Two Bobs Aviation Graphics is one of leaders in aviation decals with an impressive variety in 1/32, 1/48 and 1/72 scale. This latest release has very interesting markings used by VAQ-209 with a “Star Wars” theme on the aircraft. A black/white Darth Vader helmet, the word “VADER” on the spine and VADER 1 on a black fuel tank are on the CAG aircraft. The line jets have a gray/white Darth Vader helmet on the tail.

The sheets are printed perfectly without any print register errors. The small markings are very fine and easy to read. All the markings are included from unit markings down to the stencils and walkways. Stencils and other markings are included for the fuel tanks and jamming pods. There is one (front and back) color instructions sheet that clearly show placement of markings for the three subjects. The instructions indicate the correct FS paint colors for each aircraft and easy to distinguish where each color is applied.

If you are looking for some unique paints that are solvent based for your latest U.S. Air Force F-22 or F-35, Tru Color Paints has released some Modern Radar Dispersers to help you. The paints have a metallic flake added that only appears once brushed or airbrushed onto the model. The paint is advertised as being able to be airbrushed out of the bottle at 28 to 35 psig, but I added about 30% of their thinner (product TCP-015) in order to airbrush at 18 psig, which is where I usually work, even at this pressure, the metal flakes seem to go everywhere.

The IAR-80 is the best-known production fighter to come out of the Romanian plant during WW2 and has always had a certain fascination for me. Developed in the 1930s as the Rumanian Air Force was working valiantly to get into the arms race then taking place in Europe, the IAR-80 featured a license-built Gnome-Rhone 14K engine and some various bits and pieces purchased from other countries, including the machine gun armament. Despite the comparative lack of experience in such design work, the IAR-80 proved to be a relatively modern and well-thought-out design, although some fixes needed to be included during its design life, including external bracing for the rear fuselage, which had a tendency to twist during high-speed turns.

Among my several favorite aircraft I have an affinity for the B-25 Mitchell in any form. So when Airfix announced the B-25C/D in 1/72 scale I put one on reserve at my local hobby shop and my plans are to start building at my local IPMS club modeling retreat this January. I planned on building the Desert Warrior scheme so this set will work out perfectly for me. Up until just a week or so ago I usually took for gospel that decal sheets were reasonably accurate…

Upon receiving the Lifelike decal sheet, I started doing a little research on the B-25 “Desert Warrior” that Airfix provides as one of two finishing choices in their new B-25C/D kit. My goal was to try and get to the bottom of the decal dilemma. The dilemma being why did Lifelike Decals release decals to correct some of the decals provided in the Airfix kit.

Over the last few years, Master Box Ltd. has produced numerous figure kits of varying scales and genres. Many of these can be used to enhance automotive or military vehicles, and some, such as their fantasy and sci-fi line, can stand on their own. For this out-of-box review, I will be looking at the Master Box release of Bundeswehr. German Military Men, Present day in 1/35 scale.

The kit includes five full figures, each of which have detailed uniforms and equipment consistent with the era. The poses for each are different enough to distinguish them from each other. Each figure is comprised of 7-13 plastic parts, depending upon the pose and the amount of gear. The basic parts for each include a torso (molded in 1 part), a head, two arms, and two legs. Two of the figures have a hat that is a separate part, while the other 3 have the hat molded onto the head.