What's in the Box?

• 13 grey plastic sprues
• 1 plastic lower hull
• 1 Photo etch sheet
• 2 bags of magic tracks (one left and one right)
• 1 decal sheet
• 1 set of Instructions

Background

The SU76I was based on the German Panzer III and Stug III chassis. It was armed with a 76.2 mm gun. Approximately 200 of these captured vehicles were converted by the Russians. A new superstructure enclosing the 76.2 mm gun was added to the tank. The tank was issued to self-propelled gun units starting in autumn 1943, but it was withdrawn from the front in early 1944. Some SU-76i were recaptured by the Germans who added a Panzer III commander’s copula fixed on the roof. I found this to be very interesting in that the original vehicles had been re-purposed twice.

Extreme appreciation to Academy and their USA distributor Model Rectifier Corporation for sending out this new version of their venerable F-4B/N kit, and the usual cheerleading wave of thanks to the IPMS USA leadership for sending it to me.

This kit sat a while in the link. I’ve built two of the Academy F-4’s, a “B” and a “J”, and had impressive results from even MY feeble modeling skills. Kits like this take a bit of time to construct, but are well worth it in the end.

What’s in the box are the same parts from the previous Academy Rhinos, with the exception of single color gray plastic, with no white, black, and gray parts. Yes, also clear parts. The decal sheet is new, for two plain-Jane gull gray over white F-4B’s from the Vietnam era for VMFA 531, The “Gray Ghosts”. The last version is the overall Light Gull Gray scheme with a Dark blue fin and markings. Yep, I went for some original color!

Extreme appreciation to Eduard for their having once again provided a sample copy of a long-awaited product, the F-8E Crusader, and the usual wave of thanks to the IPMS USA leadership for ensuring I received it!

This upgrade provides additional detail for the recently re-released Hasegawa F-8E crusader under the banner of Eduard, in the form of a hollowed out intake with visible depth to the intake. Just four parts here; two very thin PE baseplates with rivet detail, and the scoops themselves.

Installation steps: drill the two mounting holes in the afterburner position on the model at the pre-located drill hole wells from the inside, then carefully remove the PE baseplates from their fret. Dress the cut marks with your favorite method, then set aside.

Coastalkits from the UK has produced a line of model display bases in various national insignia designs. This particular design is a replica of a USAAF insignia (white star on blue background) circular cutout. The diameter is 200 mm (about 7&3/4 inches) and is suitable for small to medium sized 1/72 scale aircraft. Other insignia designs include Royal AF, Royal Australian AF, Hellenic AF, French AF, Soviet AF, and Canadian AF, along with some scaled airfield designs.

The resolution of the printing is excellent, and provides an eye-catching background setting as an added presentation touch for your latest masterpiece at contests, or in your display case at home. The artboard core of the base makes for a lightweight addition to your contest take-along accessories that will make your model stand out from those that are simply placed on top of the standard entry paperwork.

This resin kits is of the standard US Tow Tractor used on airfields from the beginning of WWII to the 1950’s. This is such a nice addition to any airfield diorama. The kit represents the factory basic version as delivered these were customized a lot so you can modify it to suit any reference material you have. The kit is very easy to build as long as you watch the instruction details carefully.

In the box is:

• 35 resin parts
• 1 plastic rod
• 1 instruction booklet

All the parts are all very well details with no defects. Once the parts are removed from the base parts they are extremely well molded with no flash or bubbles.

Construction

The build is very easy and is made up of 12 steps. I had no issues with the build, very little filling was required. It when together beautifully. There is also an optional rear armor plate that can be installed.

Scale Aircraft Conversions specializes in white metal replacement parts. Its line of replacement landing gear has been expanded to include a set for the 1/48 Hobbyboss IAR-80.

The set includes 5 parts with the following breakdown: two main landing gear struts plus actuator arms for the above and a tail skid. The parts are finely molded in white metal. These parts are drop-in replacements for the plastic parts.

I should say that these parts are more than just drop-in replacements. Many of the white metal parts actually comprise the equivalent of a few plastic parts, so you get an easier job of assembling the landing gear as you have fewer parts to deal with.

