• Product/Stock # QB 72 390 Sea Harrier FRS.1 Pylons for Airfix kit, $8.50
• Product/Stock # QB 72 385 Sea Harrier Outrigger Wheels for Airfix kit, $6.50

We continue to express sincere appreciation to our friends at Quickboost for providing us more of the prolific output of their company; I buy a lot of their items and hope others do as well. Without their expertise, we would be the poorer!

Not much I can say for these additions...the new Airfix kits are a boon to the modeling community, addressing the need for simple yet detailed kits for the newcomers and also us old guys. But sometimes the details cry out for more. As usual, Quickboost steps up to the plate!

Lockheed’s derivative of the venerable T-33 as the Navy’s carrier-capable jet trainer, the T2V/T-1A bears a strong family resemblance to the T-Bird, but was a far different animal. A redesigned and strengthened wing with leading edge droops, different flaps, and boundary layer control was a big item, while a strengthened fuselage and gear, plus the raised rear cockpit for better visibility by the back-seater, gave the Seastar its characteristic humpback look. Larger tail surfaces, intakes, tailpipe, and an uprated J33 engine were included. Additional fuselage speedbrakes were added to the fairings aft of the wing, and other improvements were added as well, along with upgraded ejection seats, a hefty arresting hook, and a catapult hook.

History

Another of Kelly Johnson’s modern marvels in aviation history, the F-104 truly lived up to the many nicknames it was bestowed. The “Missile With a Man In It” is probably the most reflective of this great machine. It was a plane that was produced in greater numbers for foreign use rather than US use. It was, however, a major leap forward in technology that led to multiple advances that allowed the US to be the leader in high-performance aircraft. A quick look at the main gear configuration and wing thickness can lead one to see how the F-16 was influenced.

Quickboost has added a highly detailed Bf-109F early-style seat with safety belts to their continually growing line of 1/32 scale detail parts. It is designed as a drop-in replacement for the seat parts included in the kit. This part adds considerably to the overall detail of the cockpit and solves a problem that the kit parts present. Hasegawa provides the seat in the kit in two parts – left and a right side that are joined in the middle of the seat pan and back, thus creating a vertical seam through the center of the entire seat that must be eliminated. (see the photo below of the two kit parts surrounding the aftermarket seat). The Hasegawa seat also has ejection pin protrusions on the inside walls of both pieces that will need to be dealt with before joining the pieces.

Mushroom Model Publications has released the latest installment of their Yellow Series titled Messerschmitt Bf 109F. Like all the other books in the series, it is printed in glossy paper and lavishly illustrated with period b&w photographs, color profiles, and color pictures of restored aircraft. Also of note is also the fact they have included 3D computer-generated images of different parts of the airplane (nose, control stick, etc.).

In addition to the above, there are 1/48 scale plans of all the main Bf-109F variants, plus a 620mm fold-out (2-feet) color profile of a Bf-109. I wish I could frame it!

The main sections of the book include: early stages, armament, prototype (Bf-109F-0), main variants (F-1 to F-4), production series, modifications (/Trop, reconnaissance, etc.), final variants (the rare F-5 to F-8 marks), research programs, etc.