With most aircraft of WWII and the Korean War, nose art was common, though, if you are like me, you have been disappointed at times with the kit decals and their depiction of the nose art.

So along comes IPMS member Michael Kloppenburg, a graphic designer by trade, and his brand of decals! Bombshell Decals has done a small but steady stream of some fantastic decal work with nose art that looks almost as good as the real deal.

Bombshell’s latest releases cover six A-26 Invader aircraft spread over three separate releases. I have always liked the look of the A-26 Invader with its sleek blend of bomber and attack aircraft. Needless to say, I was instantly drawn to these new decals from Bombshell. The two aircraft covered in this set are

Quickboost continues to provide simple, yet effective, ways to improve the Italeri Hurricane Mk. I. This set is named “antennas,” but it covers the radio mast, pilot step, and pitot tube.

The parts are finely casted in cream-colored resin, easy to release from the pouring stub, and they would automatically enhance your model. The only minor drawback is that the pilot step has a bit of flash, though it is very simple to clean up.

These parts designed to be drop-in replacement to kit parts. There is no need for any cutting or sawing of kit parts and it is very simple to use the replacement ones.

Recommended to modelers of any level who have minimal experience with resin parts.

I would like to thanks Aires, Quickboost, and IPMS/USA for the review sample.

ModelArt No. 848 July 2012 monthly update features modeling tools and supplies. As always, the format is close to 7x10 inches in size, and the printing and reproduction quality are excellent. Model Art’s text is almost entirely in the Japanese language, and most feature photos are in color. The usual sections follow and are listed by their topic:

Initial Impressions

This upgrade and conversion set addresses inaccuracies in the venerable Lindberg kit No. 72544, the Curtiss Goshawk, and allows a conversion to a BFC-2 or a correction to the F11-C. The Lindberg kit is still widely available, although it is out of production.

The parts are cast in light gray resin and include a replacement engine, one-piece cowling, cockpit parts, wheels and wheel pants/spats, propeller, gun sight, fuel tank, and vacuformed clear plastic windscreens and canopy. An excellent set of instructions accompanies this set and includes references, decals sources, and online extras, such as decal artwork and a rigging diagram. Everything is contained in a plastic bag.

This set immediately got me fired up, unlike many conversion or update sets. The instructions and materials are well-presented. There was no sense of trepidation, dread, or self-coaching with this one!

JHmodels offers two different wooden stands, sometimes called “jigs,” that look similar to one another. A major difference, however, is that the item described in this review is for biplanes while the previously reviewed product, (No. 4801) is primarily used for monoplanes. There is an easy way to remember the difference….. No. 4801 is for a single wing and No. 4802 is for 2 wings. The other wooden stand, No. 4801, is reviewed at http://web.ipmsusa3.org/content/wooden-stand-building-painting-and-tran…