Airfix has a long tradition of packaging kits into gift sets. This tradition continues with the release of the Bomber Command Gift Set. As you can see from the box, profits go to an RAF charity. They have blended their ground support set with a Lancaster Bomber, making for a Bomber Command gift set. I have had the opportunity over the past several years to review the newer kits that Airfix is releasing, and I have been very pleased with their choice of subjects, improved instructions, and ease of assembly. This continues with this gift set. Airfix usually adds some extras to their gift sets. This gift set includes little plastic bottles of Humbrol paint that correspond to the painting instructions. It also has two little tubes of plastic cement. Having never used Airfix cement, in spite of its smell, I certainly like it better than the traditional Testors plastic cement.

Furball; a dogfighters’ term for a fighter-themed modeling company. We sincerely appreciate Furball Aero-Design’s support of IPMS USA and their providing one more of their great products for review. And thanks to the reviewer corps leaders for sending this set to me to review!

Everyone who loves to mask flaps and slats on white-belly marked F-14’s, raise your hands. (Not you, Scott, I know you hate Navy stuff and won’t touch them). Long story there...

Anyway, for the other hundreds who didn’t raise your hands and laboriously mask off the white slats and flaps on your Tomcats with bits of masking tape and swearing profusely, Furball has a simple solution: This very fine vinyl mask set!

To use: assemble Tamiya’s F-14 wings, and do all your prep work (seams, etc). Stick the wings on a holding fixture (I found the kit runners had some candidates), then primer with white.

Back in ’77 the AMC Pacer was arguably ahead of its time. The expanded windows were a definite safety feature allowing greater visibility, and the sub-compact (now the same size as some mid-size cars) had great fuel consumption. Unfortunately, it was “too far ahead” and people described its odd look as an upside-down fishbowl.

To those who model Soviet era and modern Russian aircraft there has been a welcome proliferation of weapons which have emerged on the market, so we have something to hang on aircraft models other than rocket launchers and dumb bombs. Unlike the west, the Soviet, and now Russian military is not known for the use of smart ordnance, and rare were the pictures of them fitted. But a wide range of weapons exist for specialized missions and the pictures coming from Syria show smart weapons being hung.

A new manufacturer from Russia has come on the scene to offer perhaps the widest range of munitions than we have seen so far on the market – Advanced Modeling (AM). Multi-media kits with cleanly cast in gray, durable resin; the detail is superb.

Background

The Dassault Aviation company of France has been producing and exporting delta wing aircraft for 50 years. The first production series, the Mirage III, 5 and 50 started production around 1960. By the time production had ceased, over 1400 of these first-generation had been produced and various versions were in use in around twenty countries. The aircraft had a reputation for good performance, the ability to fulfill many different tasks and reasonable cost. In many cases, some components were produced in the customer country.