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Review Author
Roger Rasor
Published on
Company
Brengun
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$21.25

Brengun offers 1/32 model builders a way to add a higher level of detail to the already nicely detailed Hasegawa N1K2-J Shiden Kai (Allied name: George). Set BRL 32017 provides about 122 parts on a single photo-etch fret and two on a printed acetate sheet that can be combined to enhance the cockpit and exterior details of the aircraft. The photo below of the instruction sheet shows where the details are to be installed.

As can be seen in the photo below of the fret, each of the photo-etched parts is impressive. The detail is very crisp and well etched on nickel-plated metal to add considerably to the cockpit’s detail.

Review Author
Mike Van Schoonhoven
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$8.00

The M2 Browning Machine Gun or "Ma Deuce" as known by some is probably one of the most highly recognized machine guns in the world and is rapidly approaching one hundred years in service.

Eduard Brassin is designed as resin and photo etch accessories for scale plastic kits at a reasonable price.

The kit comes with two grey resin parts and a small brass photo etch fret. The resin pieces are of the M2 machine gun and the charging handle. The photo etch pieces consist of the trigger and barrel carrying handle.

Moving on to the build. My example came with a warped barrel and no matter how I have tried, I can not get it straight. The pour stub on the gun is in a horrible position. It is on the handle end of the receiver which is already attached to gun. This makes clean up in this area extremely difficult. You will also have to drill the end of the barrel to give the impression of depth. The kit builds fairly easily with just the above mentioned problem areas.

Review Author
Mike Van Schoonhoven
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$8.00

The MG34 was mainstay of the German Army up until 1942 when the MG42 was introduced. Even with MG42 in use the MG34 continued in service until the end of World War II.

Eduard Brassin is designed as resin and photo etch accessories for scale plastic kits at a reasonable price.

The kit comes with four grey resin parts and a small brass photo etch fret. The resin pieces are of the MG34 machine gun, charging handle, buttstock and ammo feed bag. The photo etch pieces consist of the regular sights (Which are optional), anti aircraft sight w/ barrel band and a link of ammo.

Moving on to the build. The pour stubs on this are will placed and are easy to remove with minimal clean up. The photo etch is a little fiddly, but that is just due to how small it is. The barrel is not hollowed out so you will have to do this to give the impression of depth.

Review Author
Mark Costello
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
MSRP
$33.00

From the kit's Hasegawa web page:

Returning to roost

Moving the space shuttle is one jumbo task, fortunately, the eggheads of Boeing hatched the B747-one of the largest commercial aircraft ever to spread its wings. The bigger birds made dozens of flights yoked together with the shuttles. Had the shuttles scrambled on their own, they would have risked frying their engines or cracking flight surfaces. After the space shuttle program was put on the shelf, the 747s ovoided their due date by serving the shuttles to their final roosting places. Limited edition kit features a shuttle carrier and shuttle with decals for Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour.

Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
Company
Master Model
Scale
1/700
MSRP
$7.00

Master Model from Poland specializes in metal turned parts for aftermarket kits. In my personal option they are among the best in the market. I really like their products.

This set is devoted to the USN 16in/45 Mark 1 cannons (with blast bags) and it includes a set of 8 metal barrel which is very nicely detailed down to the holes on the end of the barrels. It can be used for the USS Colorado, USS Maryland and USS West Virginia.

The instruction sheet clearly describes where to cut and how to modify the plastic part to receive the aftermarket detail part. It is a very easy task and any modeler with a bit of experience modifying parts will run into no problems.

This aftermarket set will enhance the looks of your finished model.

Recommended to the average modeler due to the need to replace plastic parts.

I would like to thank Master Model Poland and IPMS/USA for the review sample.

Review Author
Roger Rasor
Published on
Company
Hauler
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$14.50

Hauler Brengun offers a variety of aftermarket detail sets for 1/35 scale. Set #HLU35076 1/72 provides the components necessary to assemble two steel containers used in factories to store and transport any manner of manufactured parts, castings, subassemblies, etc. They would be useful as details for dioramas of industrial models.

This set includes two resin castings of the bodies of the containers and enough parts on a single brass photo-etch fret that provides the parts to assemble the 4 corner posts with lifting lugs (see the photo below). The parts are packaged in a clear pouch stapled to a card to protect the resin parts and fret. An instruction sheet is included showing how and where the components are installed. The detail in this set is very crisp.

Book Author(s)
Mick Davis, Philip Jarrett, Norman Franks,
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
Cross & Cockade International
MSRP
$37.67

This is Cross & Cockade International’s fourth book in their series of WW1 aircraft. The first was Nieuports in RNAS, RFC and RAF Service (2007). The second was the Royal Aircraft Factory Fe2b/d and Variants (2009). Somehow the third (Although still yet to be published) will cover the Airco DH 2.

This tome was developed in cooperation with the Royal Air Force Museum and it shows. Many of the some 300 plus B&W photos and details were pulled from the archives of the museum where they are nicely reproduced on the slick paper of this monograph. The front and back covers, as well as the inside covers feature six color paintings of Dolphins in action. The final chapter on the RAF Museum’s restoration of a composite Dolphin (now C3988 at Hendon) alone has nearly fifty color photographs.

Review Author
Jim Pearsall
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/144
MSRP
$12.95

A bit of explanation here. I try to do full-build reviews with photos taken through most of the process. When I hooked my memory card into the USB port on my computer, it said, “there are no files”. And there weren’t. It had erased my photos, so all my pictures are GONE. It did the same to another memory card. I am quite unhappy.

On with the review.

Scale Aircraft Conversions does white metal landing gear for a lot of aircraft kits. Some are necessary because the kit parts aren’t correct. Some you need because the plastic kit parts aren’t strong enough to hold the model. And then there’s this case. I finished the Victor kit, and it was a tail sitter. OK, I glued it to a piece of foamcore board, and the glue held the nose down. When the opportunity came to get the SAC gear, I jumped at the chance.

Review Author
John Noack
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$13.95

I was in the midst of building Hasegawa's 1/72 F-14A Tomcat when a new list of review items came out and SAC's gear for the mighty 'Cat was one of the available goodies. Having already done some work on the kit landing gear, it provided a great opportunity to do a side-by-side comparison.

SAC's gear come in an attractive clear bubble/card packaging emblazoned with the (USAF) SAC logo. I opened the package, removed a small amount of flashing from the 3 white metal parts, and went immediately to paint – flat white as a primer coat followed by gloss white out of a rattle can. Score one point for SAC, as I had spent a lot of time with needle files, blades and sandpaper removing a whole lotta flash from the kit parts (this is a theme that will repeat in the kit review).

Review Author
Roger Rasor
Published on
Company
Airfix
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$34.99

In 2014, Airfix tooled a new 1/72 scale Douglas C-47 Skytrain (or Dakota as it is know in the UK) that virtually eclipses Airfx original C-47 kit that was introduced in 1960 and released in various forms eleven times since then. The new kit is superior in all respects (with maybe two exceptions, which will be explained further on) and clearly demonstrates the strides Airfix has made in improving the detail and accuracy of their recent offerings.