Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
June 15, 2016
Company
Master Model
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$9.00

A feature that you can quickly notice on the Sukhoi Su-15 Flagon-F is the complicated nose pitot tube. Although Trumpeter made a valiant effort in molding the Su-15 TM pitot tube with its twelve separate vanes, the limits of the injection molding process come into play. I have used another set that used a combination of resin and photo-etch that was an improvement, but assembly was very difficult and the photo-etched vanes don’t really convey their 3-D nature. This Master Model set provides a quantum leap over any previous attempt to portray the Su-15 TM nose pitot tube. As a bonus, Master Model also provides the ability to build the slightly less complex Flagon-A nose pitot tube. I have also listed the Trumpeter Su-15 UM Flagon-G above, but I only have conflicting evidence that this set will help that kit. There should be no problem for the wing mounted pitot, but I have seen a variety of nose pitot tubes for the Flagon-G.

Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
June 16, 2016
Company
Round 2 Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$149.95

Round 2 and Polar Lights has begun releasing full resin kits with The Wicked Witch, Kane from Alien and this kit, King Kong Triumphant. All of these kits are made of cold cast resin. This kit represents King Kong after the fight with the T-rex standing triumphantly on top of his beaten opponent. The kit was sculpted by Gabriel Marquez and represents the "long face" Kong from the film as animated by Willis O'Brien.

This kit is packed in perfect Styrofoam packaging with each piece nestling into a hole precut for it. The kit comes with Kong’s main body, his two arms, the base with the dead T-Rex and the dinosaurs left forearm. The kit has minimal to no seams with just a little clean up around the head of the dinosaur and a few in the fur. I prepped the kit using a Dremel with diamond bits and had it ready in no time.

Review Author
Andrew Birkbeck
Published on
June 16, 2016
Company
Tamiya
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$56.00

Background

The French military has a proud history of tank design, starting with the grandfather of all modern tanks, the FT-17 during the First World War. This was the first tank to incorporate a gun mounted in a rotating turret. Immediately prior to the start of the Second World War, the French Army fielded a good number of world class tanks such as the Somua S-35 (Tamiya kit 35344). But disaster struck the French, and their massive Army was humiliated when it was outmaneuvered by German forces in May 1940.

Review Author
Mike Lamm
Published on
June 16, 2016
Company
Hauler
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$17.00

Hauler produces photo-etched and resin upgrade sets for armored fighting vehicles (AFVs), airplanes, cars, railway vehicles, and dioramas. They also produce a few resin kits. Their products are in most of the common scale sizes, 1/72, 1/48, and 1/35, but they also produce a number of other items in common railroad hobbyist scales.

The kit for this review is a set of sharply cast resin Military Provisions. These military provisions include a number of different items, including a carving knife, 6 sausages, 3 wheels of cheese, 2 wooden buckets, 2 milk cans, 9 bottles, 6 loaves of bread, 3 crates of vegetables, and 2 bags of potatoes. In addition to the individual food items, this resin set includes parts to assemble a wooden wagon for hauling the food to the local farmer’s market.

Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
June 16, 2016
Company
Dragon Models
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$93.00

Before you read the overall review in this kit, let me start with a disclaimer: I’m not an armor guy. I’m an airplane guy that is that is very timidly exploring the armor genre. This is only my 3rd 1/35 model.

Having said that, Dragon is releasing a 1/35 Tiger I “Tunisia Initial”, with an impressive total of 24 sprues, including one clear sprue, a couple of small photo-etch frets and some metal cord to be used as a towing cable. Tracks are of the DS kind. Beware: some sprues have the same letter, so check if in the instructions they are printed in “black” or “light blue” to distinguish between them.

I think some (if not several) of these sprues have been released previously. Despite the different vintages of the sprues, all of them are molded in a medium grey plastic with clean sharp features and no flash anywhere.

Book Author(s)
Tony Butler & Alan Griffith
Review Author
Hub Plott
Published on
June 16, 2016
Company
Crecy Publishing, Ltd.
MSRP
$44.95

Luftwaffe ’46, Hikoki ’46 all have had many books and websites devoted to them, the paper projects, X-planes and wonder weapons of the enemy Axis Powers. Now there is a book that details all of the same from the US manufacturers.

We are given a nice hardback book filled with photos of those designs that actually were built or made it to the mock-up stage, and drawings of those that did not. Some of the drawings are just basic rendering of the aircraft, while others are more useful engineering drawings with dimensions and scale.

The chapter layout begins with USAAF single engine fighters. Here each manufacturer’s designs are discussed. From early Bell designs for what would become the P-39 to the XP-47H and J on to the XP-75 Eagle and beyond are all discussed. There are even drawings and a manufacturer’s model of the forward swept wing P-51.

Book Author(s)
Stelios Demiras
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
June 18, 2016
Company
Mr. Black Publications
MSRP
$29.95

MrBlack Publications is a fairly new company that publishes several series of Hobby Modelling and History books and magazines. This Scale Model Handbook series covers figures, but other series are devoted to other areas; i.e. armour, aircraft, dioramas, etc. This book includes a unique collection of work that is aimed at all levels of modelers. This issue features eight well known artists who describe their techniques for sculpting and painting their figures or busts. The book itself comes in a nice clear re-sealable cover for protection. The 52 pages include the covers. The inside covers and the last two pages are devoted to figure advertisers. If you visit the product web site, you will find additional photos of the contents.

Review Author
Ron Verburg
Published on
June 18, 2016
Company
Airfix
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$17.99

History

By the outbreak of WWII over 400 Albion 3-Point Fuellers were in use with the RAF both in Europe and the Far and Middle East. Many went to France with the RAF in 1940, and suffered a similar fate to the vehicles of the British Army, being abandoned on the run back to Dunkirk.

Those that remained gave sterling service during the Battle of Britain, helping to quickly refuel fighters in between sorties, their three refueling hoses drastically cutting down the time needed.

Construction

The kit is produced by Airfix, a well-known maker of scale model kits. The kit arrives in a very colorful box with artwork of an Albion refueling a Hurricane. There are some test shot photos displayed on the side of the box showing detail of the cab and pump.

Review Author
Doug Cole
Published on
June 18, 2016
Company
Moebius Models
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$32.49

The Moebius website sums up this vehicle by noting,

The Special was a fastback version of the 1954 Hudson Hornet favored by stock class drag racers in the 1960's. Complete with the high performance 308 Hudson engine, this kit replicates this unusual car in 1/25 scale.

In its purely stock form this car was still a hallmark of speed and handling. By ’55 the innovation of Hudson would begin to yield to the corporate manufacturers sporting V-8 engines, but in 1954 the “Hornet” was still the one to beat!

Review Author
Jim Pearsall
Published on
June 19, 2016
Company
Master Model
Scale
1/144
MSRP
$3.53

There are now (according to Hannants) three kits of the Vickers Valiant available in 1/144 scale. The oldest is the Welsh Models vac form kit, followed by the Anigrand. The newest is from Micro Mir.

This installation is on the Anigrand kit, because I don’t have a Micro Mir kit yet.

Installation

Installation instructions show 2 steps. I’ve expanded that to 4

  1. Cut off the plastic probe at the indicated spot. I then used a sanding stick to get a flat surface which I could drill.
  2. Drill a .25mm hole. Test fit a couple of times to be sure it’s deep enough. (NOTE the instructions call for .4mm. I think that’s a little too big.
  3. Use CA glue to hold the brass part.
  4. Paint the finished installation.

Then the other pitot tube, on the other wing. Follow the same 4 steps.

The most difficult part of the whole operation is getting the drill to start in the cut off on the wing, and then keeping it straight.