Here’s another of those little add-ons that can really make your project look good. It’s just one part, but with very little fiddling you can replace the kit part with a really good looking brass part. Airfix, Hasegawa, Heller, and Zvezda all have 1/72 MiG-23s, but I’ve only built the Hasegawa Flogger. Twice. Once as DDR (East German) and one Czech.

After I pulled the DDR plane off the shelf and washed all that dust off of it, I checked the pitot. I had replaced the Hasegawa plastic pitot with part of a straight pin, much more durable than the plastic part.

It was the work of only a few minutes to pull out the pin, ream the hole slightly, and insert the new pitot. It fits nicely, and with just a dot of CA, it stays in place.

After an application of flat black, the new pitot really looks good. I might say it looks sharp, as the point really is sharp. Be careful handling the plane, as you can puncture yourself with the new pitot.

This 48 page booklet is the answer to a maiden/builder’s prayers! There are ten parts to the book that cover all that the casual to dedicated builder can desire.

1. A survey of all the parts in the box.
2. A D.Va “quick” build for those not so inclined, to an in-depth build for those who are.
3. Step-by-step instructions accompanied by a plethora of very useful photographs.
4. A “walk around” section of photos of the actual aircraft.
5. A “décor” part with 12 alternate color schemes! However, decals are not provided in the kit for any of these.

Part 7 has info for what I would call super-detailing. Again, great photos accompany it with adequate instructions.

Part 9, Decals and Accessories, provides all the material needed for that super-detailing! I’ve already purchased the Pheon decals and the RB Productions rigging turnbuckles!

This set of finely turned stainless steel gun barrels for early U.S. Navy 8” gunned cruisers and carriers is the latest in a long line of superb replacement parts for 1/350 naval vessels. Each of the open-ended barrels is slightly tapered with very finely defined segmentations. The short stubs at the end of the barrel allows for easy insertion into the kit’s turret or blast bag. The accompanying comparison photos show the Master metal barrels next to the 8”gun kit parts from the Trumpeter Saratoga. The Master barrels are noticeably longer and, no doubt, more accurate than the kit parts.

The Junkers Ju-87 Sturzkampfflugzeug, or Stuka, was a two-seat dive bomber designed for the German Luftwaffe. Its first flight was in 1935 and it made its combat debut in 1936. Sturdily built with many innovations, it was highly accurate and very effective, and it became the symbol of German airpower during the Blitzkrieg victories at the beginning of WWII. Its lack of speed, maneuverability, and defensive firepower showed themselves against more modern fighter aircraft during the Battle for Britain. The Stuka continued to operate with success, but only in theaters where the Germans held air superiority. Once that was lost, they once again became an easy target for Allied fighters. The Ju-87B was the first mass-produced variant, with a total of 697 aircraft produced from 1937-1940. It was powered by a Junkers Jumo 211D inline engine, generating 1184 hp.

• Transfer Sheet # AR35365B (black lettering), Price $6.95
• Transfer Sheet # AR35365W (white lettering), Price $6.95

I asked to review these sheets listed as decals on IPMS, listing thinking they were water transfer decals. To my surprise, they are actually dry transfers. Back in the 1970’s, between my aircraft engineering jobs, I had a Civil Service position as a Cartographer making various maps for my County. I was introduced to dry transfers on the job using a burnishing stick to place letters and numbers onto Mylar maps. It was nice, but you had to line up each character precisely. Fear not, this isn’t the case with these Archer transfers as the signage is already spelled out, properly spaced, and with a number next to each signage to be used for a building address. But before you rush out to purchase these, read on carefully, for there are issues.