For those unfamiliar with carrier aviation, when an aircraft is not actively in use, it is secured to the deck using a come-along device between attachment points on the aircraft and tie downs on the deck. The tie downs are dished out areas on the deck (flight deck and hangar bay) with a welded on set of metal rods that form a star shape. I became most familiar with a flight deck tie down during my shellback initiation as I blew the water out of one of the tie downs as I awaited the next station. When the flight deck or hangar bay has a fresh coat of non-skid applied, the tie downs are masked off. Depending on the era of the carrier you are modeling, you will find tie downs painted either white or a dark gray (I prefer Model Master Engine Gray to represent this).

Developed as a replacement for the Maschinengewehr 08, the MG-14 Parabellum was a machine gun used on WWI German aircraft that was capable of firing 700 rounds per minute of its deadly 7.92 mm ammunition. Although Anthony Fokker used this model gun in the development of the synchronizing gear for his aircraft, the gun was typically used in the flexible mounts of reconnaissance aircraft, bombers, and Zeppelins. The lighter weight of the gun (as compared to the MG-08), high rate of fire, and reduction in the size of the ammunition belt, set the MG-14 apart as a weapon of choice.

This kit is a representation of the British Army’s A13 Cruiser Tank that was captured by the Germans and placed in service for the Russian Campaign.

This is a multimedia kit but the use of the Photo-Etch is required, there are no optional plastic parts. Please be aware that some of the plastic parts are very, very small and will take a steady hand to get them off of the sprue without damage. And when they are off the sprue these minuscule parts do their very best to hide or get lost in the carpet or even on the work table.

Step 1 This step builds the chassis and includes the springs for the axels.

Step 2 This step builds the wheels drive sprocket and idler wheels, my particular sample had a short shot on some of the wheels. Bronco was very quick to replace those with a replacement sprue.

Step 3 This adds the front transmission housing along with some photo etched on the front of the tank.

Of the many modeling aids available today, one of the most welcome for aircraft modelers is a good set of canopy masks. Furball Aero-Design delivers well with its 1/48 set designed for AFV Club’s F-5E/F Tiger II kits.

The single sheet of black die-cut vinyl masks will handle a single F-5E or F-5F kit – masking the edges of all canopy sections and the entirety of all wheel hubs. The die cuts are sharp and the masks lift cleanly from the sheet and adhere well to the model surfaces. Only two minor concerns were noted: First, there are no placement diagrams, which leads to the second issue of the masks for the F-5F windscreen being a bit short, thus requiring augmentation from the F-5E windscreen masks to cover the masking perimeter. Masking tape was used to fill in the remainder of the canopy surfaces.

I just love these chopper kits that Revell puts out. The kits provide a variety of different parts to help you build a fairly unique machine.

Engine

The engine looks to be the more modern Evo engine and has no extra parts. The cooling fins and cylinder heads are very nicely engraved. There are 2 different sets of exhaust pipes in the box.

Body

The kit provides a couple of different styled gas tanks, seats, fenders, handlebars, controls, and wheels. There’s only one set of tires. I used Pearl Ex Aztec gold mixed with some HOK SG100 intercoat clear on the tank & fenders with a final clearcoat. The chopper is fully wired and plumbed.