Master Models’ Spandau product consists of a beautifully etched and rolled set of cooling jackets, 2 exquisitely machined barrels, two tiny muzzles, and a sheet of 3 pairs of photo etched jacket ends – the front incorporating a ring sight, the rear having a bracket. MM considerately includes a spare set of these, which, amazingly, I did not have to use – no sacrifices to the carpet gods this time.

I’m currently building the Eduard DV, which includes PE parts for the Spandau. I think that you will agree with me that while Eduard’s photoetched parts are excellent, the incorporation of the machined brass parts in the MM set really adds to the appearance of the finished weapon.

The A-37A/B (sometimes referred to as an OA-37A/B) was developed from Cessna’s T-37B trainer. With upgraded engines and eight hardpoints for ordinance, the original concept for the A-37A was ground support of troops. The A-37B had provisions for air-to-air refueling, and the ability to carry slightly more ordinance.

Aires has come up with an excellent replacement for Monogram’s kit cockpit. This kit has resin, printed film, and photo-etched (PE) parts The details in the Aires kit’s ejection seats alone make this kit worth it, but when you add in the instrument panel, Aires’ aftermarket kit really makes the Monogram kit come alive.

One nice feature of the Aires kit is that four control sticks are provided when only two are required. This nice touch gives you some spares in case one column is lost or broken.

When I heard about a new Emily I was excited, as I had built the 1972 issue which had fit problems and a canopy that was too wide. I had sanded off most of the raised detail and scribed in new ones, but overall I remembered it as a tough build.

However, the price of 149.95 for Hasegawa’s new issue seemed steep, and as I had already built one Emily, thought I would pass on another. But! when I was availed of this review opportunity, I was all in to try another.

This one turned out to be an almost easy build. Molded in light gray plastic with a four-piece fuselage having a separate bow section, it all comes in a nice sturdy box with good instructions. The only exception was the many decks in the nose section which weren't depicted quite clearly. The kit also includes a complete set of crew figures with separate heads and arms; they’re well-done but I elected not to use them.

Frederick A. Johnsen recently retired from a lengthy career at the U.S. Air Force Flight Test Center and NASA's famed Dryden Flight Research Center, both located on the historic desert site known as Edwards Air Force Base. During his time there, Johnsen amassed a wealth of knowledge related to the Golden Age of Flight Test Research at Edwards. He has written numerous books about aircraft and aviation history, including: Thundering Peacemaker: The B-36 Story in Words and Pictures (1978); Bombers in Blue: PB4Y-2 Privateers and PB4Y-1 Liberators (1979); Darkly Dangerous: The Northrop P-61 Black Widow Night Fighter (1981); F4U Corsair with Rikyu Watanabe (1983); B-24 Liberator (Warbird History, 1993); Douglas A-1 Skyraider: A Photo Chronicle (1994); B-24 Liberator: Rugged But Right (1999); Lockheed C-141 Starlifter (Warbird Tech V 39, 2005); Captured Eagles: Secrets of the Luftwaffe (2014).

Master Model from Poland specializes on brass and resin drop-in replacement parts. In this case there are 4 parts: two barrels and two flash hiders for the Flak 18 used in Ju-87G, but also seen in Bf-110, Ju-88 and other airplanes.

The turned brass parts mean that no mold line is present and that alone is enough of a reason to consider upgrading your kit. Another reason is the beautiful perforated flash hiders and the hollow gun barrel end, which adds realism to the airplane weaponry.

Assembly is straightforward and simple. First you superglue the flash hider to the gun barrel. Then you remove the plastic gun from the plastic part and make a small hole (1 mm in diameter) to mount the brass gun barrel.

I would personally leave the barrel off the model until the very end. Not only that means less masking (for painting), it also ensures the barrel won’t get knocked off the model during handling.