Product

The gun barrels come packaged in the typical clear cellophane and cardboard insert that Quickboost has become known for. The parts are cast in a light gray resin and feature nice details for the cooling jackets and muzzle. The parts are designed to be used on the Italeri release of the old AMT/Ertl A-20G, which means they can be used on the AMT/Ertl kit if that's in your stash.

Application

When compared to the barrels supplied in the kit, I really feel that it would be a no brainer to use these wonderful barrels. The installation of these barrels require no cutting or modifying the kit parts. Pretty much glue them in and its done. Quickboost provides a quality upgrade for minimal price.

I would like to thank Aires - Quickboost and IPMS/USA for allowing me the opportunity to review this set.

The Hobby Boss Ta-152C has been released in a number of guises. The Ta-152C, E and H for that matter, could be equipped with different propellers. They could sport either rounded or pointed type of props. On top of that the spinner could be opened for an engine to fire through or a capped nose cone.

Typical of Quickboost the set is cast in blemish free light grey resin. There are six pieces to the set. There is a spinner, three prop blades, prop shaft and a setting tool.

Hobby Boss allows you to choose either one of the props. In this particular set, there are pointed tip blades. The blades are very thin and accurate in shape. The spinner is beautifully accurate with the hole in the tip. The spinner has a small casting block that should be easy enough to remove. The other piece of the set is the setting tool which will allow the modeler to place each prop blade angle and make sure they all line up and allow you to drill out a hole for the prop shaft.

The third 1/72nd B-24 sheet from Lifelike contains more colorful nose art. If you are a fan of pinups and nose art these sheets are really impressive.

The decals are contained in a 6”x9” ziplock bag along with two A4 full color instructions. The decals themselves are printed by Cartograf and Microscale. Between those two decal printers you know you have some of the best printed decals in the world. But what about the research? Lifelike is well known for their research. Even Lifelike can make errors as they acknowledge. Lifelike basis their findings on the latest information available and when the information is lacking they base their finding on educated guesses. Some would find this a weakness in the decals but I think it is an asset. They let you know what is known and what is conjecture.

When I was first assigned this review I started four P-51D kits thinking I’d get a jump on things, but when the decals arrived I discovered they were meant for two P-51Bs and two Ds. So much for planning ahead.

The decals were on register and looked great in the package. The four aircraft represented are:

• Aircraft #1: Malcolm Hood P-51B “Salem Representative” flown by Lt. Ralph K. Hofer of the 334FS/4th FG.
• Aircraft #2: P-51D “Sky Czar” flown by Capt. Fred Munder, Jr. of the 381FS/363rd FG
• Aircraft #3: Malcolm Hood P-51B “Big Mac Jr.” flown by Capt. John Brown, Jr. of the 382FS/363rd FG.
• Aircraft #4: P-51D “Nancy Lee” flown by Lt. Richard Baggett of the 402FS/370 FG.

Although there are markings specific for four aircraft, there are common decals for only one. To use the other three nose art markings I used the individual kit decals for the stars and bars, prop markings, walkway stripes, etc..

This is the final part in the long review of Eduard’s PE for the HK B-17G. We are sincerely and eternally grateful for their support; it’s been a long, rewarding couple of months doing these reviews!

This final set is also a simple one; exterior details that make a noticeable difference in the appearance of the surface sections. Included are oil cooler intake screens, panels, and overwing fuel doors and hinges for the aircraft. Certainly you can modify and open all the refueling doors (remember to keep the cigarettes 50 feet away) to add a lot of life to the model, particularly in a diorama setting.

Small point; the square latch always is toward the tail of the aircraft, in case the door latch failed or was not fully closed. This prevented the door ripping off in the slipstream or allowing a full siphon of fuel from the door in flight.