Well-received by many a soccer mom (and dads looking for a “man van”), the Ford Expedition has also gained significant acceptance and popularity among some American law-enforcement agencies looking for a reliable and rugged vehicle with increased towing, passenger, and cargo capacity.

Revell’s Ford Expedition Police SSV (Special Service Vehicle) provides a fantastic opportunity for young modelers to build an imposing replica of this popular vehicle. Molded in black, clear, and chrome-plated plastic, accompanied by vinyl tires and steel axles, its 46 pieces are well-detailed with crisp raised and recessed features. A sheet of stickers provide marking options for 2 vehicles.

Again, many thanks to Mr. Hideyuki Shigeta for honoring me with the privilege of building the Super Wing Series He 219 Uhu (Eagle Owl) model kit for public review as an IPMS Reviewer Corps representative. I am deeply appreciative of the trust and confidence shown in me by both Mr. Shigeta and the IPMS Reviewer staff. I am delighted to report on the next stage of construction: the main wings.

Dragon Models has released their third incarnation of the German Sturminfanteriegeschutz 33 self-propelled heavy infantry gun in 1/35th scale. Based on the venerable Sturmgeschütz III chassis, this version of the sIG 33 mounted the improved 15cm infantry gun, offset to the right side, for which 30 rounds were carried. Fielded in 1942, the sIG 33 saw service on the Eastern front, notably in the breakout attempt at Stalingrad late in that year. Only one survived the war and is on display at the Kubinka NIIBT Research Collection in Russia.

Previously released as Dragon #6042 and Cyberhobby’s #9123, this Smart Kit release has been improved upon by the inclusion of two additional photo etch sheets and their wonderful DS track. The new track replaces the individual, clip-clean-and-glue track found in the earlier kits.

Quickboost and Aires add to their enhancement parts for Roden's 1/48 T-28 series with this set designed to replace the exhausts and cooling flaps on the sides and bottom of the cowling.

The set is perfectly cast. To use, you cut the parts off of the casting blocks. Make sure to cut a little extra and sand back to the kit part. All the parts are drop-in replacements, so simply glue them in place. I included a shot of the Quickboost parts next to the kits parts. The kit parts are a little thick, and you’ll notice those large ejection pin marks on the cooling flaps. Also, you can see that Quickboost has hollowed out the exhausts while Roden's are solid and should be drilled out.

This is another set needed for the Roden kit. The drilled-out exhausts and more-to-scale flaps will be noticeable and make the kit better. Highly recommended. My thanks to Quickboost/Aires and IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review these items.

Aerobonus is part of Aires and has consistently come out with great items for dioramas for kits in multiple scales. In this kit, Aerobonus provides a 150 gallon USAF Fuel Bowser which is used to reclaim the fuel planes have left over in their tanks after they’ve landed.

The kit comes with 14 resin parts and five small photoetch parts. Construction started by removing the casting blocks. They are large on the two tanks, and time spent here sanding them is worthwhile. The frame was next, and then the small parts. I added the two tanks to the frame, wincing at a few broken straps on the tank bottoms. They are fragile and broke during shipment. They were replaced with Evergreen strip.

I added the axle next, and then added the reel on the front, and also added the two tires temporarily. Once these were on, the front tire/jack stand was added to the front using the back tires to get the spacing correct. I added some line and the PE valve knobs and clips to the front.