Revell has reissued a modified version of their venerable F-105D kit. This time, they have added the larger spine necessary to make the Thunderstick II conversion. This allowed a better visual and blind bombing capability by adding electronics which were housed in the larger spine.
The US Navy Multiple Ejector Rack MER-7 is a weapon suspension unit that attaches to an aircraft's main racks (pylons or hard points) and can carry up to six weapons, such as a variety of bombs. This is currently used by the Navy only, as, according to sources, the Air Force quit using them in the 1990's. They have been used on the A-6 to F-105's.
Each issue of Scale Aircraft Modelling follows a basic design and format. There are usually two Feature Articles, an Aviation in Profile piece, industry news, and a series of Compact Build Reviews. This is my first chance to review this magazine and I am impressed.
The Feature Articles for this issue cover a Revell 1/32 BAE Hawk and AZ Models 1/48 Heinkel He70. The Hawk build by Brian Wakeman covers building the Revell Hawk kit with an Aires seat, SAC landing gear, and Airframe decals for an African scheme. He covers the build thoroughly, including the need for replacement seats and his painting and weathering techniques using oils and variations in paint colors.
The Petlyakov Pe-2 (nicknamed Peshka – “Pawn”) began life in 1939 as a high altitude fighter project, designated VI-100. It was designed under very unusual circumstances, as the design team which included both Vladimir Petlyakov and A.N. Tupolev had been swept up in one of Stalin’s paranoidal purges, and both were imprisoned as “threats to the state.” However, they managed to begin design work during 1939, producing a high altitude fighter prototype by the end of that year. Later, when the Russians discovered that Germany didn’t have any high altitude bombers, the fighter project was canceled.
What’s in the box? The kit consists of close to 300 parts in olive-colored plastic (not all parts will be used), eight clear parts for periscopes and headlight lenses, one PE fret with 49 parts (again, not all will be used), one decal sheet for five different vehicles, and a twenty-page instruction book on glossy paper. All parts are very crisp with no flash or knock-out pin marks that will be visible in the end, just the usual mold lines and attachment points to clean up. I suggest that you be careful when removing the parts as many are tiny and may end up in the carpet monster. One standout feature is the one-piece idler wheels, truly a remarkable slide molding that captures all the detail.
This is Model Art Magazine’s special quarterly issue that focuses on naval subjects. As with the regular Model Art Magazine, this is printed in Japanese with some English subtitles. This special ship model edition focuses on the "Chitose Japanese Navy seaplane carrier type".
This issue starts off with detail drawings of the IJN seaplane carrier Mizuho. They cover such items as the anchor, vents, cleats, portholes and the trim over them, armament, linoleum decks and how they were secured, and armament – very valuable information for modelers. Next is a one-page article on new items that are coming out.
Lamborghini introduced the Aventador in 2011 as the replacement for the Marcielago. Aoshima introduced its 1/24 scale version in 2012 and the model is every bit as cool-looking as the real thing. Aoshima accurately captured the stealth jet fighter proportions of the one-to-one car.
The model comes packaged in separate bags for the different trees. The body parts are molded in white plastic, the interior parts in gray, and the chassis in black. The wheels, headlight/taillight bezels, exhaust, and a couple of other pieces are molded in a satin chrome finish. There are painting mask for the windshield and side windows, and all of the clear parts are packaged separately. The taillights are molded in clear red, so no painting needed. The instruction sheet, mostly, is clear and easy to follow.
Those of us of a certain age remember April 13, 1970, as a “worst nightmare come to reality” day. On that day the crew of Apollo 13 radioed those famous words, “Houston, we’ve had a problem.” The mission ended with the successful and safe return of the astronauts, and gave the world an iconic moment revealing just how dangerous space flight can be.
The author of Apollo 13 Owner’s Workshop Manual is Dr. David Baker, who worked for NASA during the Gemini, Apollo, and Shuttle programs. Dr. Baker was part of the team within Houston Mission Control throughout the Apollo 13 mission and, therefore, speaks with a considerable authority. He has written more than 80 books on spaceflight technology, and this is his fourth Haynes manual, following the NASA Mars Rover Manual, International Space Station Manual and NASA Space Shuttle Manual.
The Type IIB U-Boat was used throughout World War II as a coastal patrol boat, and only twenty were made. Since it could not operate very far from its home port and carried very little armament, it was used to train new crews and prepare new Kapitans for their commands. Surprisingly, most of the Type IIB losses were from the Kapitan scuttling the boat. The first Type IIB was launched on June 29, 1935. It was interesting doing research on the boats that are referred to on the instruction sheet and finding out that markings and specific details of many of the U-boats are not readily available, and in some cases are best guesses.
The French Renault FT-17 can claim the distinction of setting the standard for tank design for the entire Twentieth Century. By the end of 1915, Jean Baptiste Estienne, General of Artillery and a specialist in military engineering, realized that artillery could be mounted on tracked armored vehicles. This vision led him to create the French tank arm. He is considered by many in France to be the Père des Chars (Father of the Tank). Some early companies approached by Estienne produced medium size tanks – the Schneider and the Saint Chamond. Estienne believed, however, that a light tank was needed, and approached Louis Renault in July, 1916, who then developed the FT-17. Innovative in its design, the FT-17 featured the first rotating turret, along with a rear engine compartment and front driver compartment, and only weighed around 7 tons. Early FT-17’s were armed with an 8mm Hotchkiss machine gun, and later designs carried the 37mm Puteaux canon.
