The word Vulcan conjures different images for different people. If you are into Roman mythology, you think of the God of Fire. If you like the show Star Trek, Vulcan is that red planet Spock calls home. But if you are in the US military or build models of those vehicles, Vulcan is the 20mm Gatling gun that is so deadly on the battlefield.

First used in 1959, the M61 has adorned most of the US aircraft from the F-104 to today’s F-22. Its 6,000 rounds per minute can chew up enemy targets, and it has also been used by the Navy in the Phalanx CIWS system and the Army as the M163 Anti Aircraft weapon.

As with most Soviet-designed aircraft, the Yak-38 Forger has a nose pitot tube. While not as prominent as the pitot tubes on the MiG and Sukhoi bureau aircraft, the pitot is still visibly right in front and on top of the nose. As with previous detail sets in this line, Quickboost provides multiples of the same pitot, no doubt because the pitot is one of the most vulnerable parts to damage during transport and handling. This pitot tube is noticeably longer than the one provided by Hobby Boss in their kit. After a comparison with photos of the plane, it appears that, in fact, the Hobby Boss pitot tube is too short. The Quickboost replacements are accurate in length and shape and are drilled at the tip! The part is also keyed to fit right where the kit part mounts. I have found the resin used by Quickboost to be more durable than the styrene and therefore more resistant to breakage. Highly recommended.

The Soviet intervention in Afghanistan in December, 1979, and the ensuing 10-year conflict tested the ways and means of the Soviet military machine. As the United States military discovered earlier in Vietnam, the tactics and weapons developed for a cold war confrontation in Europe were ill-suited for a counter-insurgency. Afghanistan became the impetus for innovation. As the Soviets shifted tactics, they relied more and more on airpower, and that spawned the need for better and different weapons. One of the most effective and widely used weapons was the KMGU submunition dispenser. The dispenser was used to scatter mines not only to interdict the Mujahedeen lines of operates and supply, but also to protect the flanks of friendly ground forces. The KMGU is a reusable dispenser that can disperse either:

MiniArt has released a huge number of diorama and scenic kits, all designed with the scratchbuilder and kitbasher in mind. This kit is a simple unreinforced brick workshop, suitable for almost any era or location in the world that has used this type of construction technique. I have kitbashed this into a two-story custom building and changed the scale of the model closer to 1:48 (a.k.a., O Scale or 28mm for Wargaming).

This kit consists of 140 parts – vacuformed styrene brick and roof components molded in metallic grey, and the usual high quality injection-molded styrene accessory sprues molded in light grey. All vacuformed kits have flash that needs removed.

If ever there was proof that we are currently in a “gold age of modeling,” it is the release of models such as the one under review today. While produced in fairly large numbers (1200+), this French post-WW2 wheeled armored reconnaissance vehicle didn’t see widespread use outside the French Army. As far as I can determine, the only other military units to employ this vehicle were the Armed Forces of Portugal. Yet, despite this, here we have a state-of-the-art injection molded plastic kit of the subject!

Hobby Boss’ (Panhard) EBR-10 kit consists of over 330 well-detailed injection-molded plastic parts, contained on 10 tan colored sprues of various sizes. Along with the plastic parts come 8 “rubber” tires, a fret of photo etched brass parts, a small sheet of decals, and a 12-page instruction booklet. The modeler is forced to utilize the PE parts, since there are no plastic alternative parts contained within the kit as there are in some other manufacturers’ products.