History

This is another superb kit from the guys at Wingnut Wings. According to the detailed history on the instruction booklet, the Hansa-Brandenburg W.29 was allegedly designed by Ernst Heinkel on the back of a cabaret wine list and was basically a W.12 biplane with the top wing removed. This advanced monoplane had markedly improved performance due to the reduction of drag afforded by the loss of the upper wing as well as the lack of guy wires. The solid construction was achieved because of the rigid strut arrangement for the floats. Three prototypes were constructed in January 1917 and each was powered by a different engine for the comparison purposes. When production began in April of 1917 it was decided to use the 150hp Benz Bz. III. A total of 199 W.29s were produced in two versions. 156 planes were built with 3 machine guns (C3MG) and another 43 were built with 2 machine guns (C2MGHFT) and a wireless radio.

To briefly describe the aircraft, it was a single sweater pusher, bi-plane, powered by a 100 HP Gnome rotary engine. The lack of synchronizing mechanism made this necessary to have a forward firing machine gun allowing the pilot to "aim" with the aircraft and gun at the same time.

The kit is composed of 62 plastic parts, 36 photo-etched parts, a clear acetate sheet with a choice of two windscreens, depending on which version of the aircraft you choose to build; painting masks are also provided plus a decal sheet for four different aircraft. The detailing on the plastic parts is up to the usual superb Eduards standard.

The Aircraft

The P-51 was the ultimate propeller driven fighter for the US in World War II. Fast, maneuverable, excellent range, plenty of punch, good load carrying ability, and it could be used for any mission the higher ups thought of. While it was superseded by jets, the P-51D was used for tactical bombing in Korea, and some air forces didn’t retire their Mustangs until the 1980s. There was much excitement in the Warbird community when the Dominican Republic decided to sell their P-51Ds in 1984.

The Kit

I thought I had built this kit before, but I was wrong. The older Minicraft/Hasegawa P-51 has raised panel lines; this one has recessed panel lines. It’s a new mold. This kit is issued with new markings for 44-64076, “Jumpin’ Jacques” of the 3rdFG and 44-14606 “Jan” of the 4thFG. There are 4 gray sprues and one clear. Everything is flash-free and clean.

The M4 Sherman is probably the most easily recognizable American tank ever built. This book focuses in the variants and used by the American Army in World War II.

Variants cover include: Small Hatch M4, Small Hatch M4A1, Small Hatch M4A2, Small Hatch M4A3 75 mm, M4 Composite, M4 105 Howitzer, Large Hatch M4A1 (76)W, Large Hatch M4A2, Large Hatch M4A3 75 mm, Large Hatch M4A3 (76)W, M4A4 (105), M4A3E2, M4A6, M4A3E8 and a section devoted to specialized uses like Amphibious (DD Tanks), Bulldozer, Flamethrowers, etc.

The book is profusely illustrated with close to 200 B&W pictures and several color period pictures as well. There are just a few color profiles. The book covers variants that saw services in North Africa, Italy, D-Day, and the Western Front –including the Battle of the Bulge- as well as the Marine’s use of the Sherman in the Pacific.

Model Art Modeling Magazine is one of the finest periodicals on the market. Each issue covers subjects across the modeling spectrum. Regardless of your area of interest you will, sooner rather than later, find something of significance to you. The quality of the images within each issue is stunning, and that is important since the magazine is published in Japanese. There are always “work in progress” images and the tools and materials being used by the builder are always featured prominently in the images. It is not difficult, therefore, for the reader to use these “work in progress” articles as guides. While some details are certainly lost in translation, or the lack thereof, the general process followed in the “work in progress” is easy enough to follow.