What's New

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$6.50

Having just finished the Eduard Royal Class Spitfire Mk.IX kit, I can say that this kit is absolutely perfect; however, that is the Royal Class kit. The Weekend Edition of this kit will be lacking two essential items in plastic – the ballistic bulkheads. The Weekend Edition won’t have the PE parts that the Royal Class kit has. Quickboost calls them bulkheads, but they are actually the ballistic protection plates behind the cockpit.

Molded perfectly in thin light grey resin, these two pieces are easy enough to remove from the pour block, and just need paint to upgrade your cockpit. Your other option is to cut your own bulkheads. We all know what a pain it is to get them perfect. Quickboost does that for you.

This set is essential for the Weekend Edition of the Spitfire. If you have the Royal Class or the Profipack, you will not need it unless you don’t want to deal with the PE parts in the kit.

Highly recommended.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$37.50

You want your Flogger to stand out on the model table? How about opening up the entire nose section? Now we are talking. What can be cooler than complete electronic bays? Normally the whole process would be hours of research, and then hours of scratchbuilding. Thanks to Aires, this will be significantly easier.

You get 25 high-quality light grey resin pieces that feature bulkheads, access panels, and radio/radar equipment. Unlike most Aires sets, this set does not come with any photo etch parts. Everything is rendered perfectly in resin. The bays are deep and have the equipment added from behind. Just exquisite molding.

You think you have to wire the electronics? Nope; miraculously, Aires has even molded the wiring. All the modeler will need to do is artful painting.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$21.50

The Trumpeter MiG-23 is a nice kit, but the seat and the whole cockpit is simplified. It may be just the limitations of plastic molding technology, but now you don’t have to scratchbuild the cockpit. The Aires set comes in their normal packaging in a plastic container, with foam securing the parts in place. It is effective. I did have one piece fall off the sprue, but that is to be expected in shipping, sometimes.

There are nine exquisite resin parts perfectly molded in light grey resin. The amount of detail in this set has to be seen to be believed. The cockpit is perfection. The undercuts on the side walls are impressive. The same can be said for the instrument panel coaming. The pour blocks are small and will be easy to remove.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Aero Line
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$11.20

Plusmodel’s Aero Line continues its tradition of providing the modeler with simple and interesting pilot figures. The latest is a pilot for the MiG-15. This is a two-piece figure. The biggest part is the pilot himself. The other piece is the parachute pack. Both are perfectly cast in light grey resin. There is very little clean-up required. The thin wafer of material around the figure is easily removed by hand and cleaned up with a sharp blade. The face is perfectly formed. The proportion of the figure are perfect. The stance of the pilot is relaxed and completely natural. The equipment is perfectly sculpted, as well. I could not find anything I didn’t like. The small parachute pack is easily attached to the pilot’s backside.

The figure is safely packaged in a plastic container with the parts safeguarded by a piece of foam. Included on the packaging is a painting of the figure. Inside the packaging is the same painting but much larger.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$8.50

The Trumpeter F-100 series of models is nice. If you are like me, it is really tough to get rid of the mold line on the round parts such as the refueling probe. I can get rid of the mold line, but keeping it round is not my forte. Quickboost offers a quick and easy upgrade. This set provides three pieces of resin molded perfectly in light grey resin.

The probe comes in three pieces. One is the fuselage mounting point with a perfectly hollowed out tip. Then there is the long probe itself. I was amazed at how straight this part was and, best yet, no mold line. The part is removed from the base. Then the final part is the probe end. This is really a nice looking piece. It is an accurate representation. It will require a sliver of resin to be sanded off the end, but that is an easy operation.

While designed for the F-100, the probe tip can be used on any US aircraft that has an in-flight refueling probe.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$8.50

Let’s face it, ejection seats in kits usually leave something to be desired. Usually, the culprits are the lack of seat belts or just the limitation of the plastic molding process. The ejection seat is also the most visible part of the interior, either with the canopy open or closed.

It sure would be nice to have a well-detailed seat in your Hun. Quickboost provides just that – a perfectly detailed seat complete with seatbelts and shoulder harness. It is easy enough to remove the resin pour block. My example was perfectly cast in light grey resin. It is perfect and just needs a coat of paint to bring it alive. It is an easy addition to either your Trumpeter or Monogram Hun.

Easy installation, perfectly cast, and highly detailed...what more can you ask for? Absolutely nothing. Another great product from Quickboost. Remember if you are doing an F-100F you will need two seats.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the review copy.

Book Author(s)
Steven J. Zaloga
Review Author
Greg Wise
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$18.95

The US M10 was originally developed as a tank destroyer while the StuG III was a turretless, low-profiled tracked vehicle developed for direct fire support for infantry formations. This book discusses how these two fighting vehicles went beyond their respective design missions when called upon. It also covers how they fought one another during the 11 month campaign on the battlefields of northwest Europe in 1944-45.

I found the book to be well thought out with a very coherent outline. It’s well written with easy to understand explanations. It has beautiful color maps, paintings, cutaway artwork, and a wide range of period b&w photographs.

The book itself is well printed with a gum binding. The print is easy to read and the photographs are very clear. The artwork and cutaway illustrations are colorful and honestly represented. The maps and charts are rendered so that any layperson can understand them.

Book Author(s)
Steven J. Zaloga
Review Author
Greg Wise
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$17.95

Based upon the Grant/Sherman tank, the M7 Priest was a self-propelled howitzer with a high-mount machine gun ring resembling a pulpit. It was utilized by the US, British, Canadian, and Free French forces. This book tells the complete story from design and development to deployment. In addition, this book covers all variants of the Priest, including the British/Canadian Sexton 25-pounder version and the US M12 155mm GMC.

I found the book to be well thought out with a very coherent outline. It’s written with easy to understand explanations. It has beautiful color paintings, cutaway artwork, and is packed with a wide range of period b&w photographs.

The book itself is well printed with a hearty gum binding. The print is easy to read and the photographs are very clear. The artwork and cutaway illustrations are colorful and honestly represented. The maps and charts are rendered so that any layperson can understand them.

Book Author(s)
Edward M. Young
Review Author
Greg Wise
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$18.95

These are two of the most iconic fighter aircraft that came out of World War II. They’re the Mitsubishi A6M Zero-sen and the Grumman F4F Wildcat. This book covers the ways in which these two contemporaries, with very different design influences, each possessed its unique strengths and weaknesses. The book includes information on the pilots who flew them and technical data including performance specifications. The author explains in plain English how each of these aircraft was developed in a side-by-side chronology. He further explains how these two enemy aircraft existed in the harsh, war-ravaged Pacific Ocean and jungle island environments.

The book itself is well printed with a hearty gum binding. The print is easy to read and the photographs are very clear. The artwork and cutaway illustrations are colorful and honestly represented. The maps and charts are rendered so that any layperson can understand them.

Review Author
Rob Benson
Published on
Company
Zoukei-Mura
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$191.00

Many, 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 cockpit.