This is not the first turret conversion I’ve dealt with for the ubiquitous Russian T-72 tank in 1/35^th scale. Dragon Models, which was one of the first companies to come out with something resembling a real T-72 tank in this popular scale, even at the time realized that the turret was an extremely elusive shape to model accurately, and almost immediately released their own resin revision. I don’t pretend to be an expert on modern Soviet armor, so this review is going to be mostly based on my observations about this specific kit and what it offers.

This specific version of the turret depicts the T-72 turret as it was modified in preparation for the stand-off armor bricks that were to be added later. It featured the much thickened front cheeks as well as the moving of the smoke grenades to a plate on the left side of the turret. It also has passive armor “blanketing” over a good portion of the turret – an especially hard modification to scratch yourself.

The Product

My sample arrived in the standard blister pack commonly associated with Aires brand resin sets. Its contents were well protected and intact. This multi-media set is comprised of cast resin parts, a photo-etch fret and a small printed acetate film featuring the instrumentation dials and gun sight reflector glass. The small blue fold out instruction sheet is clearly printed and easy to understand. The resin parts have delicate details and look very nice. They include: a seat, seat back pad, oxygen bottles, radio set, armor plate, internal structures, complete sidewall replacement panels, flare gun, control stick, gun sight and forward instrument panel structure. The photo-etch fret is equally as nice and it includes; instrument panel face, complete seat harness, trim wheels, lots of levers, rear view mirror, rudder pedals with straps, charging handles and other nostalgic items.

Windsock World War Centenary Autumn 2014 is the third issue of Volume 30. Albatros Productions bills it as their “packed Autumn edition” because it provides readers with a great variety of top-notch modeling know-how and unique reference material. Packed is not a boast; this issue delivers a wealth of WWI aircraft modeling information along with historical and technical references.

The 737 really needs no introduction, and the modeling community is blessed with everything from the 737-200 all the way up to the 737-800. Both Minicraft and Daco offer 737-300 and 737-400 kits. Daco also offers a 737-500. Brengun has released this little resin detail set primarily for the Minicraft 737-300. The detail set includes new, crisper wheels/tires, landing gear doors, and a plethora of antennas. The molding is very fine.

The wheels and tires look very similar to the Minicraft parts, but they have a slightly finer edge between the wheel and tire, which makes painting much easier. The landing gear doors are very fine and thin. Take special care removing them from their pure stubs; I was trying to be careful and still broke one of the main landing gear doors. The set of antennas includes more antennas than you would use on a single 737. Take a close look at your references before choosing which antennas to use.

Background

Characterized as the longest naval battle in history by British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, The Battle of the Atlantic was conducted from the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939 through the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. Crucial to the survival of Great Britain was the island nation’s ability to receive military and general material aid from North America via the sea lanes of the Atlantic Ocean. To disrupt and ultimately destroy this sea bridge, the German navy engaged in a ruthless and relentless campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare against merchant and military shipping carrying aid to the British Isles. Two of the most effective and prominent German unterseeboot (U-Boat) designs of the period were the Type VIIC and Type IXC boats, both providing extremely lethal and efficient fighting platforms for many of Nazi Germany’s celebrated “U-Boat Aces.”