History

Numerous experienced Polish pilots served in England, and although they were not technically part of the RAF, they served in special units and distinguished themselves in combat. By the time that the Spitfire XVI was available, the war was nearly over, and although the type was not generally flown in combat (one Polish pilot flew Mk. XVI’s with No. 602 Sqdn.), numerous Polish units operated these aircraft in the immediate postwar years. With the disbanding of the Polish Air Force in Britain in 1946-1947, about 500 Poles joined the RAF and served with various units. The Spitfires were eventually scrapped, and of several that were given to the Polish government after the war for museum displays, none survived. The Communist Government wanted to de-emphasize the role of Poles in the RAF during the war, as there were also Poles flying with the Soviets.

This is the latest in large-scale figure kits from Moebius Models. Parts number is actually unknown (I forgot to count and it isn't listed on the box), but it consists of 13 sprues molded in light grey and the clear eye lens. The instruction manual is styled after printouts in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series with the cropped corners, rounding out this excellent kit from fans, for fans.

History

The M1 Abrams tank has been in service since 1980. Since that time, it has been upgraded with multiple improvements. The first M1's where fitted with the 105mm rifle gun. An upgrade to the 120mm smoothbore gun resulted in the M1A1 in 1985. By 1992, the M1A2 was produced that possessed upgrades in its optical, fire control, and data link systems. The end of the Cold War meant new M1A2 production was halted at just 62 tanks, but 566 existing M1A2s were upgraded to the M1A2 standard between 1994 and 2001. Upgrades continued after 2001 with the M1A2 SEP (Systems Enhancement Package).

History

The Fiat G.91 was the winning design in a 1953 NATO competition for a light fighter-bomber. In 1957, it was decided to develop a light attack fighter reconnaissance version of the basic design, designated the G.91R. This version, used by Italian, German, and Portuguese squadrons, had three camera systems fitted in the nose. Variants of the G.91 were produced throughout the 1960s.

Hobby Boss continues its run of tanks and vehicles from the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA). When you look at the cover art for this kit, the vehicle bears a strong resemblance to the iconic HMMWV. Well, this was based on said vehicle. It’s manufactured by the Dongfeng Motor Corporation for the PLA. I don’t know if this means Hobby Boss will also begin producing the HMMWV line, but their catalog indicates several variants of this vehicle in the works. The kit of approximately 170 parts includes six sprues and several body parts, one small sprue of clear parts, a fret of photo etch, four tires, and decals. As with most Hobby Boss kits, it includes two color profiles, one for a UN mission and the other for the PLA. The PLA version has no markings. The parts look great, with a fair amount of detail, though there was a small amount of flash on some of the parts.