Note that in this particular set, you will have to bend “open” the wheel fork for the main landing gear in order to install the wheel and then bend it back to the “closed” position. This is not an issue because you are using white metal.

Recommended to modelers of all skill levels.

Extreme appreciation to Eduard for their having once again provided a sample copy of a long-awaited product, the F-8E Crusader, and the usual wave of thanks to the IPMS USA leadership for ensuring I received it!

This upgrade provides additional detail for the recently re-released Hasegawa F-8E crusader under the banner of Eduard, in the form of a detailed Exhaust nozzle for the afterburner section.

I begin by spray priming all the parts with Tamiya spray gray primer to allow the color paints and weathering to commence.

The Büssing-NAG 4.5 ton truck was manufactured for the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe between 1942 & 1945. The truck was adapted for many uses including cargo, troop carrier, artillery prime mover, flak carriage, and even a version that could run on railroad tracks. This particular version of the Bussing Nag was fitted with a Bilstein 3 ton crane which could be used to lift engines and change tank gun barrels. After 1943, the Büssing-NAG with 3 ton Bilstein crane was designated Kfz. 100.

The Büssing-NAG was first issued by AFV Club in 2012 as a cargo truck, again in 2014 with new parts, and this version in 2015 with the Bilstein Crane.

Introduction

I won’t go into the history of the Valentine Tank because each modeler, I’m sure, does his own research before beginning the build. But, what I found interesting was the different opinions as to how the Valentine got its name. One reference implies that the name came from the middle name of Sir John Carden, the designer of the A9 and A10 which were prototypes of the Valentine. Another reference article states that the name came from an acronym of the designer. (Vickers Armstrong Limited Engineers Newcastle-upon-Tyne). Even other references imply that the name came from the date it was introduced to the Army of which was Valentine’s Day, February 14th, 1938. Whatever the reason for the name, the Valentine and its variations continued to be used. As to accuracy of the model, it does appear to be very accurate when compared to some scale line drawings.

Coming in under budget, on schedule and underway the McDonnell Douglas F/A -18 E/F have replaced 4 separate aircraft for the US Navy. The Super Hornet has more powerful engines and can carry war weapons further then the previous Legacy Hornets. Congress was quick to approve the new Hornet which is an advanced derivative of the existing Hornet.

Revell has recently re-released both versions of the new modern Super Hornet. The version I chose to model is a specially decorated version of the Super Hornet from VX-23 “Salty Dogs” (Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23) NAS Pax River, Maryland. Sporting very bright blue diamond stripe with red and white checks down the spine and bright blue vertical stabilizers, this is remarkably attractive aircraft. The second airframe on the decal sheet is A CAG bird from VFA-32 the Fighting Swordsman's from Navel Air Station Oceania, Virginia Beach Virginia.

The Vehicle

Every armed force in World War II used civilian automobiles as transportation for “important” people. There were American Dodges, Buicks, and Fords. The British used Bentleys and Austin. The Germans used Opels and Horches. Brengun doesn’t specify which model of automobile this kit represents, but it’s obviously a “luxury” car, with a hard top and 4 doors. It’s definitely nicer than Hans-Joachim Marseille’s Kubelwagen.

The Kit

You get two resin staff cars in the kit. There is a PE fret an instruction sheet, and a small decal sheet with license plates for two cars.

Assembly

There really isn’t any assembly to this kit. I removed the pour block from the connectors at the bottom of the car, and then cut these connectors off of the bottom of the car.

The Kfir entered service with the Israel Air Force in 1975, modeled after the Dassault Mirage 5. The Kfir is currently in service in Colombia, Ecuador, and Sri Lanka and was retired from the Israel Air Force in the 1990s. A total of roughly 220 were built over that time frame.

Like most kits, you have the ability to build 2 different squadrons, one from the first fighters squadron Kfir C2 #874 that has a mostly gray scale paint scheme, and one from The Arava Guardians Squadron Kfir C7 #555. Both options come with two different types of armament and the instructions are very easy to follow showing distinctions in the planes. The detail in the rest of the kit is extremely well done. The fuselage comes together very nicely and I only had to do some slight sanding on the top to get it to look like one piece. There were definitely a lot of decals to work with on this model, as I’ll get into later.

