FINALLY, a new, state of the art 1/72 Churchill!! The Churchill was the second most produced British tank ever, following the Valentine. This Mk. IV was the most produced version. Designated the A22 Infantry Tank, Vauxhall began delivery to units in June, 1941, after an extraordinarily short development. It served in Dieppe and Tunisia, and then virtually all European theatres of WWII including Russia, and post-war soldiered on in Korea and later with several countries. I believe Airfix had the first small scale Churchill kit in 1/76, released in the early 1960s. ESCI (later Italeri) released a 1/72 Mk. III, with latter releases having link and length tracks (the others mentioned here have single length vinyl tracks of varying quality). Hasegawa released a Mk. I in 1/72. Matchbox released a 1/76 AVRE complete with SBG Assault Bridge. Cromwell has several resin 1/76 Churchill versions. If I missed any, I’m sure they are as dated as these are.

A throwback to the ’64 original design, the 2010 Mustang captures the classic lines of the original “pony car” in contemporary form and is the subject of Revell’s recent SnapTite series release. As with their ’63 Corvette (reviewed previously), the 2010 Mustang is a beautifully engineered kit for novice and veteran modelers, alike. Once again, at the hands of 6-year old Camden, this review sample went together flawlessly in exactly an hour shortly after being discovered on our doorstep.

The kit consists of 9 sprues (3 black, 2 goldenrod, 2 chrome, 1 clear, and 1 transparent red), the goldenrod-colored body, black interior tub and chassis, 4 vinyl tires, steel axles, 4 self-tapping screws, and a sheet of peel-and-stick decals. Surface detail is both raised and recessed, as appropriate, and appears to lend itself well to those who wish actually to paint the finished product.

Hobby Boss has provided the modeler with a nice choice for an Mi-4 “Hound.” Detail on the Hobby Boss kit is crisp. However, some PE would definitely help out. Eduard has answered the call with multiple PE sets for the Hobby Boss Mi-4. For the modeler who chooses to button up the cargo compartment, the Eduard Interior Self-Adhesive “Zoom” set is perfect.

This PE set consists of instrument panel, seat harnesses, overhead panels, and the little instrument panel that sits on the side of the front windscreen frame. The PE set is pre-painted and self-adhesive. The modeler is required to sand away the detail on the center console and the overhead consol. There is no need to sand away the kit’s instrument panel as the PE replaces the whole thing; a nice touch.

Introduction

If this subject looks familiar to you, it should. This is the smaller brother of Revell’s 1/12 scale monster I reviewed a few months ago. If you want to know my history with the Mustang, please see that review. In short, I’ve been a Mustang fan since I was a kid, especially Shelby Mustangs. Yes, this is the car that, when it was introduced as a 1964½, started the “pony car” craze that’s been carried on since by the Mustang, Camaro, and Firebird. The Shelby name needs no introduction to car fans and most anyone else. Shelby Mustangs have established a race-proven record of performance. Combine that with basic good looks and the now traditional double racing stripes and you’ve got an unmistakable classic.

This Japanese design started in 1939 for the Imperial Japanese Navy. The first prototype was designated J2M1, and it took flight in March, 1942. Prior to this maiden flight, the Japanese were well under way to engulfing all of the Pacific countries and had brought the United States into the war. Engine difficulties plagued the aircraft from the start of production in December 1942 with the J2M2 Model 11. 131 were built and deployed to pilots in December, 1943. Many of these were taken off the line were sent backl for testing as engine difficulties became severe in the field. This led to development of the J2M3 Model 21 (307 built) that reflected changes to the armament design. The machine guns were scratched, giving way to two 20mm cannons and two short-barrel cannons in the wings. By the time these were deployed to pilots in February 1944, Japan was fighting for survival one island at a time in the Pacific Theater. The aircraft never met its high expectations.