IPMS/USA continues to welcomes the return of the Advanced Modeling/Amigo team for sending us this new-technology set; their lineup continues to grow! And thanks to Phil and John for obtaining the sets for the team…

Advanced Modeling/AMIGO (Hereafter referred to as AM for simplicity) is a Russian company specializing in modern Soviet and Russian aircraft accessories; their first items released a few years ago were weapons, and they have recently branched out into other items, in this case an upgrade to Zvezda’s Mig-29 9-13 kit exhaust, augmentor tubes, and afterburner nozzles.

Once again, AM’s accessory shows the extent 3-D printing has improved the appearance of our available aftermarket… included are 8 resin parts: Exhaust augmentor tubes with excellent cooling liner details, along with the turbine/flameholder, and the dual-layer Exhaust augmentor petals, a hallmark of the Mig 29. These fit together like they should, and are astoundingly detailed.

IPMS/USA again thanks Ross and his Team at SAC for supporting the IPMS USA reviewer corps with one more of many monthly releases, with extremely useful and well-thought out landing gear additions for the modeling crowd out here in the modeling world. And thanks to IPMS leadership for sending it to me to be reviewed.

Consisting of 7 separate well-cast white metal parts, this gear is the usual replacement for the kit gear. Hobbyboss provides excellent kits with great detail, but usually has some things simplified. In this case the landing gear has everything it needs attached to the main gear, and as to the nose you add kit shimmy dampers, doors, and taxi lights. The FOD/Mud Guard is supplied with the set as well.

This SAC set adds the usual structural strength to the weakest part of most models: The landing gear. Cast tough yet malleable white metal, it addresses any concern for splayed and failed landing gear for Hobbyboss’ SU-30MKK.

The new Airfix P-40B is an excellent example of the iconic fighter made famous by the Flying Tigers. The kit is nice but there are some things in the cockpit that need to be ‘fixed’. Aires has released this new cockpit set for the kit.

Inside the typical Aires blister pack are 21 pieces molded in light grey resin. My example was flawless despite damage to the blister package. The set also has a small fret of photoetch that includes the instrument panel and seatbelts. A film of acetate is also provided for the instruments.

This set will require some thinning of the sidewalls to get it to fit properly. But once you get past that, the set fits together simply and easily. The parts breakdown is very similar to the kit breakdown. The pour stubs are easy enough to remove.

The CF-188A Hornet, more commonly known as the CF-18, is a multi-role fighter that first flew with the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1977. It was chosen as a replacement for the CF-101 Voodoo and CF-104 Starfighter. The CF-188s were upgraded through two incremental Modernization Programs, with a new radar and avionics from the F/A-18C/D as well as a new targeting pod. This new kit from Kinetic is the latest special edition of the CF-188 Hornet and it covers the commemorative scheme for 20 years of service with the RCAF.

History

The Breguet 690 series resulted from a French Air Ministry competition for a heavy twin-engine fighter. Similar aircraft were being developed in Germany – the Messerschmidt Bf-110 and in Holland – the Fokker G.1. The Br.693 was the most successful of the 690 series designs. Powered by the Gnome-Rhone 14M engine, over 200 were produced and in service against German forces. These ground-attack fighters were loved by their crews but many were lost to anti-aircraft fire and Luftwaffe fighters during the furious battles in May and June 1940.

Armament of the Br.693 consisted of six internally stored 50 kg bombs, a 20-mm fixed forward firing cannon and four 7.5-mm machine guns. Three of the machine guns were fixed and one was on a flexible rear firing mount. The Br.693 was a good looking, reasonable performing twin engine ground attack fighter but it was outnumbered and overwhelmed by the Luftwaffe.