The Kit

This is a replacement or upgrade for the Brengun He-162 kits. There are two canopies on the Vac-Form plastic. I didn’t look at this item until I was ready to install the canopy, and I now wish I had looked closer and sooner. One of the canopies is a direct replacement for the kit item. The other one is the AMS version. It’s a little longer, and there’s an area between the windscreen and canopy which can be cut out so you can build your He-162 with the canopy open.

Of course this will require quite a bit of interior detailing for the cockpit. The Brengun kit comes with a seat, a stick and a blank instrument panel. Obviously it would require seat belts, instruments, rudder pedals, a throttle, and the open canopy support rod. As I said, AMS version.

Plus Model was established in 1990 in The Czech Republic. Their product range is comprised primarily of 1/35th scale resin kits, conversion sets, and accessories which are vacuum cast from polyurethane plastic

• Square Topped Window
  • Item# 498
  • $17.30
• Round Topped Window
  • Item# 502
  • $17.30

They offer a superb line of quality dioramas made from a specially hardened gypsum, styrene sheets, of varying thickness for your own use and design, and other modeler accessories or tools. They also have a wide range of printed-paper 1/35^th scale accessories - scale posters, road signs, rations boxes, tents, etc.

The Aircraft

The Heinkel 162 series was a last-ditch effort by the RLM to stop the destruction of Germany’s industries, transportation system and energy distribution by Allied bombing. The project began in September of 1944, with the prototypes first flown in December.

The He-162A versions were mostly wood construction, with the single turbojet engine. It ended up being the fastest jet fighter flown during WW2. The wood construction turned out to be highly problematical, as the glue used was not compatible with the wood, and the second prototype flight ended with one aileron coming apart, and the aircraft crashed, killing the pilot.

The He-162A also suffered from weakness in the horizontal and vertical stabilizers on the tail. The He-162D’s V tail was supposed to solve this problem.

There were also stability problems with the He-162A, which the forward-swept wings might have taken care of.

The CBU-105 Cluster Bomb Dispenser was an improved version of the unguided CBU-97. The primary change was the including of a GPS system and tail fins to more accurately place the weapon. This also allows the interior bombs, BLU-108 submunitions to rain down and destroy tanks, antiaircraft and more.

Eduard has produced a wonderfully detailed set of six resin cast CBU-105 bomb in this release. The set is cast in the standard Eduard gray resin. Prep work involved cutting the fins and the front bomb off the casting blocks, sanding smooth and then gluing together. One note, make sure you glue the rear fins on in the correct orientation- the drawings are excellent so follow them! I fixed any seams with putty smooth with lacquer thinner. This was then primed with Alclad gray primer.

The AIM-9 Sidewinder has been a mainstay of the US Air-to-Air arsenal since the 1950s. The AIM-9G/H was used extensively in the Vietnam War by US Navy. Most of the Navy kills during the war were with the AIM-9G. The later AIM-9H was a navalized version of the AIM-9G and had the highest kill ratio of the Vietnam War. The difference between the two missiles were all internal with the H having solid state electronics. The AIM-9H missiles were used well into the 1970s when they were superseded by the AIM-9L.

Over the relatively short time that MiniArt has existed, I have been consistently impressed by the imagination and daring of their figure releases. They have released wonderful civilians, troops and tank crews, often filling gaps no other manufacturer has been able to do. I’ve had wonderful results from their French and Italian tankers, and look forward to getting their Hungarian tank crew soon.

MiniArt has done it again with this current release, filling a void that has been in the armor field for quite awhile. On examining the contents of the box, you get five full figures, two of whom are in relatively typical light grey overalls, two in what can only be described as “pseudo-Russian” uniforms, and a single figure who really seems to exemplify the Finnish, with a mix of a Russian-style black leather jacket, Finnish riding pants and very local-looking boots.

