The JASDF operated a special unit for Phantom testing from it’s earliest service days in 1971. The F-4EJ ADTW (Air Development and Test Wing) was the first and last operator of the F-4EJ in Japan until it'sdxm disbanding in 2021. Based at Gifu AB, the ADTW tested new technologies and weapon systems for the JASDF. Throughout the Phantom's service, the ADTW evaluated F-4EJ variants including the improved Kai version.

Korean modelling company, DXM Decals, has released a set of 1/48 decals for three airframes, including two F-4Ejs and one F-4EJ Kai. The single standard-sized decal sheet is packed with images, including all the decals required for the three options that include a farewell scheme, and a full set of stencils.

A full colour instruction leaflet includes comprehensive decal placement and painting guides for top, bottom and both sides. Colour callouts are in FS standards so you can make your own choice of paint brand.

In September 2022, in a surprise move, the Japanese Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) revealed a new special markings scheme for one of its aggressor F-15J Eagles of the 306 Hikotai based at Komatsu AB. In conjunction with Paramount Pictures as publicity for the then-new Top Gun: Maverick movie, the service had painted up one of their Eagles as Top Gun instructor ‘Maverick’ Mitchell’s personal F/A-18E, specially for a forthcoming Air Festival at the airbase. A bit of a non-sequitur, but it looks good!

Taiwanese modeling company, DXM Decals, has released a set of 1/48 decals for this airframe and has kindly sent IPMS/USA a sample. The single standard-sized decal sheet is packed to the gills with images, including all the decals required for the special scheme and a full set of stencils, including all the individual fuselage panel numbers that festoon the F-15’s airframe. There must be in excess of 400 decals on this sheet – many hours of modeling fun!

This is the first in what is promised to be a new series of aircraft modeling guides, and the chosen subject is the incomparable Avro Vulcan, the best known of Britain’s Cold War “V-Bombers.” Designed for nuclear deterrence but made famous at the end of its career for the “Black Buck” missions against the Argentine invaders in the Falklands War.

Author Geoff Coughlin is well known in British aviation modeling circles and is the founder of the scalemodellingnow.com website. A well-established author and aviation historian, he starts the book with a good but necessarily brief history of the type’s development and service, I think that this would have benefited from being longer, but size restrictions clearly came into play.

Another review of another ICM kit - and I can’t get enough of them! This time I am working on the ICM 48326 Marauder Mk. III in 1:48 scale. As always, another beautifully detailed kit with many pieces. ICM has some of the best detailed aircraft kits around, and they are always a joy to work on. The Marauder is no exception!

Unboxing

This is a massive kit with 8 sprues molded in their usual light grey, 2 in clear, and 1 decal sheet. The instructions are just as clear, beautiful, and easy to follow as I have come to expect and look forward to from ICM. They have 3 possible paint schemes to choose from on this one, all with a lighter shade of green on the top of the aircraft and beige on the underside, with decals to match the specific color palettes.

From the Manufacturer’s Website

The de Havilland Mosquito was a versatile twin-engine aircraft that was one of the best aircraft of World War II. Not for nothing was it called the ‘Wooden Wonder’. It was used as a night fighter, fighter-bomber, bomber, reconnaissance, anti-ship or special transport aircraft. The first generation of Mosquitos was powered by Merlin engines with single-stage superchargers. In the spring of 1943, two-stage Merlins with higher performance at higher altitudes were installed in the Mosquito. This resulted in the PR Mk.IX reconnaissance version and the B Mk.IX bomber. They were produced in limited numbers, as they were replaced in production by the mass-produced PR Mk.XVI and B Mk.XVI versions, equipped with a pressurized cockpit. The performance of the PR Mk.XVI version was so high that enemy fighters could hardly threaten it. The PR Mk.XVI reconnaissance Mosquitos operated from the British Isles and Italy over the whole of Europe.