If you are looking to relive the past with your modeling, one of the recent releases from Atlantis Models is the H-16 Transporter that was first released in 1955. Containing a mere 59 parts and measuring 9–3/4 inches when assembled (helicopter body length excluding rotor blades), the kit can take you back to a simpler time in the world of modeling. Just like the original release, the parts are molded in silver plastic along with a clear plastic nose canopy, observation blister, and left and right windows (placed behind the cockpit). This new kit includes a collectible trading card showing the box art as well as a stand that can be positioned. Built out-of-the-box, this kit can be fun for beginners as well as those experienced modelers looking to experience building the kit they may have built as a kid or just missed out on when they started modeling.

Aires has provided the Reviewer Corps with a resin replacement ejection seat for the A-4M/N Skyhawk in 1/48^th scale.

In the Package and Product Notes

The sample review was packaged in a plastic bag with cardboard backing with company labeling. Inside the package are paper instructions, photo-etched fret (seat belts), one poured resin part (the main seat), and a 3-D printed resin part (ejection handles & head padding). The detail and quality are excellent.

Review Process

I started by giving the resin part a warm soapy bath to remove any release agent. Using a razor saw, I removed the seat from the pour stub. The 3D printed parts were removed with good side cutting nippers. CA (Superglue) was used as the bonding agent to attach everything together.

The 1/32 Italeri Macchi M.C. 202 Folgore (Kit No. 2518) has garnered great attention to a large scale of an important yet often overlooked WWII Italian aircraft. This Aires aftermarket accessory provides everything for an early version seat for the pilot.

The resin and PE are well executed and defined, along with easy-to-follow instructions for construction. The Aires aftermarket seat is designed to integrate into the Italeri kit, using pieces of the seat frame, namely the tubular stand and pilot headrest. Construction of the seat was straight forward, and the use of PE straps gives a lifelike look to the seat, and thus cockpit.

It took a little over an hour to assemble, with most of the time being the removal of the resin pour block without damaging the four delicate seat mounting tabs. The addition of a seat cushion is what sets this seat apart from the kit seat. Painting was straightforward, resulting in a beautiful early seat for an iconic Italian warbird.

Kagero has issued a series of “References for Modelers”, each focusing on a specific subject. In this case, the P-51B Mustang. The format consists of color artwork, photos, and line drawings in two scales. A bonus decal sheet is included, along with color artwork in the centerfold showing their placement. Up front, the book explains that most of the photos have appeared elsewhere, but this series presents them differently. They have been enlarged enough to show details lost in smaller formats. Two great examples appear on pages four and five, one showing a close-up of the equipment behind the pilot’s seat and the other a nice view of bazooka tubes on a P-51 in China.

The X-15 stands in a unique position in the annals of aviation history as one of the most ambitious projects to ever explore the envelope of aerial performance. Flying a total of 199 missions in only three aircraft, it broke every record in the 1960’s, with a top speed of 4,520 miles an hour (Mach 6.7) and an altitude record of 102, 100 feet – records for a manned aircraft that remain unbroken to this day.

Both aircraft and engine were developed in the mid-1950s but weren’t operational until 1959. Made from a number of heat-resistant alloys and the most advanced developments of its day, the original version used a set of two rockets similar to the Bell X-1 rocket, each with four ventura and delivering 16,000 pounds of thrust. In time, the XLR99 rocket became available, delivering a whopping 57,000 pounds of thrust.