Kitty Hawk Models has already released a 1/48th scale kit of the French Super Etendard. They are now gracing the shelves of your local hobby shop with an earlier version of that aircraft: the Dassault Etendard IVP/IVM. This model represents the maritime strike (IVM) or photo reconnaissance (IVP) version of the aircraft.

Etendard is the French word for standard or banner. For some historical perspective on the Dassault Etendard, I'd refer you to Air Vectors website. Air Vectors has a nice history of the type from the Etendard II through the Super Etendard, for your edification.

The U.S. Army accepted their first M109 in 1963. The M109 sported the short barrel (23 Caliber) 155mm M126 gun. Since 1963 the M109 has gone through a series of changes and upgrades. Most notable is the change to the longer barreled (39 Caliber) M185 gun on the M109A1 and the removal of the external floatation kit and addition of the external ammunition storage box on the M109A2.

The Israelis received their first 60 M109s in 1967. After years of boycotts, refusals, and subterfuge, the United States agreed to openly sell Israel much needed modern armored fighting vehicles. The only changes the IDF did to the original M109s were to add some hull mounted crew rails on the side and the conversion of some muzzle brakes to the Soltam version (probably for testing purposes).

The Mi-24 Hind is one of the meanest attack helicopters on the battlefield. It is huge, ugly and spectacularly brutish. The Hind-D/E had a 12.7 YakB machine gun mounted in a turret under the nose. This gun was capable of carrying 1,470 rounds of 12.7mm ammunition and firing at a rate of 4,500 rounds a minute. This gun is a whole lot of whoop ass to go along with its brutish looks.

Master Model has started to release some helicopter armament systems in their turned metal barrel range. The third in the 1/35^th scale series is the gun and DUAS Probe for the Mi-24D/E.

Cross & Cockade has released their 2018 calendar and it is quite an edition to one’s Man Cave. As in past years, you are advised to order your copy now, and not wait. There may be a limited supply of these calendars and you do not want to miss out because you waited until the supply ran out.

According to Roger Tisdale of Cross & Cockade, the profits from the sale of the 2018 Cross and Cockade International Calendar are once again going to assist in the upkeep of the British Air Services Memorial at the St-Omer airfield in northern France”. This is a very worthy cause and deserving of your support. One can check out the St-Omer Memorial.

The first mockup of the F2H was actually completed before the end of WWII. A continuation of the FH-1 Phantom program, the F2H was a progressive step in the Navy’s effort to develop jet aircraft for carrier operation. The Banshee, as it was called, entered service in 1948, served in the Korean War, and wasn’t retired until 1961. It was also operational with the Canadian Navy until 1962.

Guns and pitot probes on most plastic model aircraft leave a lot to be desired. There is often a mold seam down the center of the guns or pitot probe. Another set of problems are that the same parts, once cleaned up, are usually oval shaped in diameter, and the guns do not have that proper “hollowed” look of a real gun barrel. In some scales, such as 1/72, it would be difficult if not impossible to drill out these plastic gun barrels and pitot tubes.

Master Model has solved this problem with an aftermarket kit for the A-1 Skyraider. This kit consists of five metal parts, four gun barrels with flash hiders and a pitot probe to replace the kit’s pitot probe. Each gun barrel is realistically hollow on the inside, with the thickness of the barrel in scale with the model. Master Model’s parts are not unique to a specific A-1 kit, but are compatible with any 1/72 scale A-1 Skyraider kit, no matter which variant it is.

This is not a highly-detailed kit, but can be an entertaining build for both less experienced and more advanced modelers. Less experienced modelers will enjoy the ease of assembly, and can build the kit without painting. More advanced modelers looking for construction equipment will find the kit to be an opportunity for some extreme weathering.

Background

This is the second kit Hasegawa has produced based on the Hitachi tracked excavator. The first was the Double Arm Working Machine Astaco Neo released in 2015 and updated in 2017 with new parts. This new Hitachi Zaxis kit retains the grasping claw from the Double Arm kit, but adds an excavator bucket and dozer blade as additional options.

The Zaxis 135US-6 excavator is used by contractors needing a tight tail-swing radius to work in confined areas around obstacles. The excavator is equipped with an Isuzu engine.