It’s a little hard after all this time for the average person (like me) to really understand the magnitude of the disaster that was the 1986 Chernobyl Reactor #4 meltdown. Although the Russians themselves are pretty tight-lipped about the whole thing, it is roughly estimated that somewhere above 300,000 workers ( called “liquidators,” ironically) were cycled through the clean-up process between 1986 and 1989, although as many as 500,000 might have been involved. At least 40 died immediately or only shortly thereafter, and of the rest . . . well, the stories aren’t pleasant. One worker from a team of around 30 states that he and four others are the only ones alive today, all others having succumbed to cancers of various sorts. What the ultimate death toll was (or will be) is unknown, but it may have resulted in as many as a million premature deaths worldwide.

History

Built at a time when US fighter aircraft were getting more complex and expensive, the Northrop Grumman company decided to go against the grain and build a lightweight fighter based on their successful T-38 Talon design. The first F-5 Freedom Fighter flew on July 30, 1959. It proved to be a very nimble and adaptable aircraft but it was never widely adopted by the USAF. It did find willing operators in the several foreign air arms including the Republic of China (ROC) also known as Taiwan. The island nation produced their own licensed built F-5s including 66 of the two seat F5-F models. This kit presents four aircraft of the 46th Aggressor Squadron. As the name implies, this unit trains fighter pilots in air combat maneuvering by engaging in mock combats, recording the results and using those recordings to teach pilots how to prevail.

Scale Aircraft Conversions, located in Texas, is well known to be a source of high-quality white metal landing gear sets for aircraft. Visiting the SAC Home Page on the internet, SAC states that, “ We manufacture a line of white metal landing gear for 1/18 to 1/144 scale aircraft. Some sets consist of the main gear only while others include the nose gear, tail gear and/or adjacent related components. Some inaccuracies in the original kit gear have been corrected but the mounting points remain identical to the factory parts. With numerous sets we have not sought to duplicate non load bearing component parts where the factory plastic parts are reasonably accurate. “

SAC also notes that they have been in business since 1990, offering white metal and resin parts. The SAC website features a page that will help the “first-timer” to successfully install the white metal parts of the model. Look for the navigation link labeled, “Using White Metal”.

The popular CW show “Supernatural” just ended its final episode to many viewers’ chagrin. The timing of this car kit’s release couldn’t have been better. Nobody puts “Baby” in the corner…sorry- couldn’t resist. And from what I have been reading online, many modelers who aren’t fans or have never seen the show are really excited as it is the first 4-door version of this popular car model. As I will mention in the review, there is some disappointing aspects of this kit however that would’ve made this so much better. I’m not a highly skilled car modeler, but enjoy one now and again…so keep that in mind.

Product Description

ICM has released a kit in 1/32^nd scale featuring a “crew” of 3 Luftwaffe ground personnel in uniforms that would be worn from 1939 to 1945. The kit also includes a 200 liter fuel drum, a pair of smaller containers for liquids, a fuel pump to attach to the fuel drum, and a toolbox with the lid closed. Two of the figures appear to be wearing the same uniform, while the 3^rd figure, standing and carrying one of the aforementioned liquid containers in his right hand, is wearing a slightly different uniform, lighter in color than his crew-mates.