Introduction

For the past 50 or so years, I have built plastic models and painted them using various types of enamel paints. For the earlier wooden models, before plastic kits became popular, I used regular model airplane dope (actually, lacquer), sometimes laced with talcum powder to achieve a matte finish. I started airbrushing relatively early, still using enamels, and eventually settled on the Testors’ Model Master series, which I have found to be entirely satisfactory. The only problem with using enamels indoors is that my wife constantly complains that the odor is overpowering, although I don’t think that it is really that bad, certainly not as bad as the smell of onions cooking in a frying pan, which has to compete favorably with the Geneva Convention’s definition of “gas warfare”. But that aside, I requested several colors of Italeri’s new acrylic paint series for evaluation.

If, as a builder, you are interested in nostalgia, or are fascinated by early organized drag racing, then Revell has come through for you with the re-release of this classic Tony Nancy set of dragsters. First released in 1963, and with the date still showing up in the moldings, this kit represents the dragster and roadster that won the Competition Eliminator (the ’23 “T” Roadster) and Best Engineered Car (the Dragster) awards at the Winternationals in 1963. Tony Nancy, whose nickname was "The Loner" based on his ability to practically field a car by himself, set at least one record or Drag News 1320 mark in every class in which he competed, which encompassed cars such as a V/Fuel Dragster in 1957 through Top Fuel, where he held the national speed record at 236.22 in 1971. He was well known both for his seahorse emblem and for his upholstery business which served many Hollywood stars (such as Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood), and working on boats and a variety of automobiles.

These two piece exhausts are perfectly molded in light grey resin with six very thin exhaust stacks. There isn’t a lot to say in a review about these pieces. They are perfectly cast, drop in replacements for the kit parts and hollowed out to perfection. I know I could never hollow them out as good as Quickboost without ruining most of the tubes. So for that reason alone these are a great investment.

The packaging doesn’t say it but I’m sure you could make these fit your Hobbycraft or Hawk kit as well.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Aires and IPMS/USA for the review copy. You can obtain yours by contacting www.modelchoice.net or your local hobby shop or online retailer.

This book is, as the title implies, the story of Adolph “Sailor” Malan. From the imprint information, this appears to have originally been released in 1980, but this particular edition was published in 2011.

While this is not a research/reference type of book per se, it is a good read for anyone interested in one of the RAF’s premier pilots during WW2. It is nice to take a break from the mechanics of line drawings, measurements, paint schemes, and the like, and delve into some of the human personalities involved in the conflict from which many of us model machines.

This book very briefly covers Malan’s time growing up in South Africa, and his time as a naval cadet and subsequent 8 years at sea. (This would be the source of the “Sailor” moniker). It then quickly moves into his transition to the RAF, completing his training in 1937 and being posted to 74 Squadron.

Although I must admit that my all-time favorite aircraft will always be the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, right next to it in second place is the legendary Messerschmitt 262 Stormbird (also known as the Schwalbe {Swallow}). In my stash of unbuilt kits are several boxes containing various versions of the plane, and yes, there may a double or two present. I have seen and photographed the Me 262 that is kept at the Smithsonian Air and Space museum on more than one occasion, and have several books in my personal library on this legendary fighter. Anyway, I normally start my reviews talking about the history of the item I am assessing, but thought that I would instead talk about my interest in the topic before delving into the contents of this book.