Greg Van Wyngarden has taken a new look at the Pfalz D.IIIa service in WWI. This is the second volume of a two volume set (Datafile 173: Pfalz D.IIIA At War!). Datafile number 21 by Peter M. Grosz came out in1995 so it is about time that Windsock revisited the Pfalz D.IIIa. The initial Pfalz D.III aircraft received a poor reception amongst German pilots as it was regarded as inferior to the Albatros D.V. That doesn’t negate the fact that it was still superior to most of the Allied opposition of the time. The Pflaz firm, however, did listen to the pilot’s concerns over the D.III and soon offered improvements in the form of the D.IIIa.
What's New
Italeri recently began producing a line of 1/56 scale AFVs and figures. This might be an unusual scale for most model builders, but is a fairly common wargaming scale, equivalent to the 28mm scale. The M3 Stuart tank kit is one of their newest releases in that line of kits, and it is done in coordination with Warlord Games, who designed the 28mm WWII-themed wargame, Bolt Action©.
Talk about a blast from the past – this kit hasn’t been seen since its 1986 release. The secondary market prices were approaching $100 and here it is again for our enjoyment at reasonable prices. This kit features some of the largest tires available for a 1:25 scale kit, and not one, but three fully blown Hemi drag motors and a wagon full of accessories.
This review covers the skill level 3 (ages 12 years and older) 2016 re-release of the Blazing Bison Puller Tractor 1:25 Scale AMT Model Kit #1006. There are 150+ pieces molded in yellow, black, and chrome, with metal axles, gigantic soft vinyl tires and waterslide decals. Finished dimensions are; ~ L-8”, W-5”, H-3”.
Construction and Detailing
To reduce color variations I recommend that you spray all the yellow pieces with a medium-tone primer.
History
The Mikoyan MiG-27 (NATO reporting name "Flogger-D/J") is a variable-geometry ground-attack aircraft, originally built by the Mikoyan design bureau in the Soviet Union and later license-produced in India by Hindustan Aeronautics as the Bahadur ("Valiant"). It is based on the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 fighter aircraft, but optimized for air-to-ground attack. Unlike the MiG-23, the MiG-27 did not see widespread use outside Russia, as most countries opted for the MiG-23BN and Sukhoi Su-22 instead. It remains in service with the Indian, Kazakh and Sri Lankan Air Forces in the ground attack role. All Russian and Ukrainian MiG-27s have been retired.
Trumpeter, a Chinese maker of scale model kits, produces the kit. The kit arrives in a very colorful box with artwork of a Mig-27 Flogger D displayed in level flight. The box sides show the four decal options.
What can be said about the Messerschmitt Bf109 that hasn’t been said before? Actually, as it turns out, not very much. I will say that the Bf-109G-14 was Germany’s attempt to standardize production of the 109, incorporating the variety of changes made to the Bf 109G-6. On paper, this seems to make sense, however, in practice, the G-14 series were added and built in the same production lines as the G-6, so in the end, it becomes very difficult to tell a G-6 from a G-14.
This is a great kit with lots of detail and fit of the parts is excellent. The assembly is complex, but the instruction are clear so it’s a fun modeling challenge.
Hasegawa's Yamaha YZR500 was released in 2014 and is a rebox of a kit first issued in 2012, The kit has been released several times since then, mostly with new decals.
This upgrade provides a 1//32 scale improved seat for the HK B-17. It comes in three different options, with two seats to a package. One is the plain seat, one has basic seat cushions and backpad, and one has seat cushions, backpad, and the lap-belt, as the B-17 was (from my references) rarely equipped with over-the shoulder harnesses until later versions. The lap belt is the ultimate in final detail. As you can see in the side-by side view, the kit seat (in basic gray plastic) is about 3/8” taller than the Resin2detail seats; I believe the Resin 2 detail seats are more accurate.
The Winter 2016 edition of Windsock World War Centenary is the fourth edition of Volume 32. The cover subject is a tease for Avro Vercamer’s two page spread of a Belgian Escadrille Sopwith Camel color profiles getting ready for the Wingnut Wings new releases on the Sopwith Camel. Rony Barr sneaks in the inset color profile on the Albatros D.III of Jasta 10. Avro Vercamer’s [ https://www.linkedin.com/in/arvovercamer , arvo@arvoart.com ] two page spread on the Sopwith Camel in the Great Warpaint series covers seventeen Sopwith Camels from the Belgian Escadrille to the USS Texas’ Camel equipped with flotation gear. Rony Barr provides three Albatros D.III color profiles to support Greg VanWyngarden’s Fabric Colours and Markings series that focuses on the iconic 1370/17 Pfalz D.III.
The least expensive way to get an Eduard kit is by buying an Overtree kit. These kits are only available for a limited time, typically about one month after the release to the Profipack. This kit is typical of the Overtree line. The kit comes with just plastic. No decals, no masks, no instructions, no nothing but plastic. This is bare bones but I love the concept. I have lots of decals so I don’t need to worry about marking options.
The plain white box is about half the height of a normal Profipack box. This doesn’t diminish the quality of the plastic. Mine had a very small amount of flash on a few parts. Nothing to worry about. There are four sprues of light grey plastic and one sprue of clear plastic. The two main sprues are the same as the ones in the G-5 and G-6 kits. You get a new fuselage and new wings on the other sprues. The fuselage, wings and tail planes all feature restrained rivets and engraved panel lines.
This edition represents a re-printing of two books by Duncan Grinnell-Milne. The first, An Escaper’s Log, was originally published in 1926 by John Lane. The second, Wind in the Wires, was first published in 1933 by Hurst & Blackett. This edition combines his two autobiographies.