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Review Author
Jarrod Booth
Published on
Company
Italeri
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$41.99

The Hawker Hurricane needs little introduction. It was one of the finest fighters of the Second World War. It usually took second place to the more glamorous Spitfire. The “Hurri” served Britain and the Allies faithfully throughout the war and was adapted to many different environments. The subject of this build is a Hurricane Mk I Tropical that flew in North Africa.

The kit comes packed in a sturdy box with a nice picture of a Hurri about to turn in and take a shot at an Italian Marchetti bomber over a desert landscape. The side of the box shows six different aircraft that can be modeled, as well as other useful information like paint colors. There are four individually packaged sprues, a photo etch fret, clear parts, decal sheet, and instruction booklet.

Before detailing how it went together, I’m going to first break this kit into the good and not so good points.

Review Author
Gregory Hansel
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$22.95

Introduction

The other night I was watching a movie from 1953 called The Band Wagon starring Fred Astaire. It dawned on me while I was watching the movie that a person who watched it during its theatrical run may have well gone home after the show to work on this exact same model! The Revell kit was first issued in 1953 and is now 64 years old! The initial kit did not include the flotation gear, that was included in a subsequent issue of the kit. The kit stands up pretty well for its age and gives the builder the option of the flotation gear and regular gear. There is also a stand which was a common feature of kits from the era.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$14.95

This small set is designed for the Zvezda Bf-109G-6 kit. It contains what I consider the essential cockpit items. Packaged in a typical small Eduard self-sealing packet with a cardstock to prevent bending, the set includes a single pre-painted fret.

The primary focus of the fret is the instrument panel. This is a thing of beauty. Interestingly, the panel has the lower right two instruments painted with red and yellow surrounds like they are supposed to be, but on the sets designed for the Eduard kits, they are not. The chains, knobs, and various items in the cockpit elevate the kit cockpit to a whole new level.

One thing I did to make my life easier was to cut the upper part of the instrument panel. The panel with the clock that has to go around the gunsight. This just allowed me to add the gunsight earlier in the construction. Then the two sides were added around it.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$10.95

I hate to mask canopies. If there is a masking set available typically I will buy it and use it. Eduard produces some of the nicest masks out there. They use Kabuki tape which is flexible and able to withstand curves.

This set is like many of the others, in that it contains the masks for all the canopies in the kit, both the regular and the Erla Haube one. To make this set even more valuable it includes masks for the wheels, as well as, masks for the head armor. I can’t think of anything else I would want to mask.

The fit is perfect to the Zvezda kit canopy and the wheels. They make life so much easier than having to me make the masks myself. Thank you to Eduard for making this portion of modeling easier.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Eduard and IPMS/USA for the review copy. You can obtain yours by contacting Eduard directly at Eduard or your local hobby shop an online retailer.

Book Author(s)
Robert Forsyth
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$23.00

Robert Forsyth, born in Berkshire, England, has studied the history and operations of the Luftwaffe since his school days. Based in East Sussex with his wife, he runs an aviation and military publishing business full-time. He has written articles for the magazines Aeroplane , Aviation News, FlyPast, and The Aviation Historian, and is a member of the Editorial Board of the latter publication. He is the author of several hard bound books, including: JV 44 – The Galland Circus (1996), Battle over Bavaria – The B-26 versus the German Jets (Classic, 1998), Mistel – German Composite Aircraft and Operations 1942-1945 (Classic, 2001), Messerschmitt Me 264 Amerikabomber (Classic, 2006, with Eddie Creek); He 162 Volksjäger (Classic, 2009, with Eddie Creek); Heinkel He 111 (Crecy, 2014); Junkers Ju 52 (Specialty Press. 2015, with Eddie Creek).

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$6.95

The biggest thing in any cockpit are the seatbelts. If you are going to add one thing to your model cockpit the seatbelts make the biggest impact. The Zvezda Bf-109G-6 is an impressive kit right out of the box but it does lack the seatbelts. Eduard comes to the rescue.

The set comes with a single fret in the new STEEL format. This thin steel is superbly pre-painted. I’ve never had an issue with the paint while bending the new STEEL belts. The only downside is that the paint is on the front side only. This pre-painted fret has enough material for one model kit.

Adding the set is easy enough to add. Simply remove and bend to shape. Then attach them with a drop of super glue. Flat coat and you’re done. Simple and effective. The best visual impact you can add to your cockpit with the minimal amount of work. The look is perfect.

Highly recommended

Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$10.00

Background

The Yakovlev Yak-28 (Яковлев Як-28) was a multi-role aircraft that was an outgrowth of the Yak-25 that featured a shoulder mounted swept wing to reduce foreign object damage (FOD) from un-improved runways. Like its predecessor the Yak-25, it was produced as a tactical bomber role as well as in the reconnaissance, electronic warfare, interceptor, and trainer versions. The Yak-28 was known under the NATO reporting names Brewer, Firebar, and Maestro respectively.

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Brengun
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$26.60

Thanks once again to Brengun for providing a copy of one of their sets for IPMS USA to review;

Brengun continue to address projects which we never thought would be handled in a lifetime; in this case, it’s the venerable AMT/Italeri XB-70. Thanks to Dick “Monty” Montgomery for hand-carrying the set to the nationals for me as well.

OK, how many of you have seen one of these built? Next question: How many actually BUILT the kit? I was commissioned back in 1995 by Harters Hobby house to build one for the shop in Belleville, IL. In payment I got my own copy of the kit to build. Don’t know if the place is still there, but I know it was an interesting build.

Review Author
Timothy Gidcumb
Published on
Company
Lifelike Decals
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$13.98

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by North American Aviation (NAA) in response to a requirement of the British Purchasing Commission.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$22.95

I found it unique that Eduard, who produces what can be argued as the best G-6 in 1/48th scale, would produce a set for its prime competitor the Zvezda Bf-109G-6. But not being slighted Eduard has done just that. An update set for the Zvezda kit.

The Zvezda kit features a completely exposed engine, should you choose to display it that way. Having built Zvezda’s Bf-109Fs I can say that the fit or the G-6 is also incredible as is the detail. I elected to show mine off once I built it up with the Eduard parts.

This set features two frets of photoetch. One is pre-painted and the other is brass. The pre-painted one is designed primarily for the cockpit. The instrument panel is a thing of beauty. The dials can be read which is much better than I can paint.