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all 2021

Product

Sea Harrier FRS.1/FA.2 Wheel Bay
Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$29.00

Czech Manufacturer Aires Hobby Models has released an aftermarket set to replace the Sea Harrier FRS.1/FA.2 wheel bays. The Sea Harrier has two main wheel bays (nose and ventral) and this kit provides you parts for both. As an ‘extra’ you even get the interior part of the SHAR air intake -the area just behind the cockpit area- molded in resin.

All parts are molded in cream-colored resin. The parts are free of surface defects and/or part lines.

All parts are superbly molded, with a level of detail that plastic simply cannot replicate, including superbly detailed air compressed tanks, hydraulic fluid tanks and valves. You even get individual electrical wires molded into the resin. Detail painting will pay off.

Pouring stabs are of moderate size and removal of them might take a bit of effort. Likely plastic parts modification would be needed, mainly on the ventral bay.

Product

Sea Harrier FRS.1/FA.2 Exhaust Nozzles

Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$11.89

Czech manufacturer Aires released a resin drop-in set for the Kinetic Sea Harrier in 1/48 scale.

Parts are cast in a cream-colored resin, with good surface detail (including rivets and panel lines) and no part lines. The parts are free of any surface defects or bubbles.

Attachment points of the pouring blocks are thin and easy to remove. More importantly, they are located in an area that will be hidden away when fully assembled, making any minor clean up error invisible in the final model.

Parts are designed to be drop-in replacements to their plastic counterparts, so no concern about fit or modification of the receiving plastic.

Please note that while the exhausts nozzles do look very similar, there are two that go in the front and to that go in the back. There are some small ‘ribs’ on top of the exhaust that would help you tell them apart.

Cover

Swedish Bomber Colours – 1924-1958
Book Author(s)
Mikael Forslund
Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
Company
Mushroom Model Publications - MMP Books
MSRP
$62.00

MMP Books continues its series of “Colours of…” Smaller European Air Forces. This time, the Bombers of the Swedish Air Force in the 1924-1058 period are covered. This period cover the critical years of World War II when these aircraft performed a critical job of protecting Swedish neutrality.

Don’t let the word “Colours… “ in the title fool you. This book is not just about color profiles and camouflages - a topic which is certainly covered extensively.

This book also has plenty of historical facts, operational details, plus some stories like when a Ca.313 was being tested as a dive-bomber by the Swedish pilots and an Italian engineer came up crawling to the pilot to say: “Please, signor - I have a wife and ten children to provide for!”

In particular this book covers the following airframes

Box Art

Jagdpanzer Marder I (Sd.Kfz.135)
Review Author
Will Kuhrt
Published on
Company
Tamiya
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$41.00

I would first like to give a HUGE shoutout to Mr. Gary Demory, Tamiya America Customer Service Supervisor without whose help this review may not have been able to be completed. During work on this project, I had a “the dog ate my homework” moment when a series of parts was suddenly missing from my workbench, and the guilty party kept saying, “I didn’t do it.” What to do? In spite of Tamiya’s California office being closed due to the pandemic, Gary went to great lengths to assist me in getting the parts I needed. Thanks for all of your help and outstanding service, Gary!

First Impression

The Marder I was a WWII German tank destroyer with a 75mm PaK-40 anti-tank gun. Most of the Marders were actually constructed on the base of a French artillery tractor (Trachteur Blindè 37L), which Germany had acquired more than 300 of after the fall of France in 1940.

Cover

Yugoslav Fighter Colours 1919-1941 – Vol 1

Book Author(s)
Petrovic & Nikolic
Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
Company
Mushroom Model Publications - MMP Books
MSRP
$55.00

MMP Books continues its series of “Colours of…” Eastern European Air Forces. This time the Yugoslav Air Force in the 1919-1941 period is covered. The first volume covers the period immediate to the end of World War I up to a few years before World War II.

In particular this book covers the following airframes

  • Nieuport 24 & 27
  • Spad S.7
  • Albatross D.III
  • Phonix D.I & D.II
  • Aviatik D.I
  • Ansaldo SVA 5
  • Bristol F.2b
  • Dewoitine D.1
  • Dewoitine D.9
  • Dewoitine D.27
  • Avia BH-33E
  • Potez 25 A2

The book has chapters for each aircraft type in detail, including an introduction of how the airframe entered service. It finishes each section with a sub-chapter devoted to the camouflage colors, patterns and gorgeous color profiles (sometime even 3-view) of different aircrafts, next to a historical picture of the airplane.