History

The War of 1812, in the reviewer’s opinion one of the least necessary wars we have ever fought, was in essence the finale of the American Revolution. Its end led to an era of cooperation between the United States and Britain that continues to this day. However, in 1812, both sides were serious adversaries, and American attempts to conquer Canada were countered by British efforts to attack the East Coast and take New Orleans. The Great Lakes were a boundary between the two countries and, although a few ships existed in those waters, it was the war that spurred a shipbuilding boom that lasted throughout the conflict.

This is probably one of the best, and most descriptive, titles for a modeling/aircraft reference book I have seen. To quote the author: “The B-24 went through more turret changes than any American combat aircraft before or since.” This books attempts (quite successfully) to guide the reader through these various changes on all of the turret-nosed B-24 models.

There was an absolutely dizzying combination of nose turrets, tail turrets, waist guns, belly turrets and guns, and other modifications/design changes made to the B-24. The book goes into great detail of each step in the process, and the author makes every attempt to explain the differences clearly for each new piece of this puzzle. Crystal-clear photos (unless the only one available is less than clear), many previously unpublished, as well as a huge number of line drawings (with differences highlighted in red) accompany a very clear descriptions.

Master Model from Poland has produced another winner with its 1/48 F-102 Delta Dagger Pitot Tube. Turned from brass, the metal part is beautifully detailed. The metal part would also add needed strength in a weak area, considering the usual ease with which plastic parts can be broken. Additionally, using a metal pitot tube will eliminate the need for removing the mold marks commonly found on the plastic part. The package states that it fits all 1/48 F-102 kits. Whether the build is from a standard kit, or some type of resin conversion, this part should work well as intended.

Installation, as with all Master Model metal detail parts, is quite simple. The modeler would remove the molded plastic kit part, drill an appropriately sized hole in the plastic radome and glue the metal pitot tube into the hole with cyanoacrylate glue.

Eduard continues its prolific release schedule of truly new items with this weekend release. Thanks very much for providing us the kit, and, as a company, for supporting IPMS USA with review items!

This kit is a re-release of Eduard’s Fw190D kit, without the photoetch, extra markings, masks, etc… and as such the price is much lower. The intent: build a model in a weekend! An excellent idea for those who don’t want to have AMS(Advanced Modeling Syndrome) rule their modeling, and it certainly makes the kits more attractive to the modeling public at large. A brilliant idea that appears to be bearing fruit!

I had not built one of the Eduard Fw190 series models. I have an A-8 and the Profipack D-9 in my stash, with the intent of building them later when I have time (!). When this kit became available, I was pleased to have an excuse to dive in.

Doctor Robert Manasherob just keeps making our day for those of us that are into the Israeli Defense Forces! His many in-depth books covering the armored vehicles of the IDF are nothing short of spectacular! His books often contain personal insights and stories that help bring the books to life. The inclusion of never before seen pictures and color walk arounds of the actual vehicles are a modeler’s dream come true. The only better way to research these topics would be for you to go to the Latrun Museum yourself.