Lockheed’s derivative of the venerable T-33 as the Navy’s carrier-capable jet trainer, the T2V/T-1A bears a strong family resemblance to the T-Bird, but was a far different animal. A redesigned and strengthened wing with leading edge droops, different flaps, and boundary layer control was a big item, while a strengthened fuselage and gear, plus the raised rear cockpit for better visibility by the back-seater, gave the Seastar its characteristic humpback look. Larger tail surfaces, intakes, tailpipe, and an uprated J33 engine were included. Additional fuselage speedbrakes were added to the fairings aft of the wing, and other improvements were added as well, along with upgraded ejection seats, a hefty arresting hook, and a catapult hook.

History

Another of Kelly Johnson’s modern marvels in aviation history, the F-104 truly lived up to the many nicknames it was bestowed. The “Missile With a Man In It” is probably the most reflective of this great machine. It was a plane that was produced in greater numbers for foreign use rather than US use. It was, however, a major leap forward in technology that led to multiple advances that allowed the US to be the leader in high-performance aircraft. A quick look at the main gear configuration and wing thickness can lead one to see how the F-16 was influenced.

Quickboost has added a highly detailed Bf-109F early-style seat with safety belts to their continually growing line of 1/32 scale detail parts. It is designed as a drop-in replacement for the seat parts included in the kit. This part adds considerably to the overall detail of the cockpit and solves a problem that the kit parts present. Hasegawa provides the seat in the kit in two parts – left and a right side that are joined in the middle of the seat pan and back, thus creating a vertical seam through the center of the entire seat that must be eliminated. (see the photo below of the two kit parts surrounding the aftermarket seat). The Hasegawa seat also has ejection pin protrusions on the inside walls of both pieces that will need to be dealt with before joining the pieces.

Mushroom Model Publications has released the latest installment of their Yellow Series titled Messerschmitt Bf 109F. Like all the other books in the series, it is printed in glossy paper and lavishly illustrated with period b&w photographs, color profiles, and color pictures of restored aircraft. Also of note is also the fact they have included 3D computer-generated images of different parts of the airplane (nose, control stick, etc.).

In addition to the above, there are 1/48 scale plans of all the main Bf-109F variants, plus a 620mm fold-out (2-feet) color profile of a Bf-109. I wish I could frame it!

The main sections of the book include: early stages, armament, prototype (Bf-109F-0), main variants (F-1 to F-4), production series, modifications (/Trop, reconnaissance, etc.), final variants (the rare F-5 to F-8 marks), research programs, etc.

The latest release in MiniArt’s 1/16th historical figure series is this Roman Gladiator around the time of the 1st Century AD. There were many different classes and types of gladiator, each with specific weapons and armor, and this figure is a Mirmillo, a type of gladiator who was armed with a short sword called a Gladius and a large Imperial army-style shield called a Scutum. The Mirmillo gets his name from a type of fish – his helmet has a large crest like a fish’s dorsal fin. Supposedly, he was pitted against the Retarius, the “fisherman”, the guy with the net and trident. But it is believed he was more often up against other types of gladiators armed with short swords and heavy armor.