Although the He-111 was designed supposedly as a civil transport prototype capable of carrying 10 passengers and mail, its main purpose was of a military nature. It first flew in 1935. Several modifications were made to improve performance. A major change was replacing the two 660-hp BMW engines with the 1,000 hp Daimler Benz DB 600A engines, which significantly improved performance. The He-111 cut its fighting teeth in the Spanish Civil War, serving with the Condor Legion where it was very successful. That success continued in the early days of World War II. Germany overran several countries with its Blitzkrieg tactics, staring the Ju-87 and the He-111. Its success faded with the onset of the Battle of Britain when the lightly armed He 111 encountered the fast Spitfires and Hurricanes. By the time Hitler lost this battle, he was already planning Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. The He 111 again found success on the Russian Front.

Quickboost now offers a resin 1/48 scale three-piece resin ejection seat to replace the injection molded seat found in the various F-86F kits marketed by Hasegawa (also should fit Academy kits). The Quickboost seat offers a more correctly proportioned seat with superior detail than provided in the kits, plus it includes nicely molded safety belts (the photos below show the level of delicate detail molded into the parts). See the comparison photo below to determine the difference in the Quickboost seat (on the right) to the Hasegawa kit’s rather basic seat part (on the left).

Trumpeter’s 1/32 scale MiG-3 kit is quite nice and needs only a few changes to improve it. Some kit reviews have pointed out that number one on the list is enhancing cockpit details, and the seat is the most conspicuous item noted. Quickboost has now addressed that issue by offering a two-piece resin replacement that includes a high level of detail and nicely molded safety belts (the photos below show the level of detail on the front and back of each part). The two-piece seat is designed to fit in place of the kit’s three-piece seat parts. In the comparison photo below, the Quickboost seat (on the right) exhibits superior detail and avoids the ejector pin repair issue found in the kit’s seat back (on the left).

Scale Aircraft Conversions makes various landing gear sets from lead-free white metal. Some come with the wheels attached, if needed. Others might have the wheel bay included to help with added weight, but most only come with the new landing gear struts.

The detail of the metal parts is much crisper and looks flawless. The advantage to these parts is their strength, and that they won’t warp under the kit’s weight over time. They will also hold up well while you work with them – no accidentally snapping them apart. To attach the new landing gear, you will need to use CA glue. On SAC’s website, they recommend a gap-filling CA glue so the gear can be positioned the way you want it, and then using an accelerator to bond the parts instantly.

History Brief

The Pegasus is either a Mercury class Battlestar or a Pegasus class Battlestar, depending on where you source your information; she is newer, larger, and more powerful than Galactica. In the re-imagined series, the Beast, as she known by her crew, is a survivor unexpectedly found by Galactica in the 10^th episode of the 2nd season. She’s almost twice the size of Galactica but only needs about half the support crew, relying on more advanced automation systems. Utilizing these automation systems, the Pegasus could manufacture her own Vipers and Raptors, plus replenish stocks for the Galactica.

Her Captain, Admiral Helena Cain, and her crew were battle-tested and wanted payback after escaping the Cylon invasion. They were entirely motivated by bloodthirsty revenge and didn’t want to be tied up aiding the Colonial survivors, and, yes, this made great television entertainment. Sadly, the Pegasus was destroyed a few episodes later… or was she?