Introduction

Who doesn’t remember Airwolf? This show is everything good about the 80’s wrapped up into one full hour every weeknight! Highlights from the show include: the spy game, technology, the Communist threat, and, of course, one sleek, futuristic aircraft. Using a Bell 222, the producers of Airwolf designed a supersonic helicopter complete with enough weapons to take down an army, as well as every electronic gizmo. But this review isn’t about the show…so let’s get onto the kit, shall we?

The Kit

At first glance, the kit is a very cleanly cast. Everything is chock full of wonderful detail and very little flash. Included are two versions of the fuselage – clear and black. I will touch on these later, but let’s just say to throw the clear one away, it has no use. Additionally, the kit comes with a stand featuring 3 points of articulation…I loved the stand so much that I have asked Aoshima to release them separately.

This is the second Cyber Hobby ship model that I have been privileged to build as a reviewer (the first being the USS Virginia), and I will say that this was just as enjoyable of a build, representing a cruiser that saw service over five decades. There were no real complications with the build itself, but know going in that there are several photo etch items to add, and there are many small parts in the kit. The most challenging part of building this kit for me was the decals that are applied on the deck. If you have a fondness for the USS Chicago, or want to build a Baltimore-class heavy cruiser, I would highly recommend this kit for you.

The Hobby Boss Ta-152C is a really nice kit; however, they made one really big mistake. They made the forward cowling with the incorrect oil cooler. It should have an annular oil cooler design. This is difficult to make in plastic, but in resin it is easy. This set will change the whole look of your kit’s nose.

Molded in light grey resin that is perfectly formed and blemish-free on a moderate pour block, the cowling has the annular cooler molded perfectly inside the cowling. The cowl flaps are molded closed. This may be not to some builders’ likings. I think it is fine just the way it is.

If you want to make your Hobby Boss Ta-152C an exceptional kit, you will need this engine cowling. This will address the biggest issue with the Hobby Boss Ta-152C in a simple, effective, and inexpensive way – a replacement for their forward cowling.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the review copy.

I doubt the P-38 Lightning needs any introduction to modelers, as it has been a favorite of many of us for a long time. This Hobby Boss release is one of their latest in the Easy Build series of 1/72 scale kits and is a late-war -L version. It’s a reasonably priced kit with excellent surface detail and markings for two aircraft. The four-page fold-out instructions are straight forward, easy to follow, and have a full color paint and decal guide. Color callouts are for Gunze Sangyo, Vallejo, Model Master, Tamiya, and Humbrol paints. As an Easy Build kit, there is a low part count and it is designed for quick assembly. If you thought construction begins with the cockpit, you are correct. The cockpit, though, has more detail than the other Easy Build kits I’ve done, since it has a separate instrument panel, seat, and control yoke. There’s plenty of room for additional detail, though.

The recent release of the RS Model Ki-100 Otsu and Kou kits has prompted Lifelike to release a new sheet of decals for these aircraft.

The instructions are typical for Lifelike, with two A4 single-sided sheets printed in full color. The exterior sheet has three-view drawings and the references used to determine the color schemes. The interior sheet has the left side profiles and the references used to determine the markings. The history of the pilot is discussed in brief, adding a nice dimension to the markings.

The best thing about Lifelike is that they are not afraid to say that they don’t know something if it isn’t known. I like this approach. They also have made good on new information on their website and, where appropriate, they have printed new decals and provide them for free or a small fee. What other decal company does that? None.