Reviews

Review Author
Michael Novosad
Published on
Company
Dragon Models
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$59.95

History and Performance

The Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two, by Chamberlain, Doyle and Jentz, show that 319 Sd. Kfz. 7/1 fitted with quad 2 cm FV38 were produced until October 1944, and 123 Sd. Kfz. 7/2 fitted with 3.7 cm FlaK 36 were produced until February 1945. This review addresses the latter vehicle. These vehicles were issued to FlaK units of the Luftwaffe.

I scoured many of the personal library references and found very few images of these vehicles. Nonetheless, this looks like a very interesting build.

Review Author
Michael Scott
Published on
Company
Hobby Design
Scale
1/20
MSRP
$29.95

This detail set if for Tamiya's new F1 F60 car kit. It incorporates three frets of etched metal parts. The fret for the wing and aerodynamic body parts is relatively heavy, which should make these parts more resistant to breakage and warping as well as being more in scale. The other detail parts on the two remaining frets are of lighter material, not brass, but seem to be a light steel or perhaps aluminum alloy. As a nice touch, a Bridgestone tire painting template is included which would be useful for many other kits that do not include pre-painted Bridgestone tires.

Book Author(s)
Thomas Brinkman
Review Author
Michael Novosad
Published on
Company
Thomas Brinkman
MSRP
$24.95

Editor: This review updated 24 July 2011 with book author's e-mail address corrected

This is the 6th edition of this publication, published in 2010 and printed in May 2011. I reviewed the 5th Edition, published in January 2009. For those of you who may have missed the previous review I will include some of the original comments in this updated review.

When the previous An Aeronautical Engineer’s View….The Vought F4U Corsair and its Contemporaries first arrived for my review I scanned through the pages and the only picture I found was that of the author. I need reference pictures, lots of pictures, of the Corsair, wheel wells, the cockpit, details, markings and so on. I thrive on line drawings. Nonetheless I had an obligation to review the publication, and the only way to do that was to read it.

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$12.00

Thanks once again to Quickboost, and Aires Hobby Models for providing IPMS USA review items; more cool stuff for us!

This is a “well-then” item for me. I wondered why, and learned soon. Enclosed in the upgrade are propellers, spinners, and a jig to make sure the props are properly aligned. This is a cool set, and here’s why: in the side-by side pictures, you will note the kit items have a split spinner, with front and back parts. The props are ok, but could use a bit of “tweaking”. These are ok if you don’t mind a seam through where the props attach. I’ve built a few of these kits, and always had a bit of filler required to finish the spinner.

Review Author
Michael Scott
Published on
Company
Model Art
MSRP
$42.95

Although this large format publication on fine, heavy paper is almost entirely written in Japanese, it does feature an extensive set of line drawings detailing every bit of the surface features found on the various versions of IJN Mogami. Like 140 pages of them. Fortunately for English reading modelers, each page features explanatory text in both Japanese and English.

Review Author
Ken McDevitt
Published on
Company
True Details
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$9.99

Description

Includes 2 resin AIM-26B missiles with separate exhaust nozzles. Designed for the Revell/Monogram kits (Note: these missiles are also included in the resin detail parts of the Encore F-102A kit).

History

The AIM-26 Falcon was a larger, more powerful version of the AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missile built by Hughes. The AIM-26A, with the nuclear warhead, entered service in 1961 with the Air Defense Command F-102 Delta Dagger interceptors. It used a radar proximity fuse and a radar guidance system. To date, it is the only guided U.S. air-to-air weapon ever to carry a nuclear warhead. Considering the issues with using nuclear weapons over the US homeland and friendly territories, the missile was eventually converted to a conventional high explosive warhead and designated the AIM-26B. These were carried by the F-102s, F-106s, and the J35 Draken (designated as RB27).

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$6.50

Thanks once again to Quickboost for providing IPMS USA review items; they have become quite prolific in output!

As usual, Quickboost provides a fast one-for-one replacement for the kit item, in this case the dorsal intake on the SU-24. A very visible item, the kit intake is a two-part box, and is “OK” out of the box; it uses the fuselage as its lower floor... Quick boost steps up and improves, providing an intake that has a more refined, rounded intake, and an exhaust section with the lower “floor” incorporated, which when carefully removed from the pour stub fits right in place of the kit items; it even has the locating tabs to make it easy.

Review Author
Michael Scott
Published on
Company
Albatros Productions, Ltd.
MSRP
$18.00

This one is especially interesting to me because of the Wingnut Wings Hansa-Brandenburg W.29s on the cover and since I am in the process of finishing up one of these models. For WWI aviation enthusiasts and modelers, this publication is hard to beat.

Logbook entries review many of the latest WWI publications - magazines and books. This is followed by a big article entitled, "Builda Betta Burga!", which is dedicated to the Wingnut Wings W.29 kit. The editor builds a fine model and takes you through the build in detail, pointing out potential gotcha's and things to be aware of. There is also a page dedicated to the Benz Bz.III engine using contemporary drawings and what seem to be photographs. Nice.

This is followed by a good two-page article, "Aspects of the Hansa Brandenburg W29" by Harry Woodman discussing little known facts about the plane and its combat experiences. Following is a two page spread of scale drawings of the De Havilland DH11 Oxford.

Book Author(s)
Wojtek Matusiak, Illustrations: Robert Grudzien, Line Drawings: Melinda Turnage
Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
Company
Stratus
MSRP
$21.25

Stratus Publishing continues its line of “Polish Wings”, this time with a book devoted to the Spitfire Mk IX and its pilots during the period 1942-1943.

Among the first polish pilots to fly the Spitfire Mk IX were members of the ATA (Air Transport Auxiliary) which will deliver airplanes from the assembly line to operational squadrons. Among them were at least two female polish pilots, which got to fly the Spitfire Mk IX before the operational polish pilots in the RAF. Apparently that didn’t go over well at the time, but I’m glad that the record is kept straight and recognition is given to whom it deserved (in this case, two female pilots).

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$15.95

One more excellent re- release from Revell; the copyright date is 1994 on this one, and I remember being able to purchase it for about the same price as it is being offered today. Thanks to Revell for providing IPMS USA this review item and the opportunity to build this kit again without collector prices!

This is a basic kit; originally released as a MASH bird, with a co-release of the MASH cast in another kit, targeted for the TV audiences. It is an accurate 1/32 kit of a late H-13; earlier versions had a single flat tank with non-tip weighted main rotor blades… Later ones had more power, twin fuel tanks, and weighted rotors to maintain rotor energy during autorotation. Up front, this is not a simple build.