The Hasegawa FW-190 series of models is a very nice series without all the bells and whistles of the Eduard kits and not nearly as expensive as the Trimaster versions. The latest release covers another of Hermann Graf’s aircraft, WkNr. 2594, flown as the Kommandeur of Jagd-Ergazungsgruppe-Ost in France 1943. This particular aircraft is unique in its markings and in its supercharger intakes. I think this is the most colorful machine that Graf flew. The yellow nose with red chevrons with white outlines and RLM 76 cowl ring makes it stand out. If that isn’t enough the same motif is used on the tail and contains red lightning bolts on both sides making this a very unique and colorful aircraft.

Master Box just keeps turning out these very unique kits made exclusively for building dioramas and/or vignettes. They come out with the most peculiar subjects that will add that finishing touch to a diorama, or base a diorama around, and then you wonder how we ever got along without these kits. This time, they have come out with the Eastern Region Peasants in the WWII era. When I opened the box I wasn't surprised at the great detail and preciseness of their clothes, facial expressions, and other small items which add to the realism – in fact, I knew that these figures would reflect their high standards as always.

This new sheet from Dutch Decal highlights several US- and English-built aircraft used by the Indonesians during the ‘50s. The included history talks about Opeartion “Haik,” which centered on clandestine US operations in Indonesia in 1958.

Decals are provided for a very interesting set of aircraft: B-25 Mitchell, P-51D/K, C-47B, Piper L-4, Auster, Catalina, and B-26B Invader, with the standouts in my opinion being a couple of sharkmouthed Mustangs and a lovely Invader in not only a sharkmouth but also a sharktail.

Full color profiles show each scheme in detail with wing placements for the Mustangs and Mitchells. Also included are a few small pictures displaying a few of the aircraft in real life.

Dutch Decal has a great reputation for their decals and this looks like another excellent set. Now, maybe I need to get another Mustang for one of those sharkmouths.

Aires has developed a highly detailed cockpit for the Trumpeter 1/32 A-4 Skyhawk. This set includes twenty highly detailed grey resin parts and one clear resin part, plus a photo etched sprue which includes the seat belts, rear views mirrors, and other small details to add to the cockpit.

Not unlike their other cockpit kits, the fit of the cockpit tub is pretty much on the money, but some sanding will be necessary for a perfect fit. The quality of the resin is up there where one has come to expect the great quality from Aires, which is truly fantastic. I found no bubbles or missing corners anywhere on the parts. There is some minor flash, but a few licks from a sanding stick or the like will handle it with no problem at all. I did make sure to wash the parts with mild detergent because there was a lot of the releasing agent present.

With the release of the Eduard Mig-21 family and the upgrades to the older Academy Mig-29 and Su-27, as well as the reboxed Su-25 and Su-22s, it is amazing that it has taken this long to get a decent 1/48th scale pilot for these airplanes. If you are like me, I enjoy having a figure next to my airplane for scale comparison. Well, now I can do that with my Russian jets. Yes, I know, you are saying, “Floyd builds jets? And Russian ones at that?” Well, I haven’t yet, but I have all of them, so when I get that itch I can scratch it.

This figure is molded in two pieces of light grey resin that have no flaws that I can see. Aero Line posed the figure with his arm up shielding the sun while watching something in the sky. I like the pose and it seems natural. The biggest piece of resin is the whole pilot with very little cleanup required. The only other part is the arm, which is keyed to go into the body and should represent no big hassle in assembly.