Italeri has put together a set of models to commemorate the anniversary of the Gulf War. The set includes tanks and helicopters from the United States and Iraq. Iraq is represented by the T-62 main battle tank and the Hind-D MI-25 helicopter, while the U.S. is represented by the M-1A1 main battle tank and the Cobra AH-1W helicopter.

Since this is a large box of models, Jim Pearsall asked me if I would like to build the Helos from the set. I was glad to accept because both of these models are on my “Models I want to build list”.

Dan Sharp studied history at the University of Liverpool and has worked as a writer and editor since 1998. As a hobby he began doing primary source research that has resulted in quite a few historical aviation books. These include Cold War – Sex, Spies and Nuclear Missiles (2013), Messerschmitt Me 262: Secret Projects and Experimental Prototypes (2013), Messerschmitt Bf 109: Secret Projects and Experimental Prototypes (2013), Dueling Above the Trenches – Sopwith Aircraft of the Great War (2014), D-Day Operation Overlord and the Battle for Normandy (2014), Luftwaffe Secret Jets of the Third Reich (2015), Spitfires Over Berlin (2015), The Hated Volksjäger: Histories of the Heinkel He 162 (2015), and Luftwaffe – Secret Bombers of the Third Reich (2016). Dan Sharp currently lives in Nottinghamshire with his wife and two children.

This is a photoetch exterior upgrade set to for the Revell Ventura MkII. The set adds some great additional details to the kit.

In the packet is

• 1 large photoetch steel sheet
• 1 instruction sheet

Summary

This is a fantastic set and adds some really nice additional details and parts to the kit. The set includes machine gun details, light surrounds, engine wiring, lots of access panels, Main door, and many may more parts. The set does require some hard work when it comes to adding all the engine wiring but it’s well worth the effort. The only issues I found were A- the items 48 and 49 were a little too big and may have been better installed at stage 10 of the build. B- The parts 24 and 25 were a little short. If you have the Revell kit you have to get this set as it adds details that make the kit really look great!

Thanks go to Eduard for providing this set to review and IPMS USA for allowing me to review it for them.

Yefim Gordon was born in 1950 in Vilnius, Lithuania (then part of the Soviet Union) and graduated from the Kaunas Polytechnic Institute in 1972. He has been researching Soviet and Russian aviation history for more than 40 years. A professional photographer, Yefim Gordon has published hundreds of features and photographs in Russian and foreign aviation magazines. He has authored and co-authored more than 120 books on Soviet and Russian aviation.

Dmitriy Komissarov was born in 1968 in Moscow and graduated from the Moscow State Linguistics University in 1992. He has worked as a translator ever since, with the most of his work associated with his interest in aviation. Dmitriy Komissarov has authored two books and translated or co-authored more than 50 others. He has also written numerous magazine features in two languages on Soviet and Russian aviation.

The L-29 Delfin was a jet-powered trainer airplane that was designed by the Aero Company of Czechoslovakia. An excellent kit of the Delfin has recently been released in 1/72 scale by AMK. Although this kit, in my opinion, is very good, our friends at Aires/Quickboost have found some areas where the accuracy of various parts can be improved.

This set from Quickboost provides wing mounted pylons. The AMK kit provides combination pylon and fuel tanks. These look good but there are cases where the modeler may want to build a model without the wing tanks. The modeler may want to include some wing mounted munitions or they may simply want a model with only the pylon. Many photos of the L-29 on display etc. show the plane with only the pylons.