese Navy supply ship. Great detail, easy to assemble (mostly), only one glaring issue. Note that Kanmusu collection kits are not intended for non-Japanese builders so instructions are in Japanese.

Review Author
Phil Peterson
Published on
May 3, 2016
Company
Italeri
Scale
1/547
MSRP
$24.99

On October 28th, 1886 a gift from France was dedicated in New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty. I am sure most of you are familiar with it and those who want to read it’s fascinating history can find much more online than I can give you here. However, I can relate my personal experiences with the Lady of Liberty.

Review Author
Brian R. Baker
Published on
January 23, 2021
Company
Airfix
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$9.99

History

The Grumman F4F-4 “Wildcat” was the standard carrier fighter used by the United States Navy and Marine Corps at the beginning of World War II. It differed from the earlier F4F-3 by the addition of folding wings and extra armament. Although the F4F-4 could not outclimb or outmaneuver its chief antagonist, the Mitsubishi A6M-2 Zero, superior tactics and pilot skill usually tipped the balance in favor of the F4F, and eventually, the F4F was replaced by the superior F6F “Hellcat” and the F4U “Corsair”. The Zero, on the other hand, was only slightly modified during the course of its career, and that, along with the larger number of American fighters produced, helped the U.S. Navy’s efforts to defeat the Japanese. The operational history of the F4F is well known, and any serious modeler should be aware of the basic story, so it will not be repeated here.

Review Author
Brian R. Baker
Published on
May 3, 2016
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$73,538.00

This is a much more extensive set of PE details for the Airfix F4F-4 kit, and actually includes both the larger sheet and the smaller #SS538 PE sheet which has the cockpit details. In addition, the much larger PE sheet provides parts to construct more detailed wings, including flaps and sections of the folded wings. Some of the inner details for the wings in the folded position are provided, and they look excellent. Also, a new firewall is provided, and some details for it. A set of bomb racks and shackles is also on the sheet. The parts are relatively easy to prepare for assembly, but some careful trimming is required, and I would suggest using some pretty sophisticated magnification equipment, as these parts are pretty small and assembly is tedious. If you want to display your model with the flaps in the “down” position, this set will fill the bill.

However, there is a major philosophical problem here. The PE SHEET provides two sets of flaps,

Review Author
Brian R. Baker
Published on
May 3, 2016
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$9.95

This photoetched sheet provides a lot of detailed parts for the interior of the Airfix F4F-4 Wildcat kit. A total of 18 parts are provided on a sheet measuring about 2 inches by 1 ½ inches, which should tell you that some of the parts are extremely small. An instrument panel, metal pilot’s seat, and side panel details are included. In addition, some details are provided for the aircraft’s firewall, which can be seen behind the landing gear structure. There is a lot included here, and these will add to the detail if you are trying to super-detail the cockpit. Very detailed instructions are provided, which tell what parts to remove and replace with the PE parts. Be sure to follow the instructions carefully.

Recommendations

This set is highly recommended for adding additional detail to the cockpit of your Airfix F4F-4. It would also be useful in adding details to other F4F kits.

Review Author
Brian R. Baker
Published on
May 3, 2016
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$7.95

This is a mask set for the Airfix Grumman F4F-4 kit recently issued by Hornby-Airfix. It consists of a small sheet of yellow masking paper die cut so that the parts required can be easily removed without damage and applied to the areas to be masked. These include the clear glass areas of the cockpit canopy and the armpit windows below the wing. They fit exactly, and should quicken the painting process.

Recommendation

These are worth getting, and would be useful on the Hasegawa and Hobby Boss kits as well.

Review Author
Steve Collins
Published on
May 4, 2016
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$12.95

Scale Aircraft Conversions is known for making replacement landing gear for a wide variety of kits in virtually every scale in which model aircraft are available. This set is designed to replace the plastic gear in the Academy F-35A kit. The packaging says it’s for F-35A/B, but Academy doesn’t do an F-35B yet. The only F-35B kit in 1/72 that I know of currently is the Fujimi kit and these landing gear are a bit shorter and less beefy than the ones in that kit. Perhaps the guys at SAC know something we don’t.

Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
May 5, 2016
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$8.00

A perfect addition to your diorama or display base is this Aires Aerobonus figure. This WWI era German or Austro-Hungarian Aircraft Mechanic is carrying a replacement propeller. Aires Aerobonus provides a resin propeller along with a figure with separate arms and head on one pour stub with side bars to protect the figure. Of note is the re-sealable packaging that Quickboost uses that makes the parts easy to review and then stuff back into the package securely. The supplied instructions provide color drawings for painting.