The X-47B is an experimental Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle the US Navy is testing from its aircraft carriers for suitability as a remotely controlled attack aircraft. Apparently, UCAVs are going to be a large part of the future of US military flying.

This kit from Platz was described in one of the paper publications as requiring twice as long to paint as it did to build and twice as long as that to decal. I find myself in total agreement with that assessment. The kit consists of approximately 56 parts in a light grey plastic. The parts tree is sensibly laid out and the instructions include a parts map showing all the relevant parts.

Eduard has released another fine quality detail set for the HK Models B-17G. This set includes all four engines (which are available individually), their cowlings (both enclosed and open), and exhaust tubes. The engine sets are numbered from one thru four, with number one being the outboard left engine, number two the inboard left engine, number three the inboard right engine and number four the outboard right engine.

The number one and four engine assemblies are mirror images of each other, with the only difference being the exhaust discharge is either on the left or right side. Number two and three are twins; their exhaust is on the bottom. The assemblies come individually wrapped and are well protected with bubble wrap. You must keep track of all the parts, and which engine they belong to. I scribed numbers in the back of the castings to help me in this endeavor.

Eduard has started making resin sets and has started issuing weapons sets. This set contains the parts for six Mk. 82 bombs with the early airbrakes. It consists of 24 resin parts with each bomb being 2 parts. This will allow more versions of the bombs to come out. There are also two types of fuses for the front of the bomb. The set also includes all needed decals and instructions. Molding is top notch with very nice detail on the air brakes and also the attachment lugs.

Assembly is started by cutting the bomb body and the tail from the sprues. The more square the cut here, the better the assembly. Each part is squared and glued together. I had to use a little putty on the body seam. I cleaned this with lacquer thinner and got a good seam. Painting is simple as the body is olive drab.. The fuse is silver. I elected the longer ones. The decals apply well. Make sure they don't fold over. A wash and flat coat and the bombs are done.

Aerobonus continues their excellent diorama releases with a US Navy Torpedo loading cart. I searched the Internet and found out it was also used to load bombs. The kits is molded in four parts of Aires dark gray resin. There is the main body which is molded in one piece. There is a sizable pour stub to remove but it is all on the bottom and easy to remove. There is one sprue which contains both handles and a insert for the center with molded in straps. The handles are very thin and fine and they need very slow careful removal to make sure they don't break. The resin is good to work with and with some patience, I removed them slowly and sanded the parts off. The insert goes into the center easily. The handles are left and right so make sure they spread enough to get a weapon between them. I glued them in and called the build finished.

Background

Prior to World War II, Adam Opel AG was the largest automobile and truck manufacturer in Germany. Their 3.5 ton truck, known as the Blitz, was well respected, and its chassis was used by many body builders to produce special vehicles. The subject of this kit is the streamlined “Aero” bus produced by the Ludewig Brothers. These medium size busses were used to transport people from city to city along the autobahns. This design had seating for twelve passengers in the front, setting at an angle in individual seats, plus a separate “cabin” area at the rear where eight more passengers could sit facing each other. It is an interesting design. During my research for this write-up, I found several interesting web sites related to the Opel Blitz. One is http://www.pietvanhees.nl/blitzbus/index.htm, which has lots of good photos and background material.