What's New

Review Author
Rob Booth
Published on
Company
Master Model
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$8.99

Master Model has produced a replacement nose pitot for the Trumpeter MiG-21 F-13 Fishbed kit. The replacement pitot is a clean drop-in for the kit’s plastic parts. The supplied items include a two-piece main pitot tube of turned stainless and photo etch brass vane fins.

A side-by-side evaluation (see photos) indicates an identical replacement that provides a much more realistic assembly with a significantly improved abuse tolerance. Painting of the main tube should not be necessary, but the fins will need a quick touch with silver or red to transform the brass. Check your references

Review Author
Mike Hinderliter
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$6.50

Quickboost has added the ejection seat for the F-8 Crusader to their line of resin aircraft accessories. This latest addition is molded in a grayish resin – smooth, seamless, and bubble-free. Noteworthy is that it is easy to remove from the mold block by taking only a couple of minutes with a saw blade.

The package doesn’t state that it is for any particular kit, so it should work well with any of the F-8 Crusader kits. I compared it with the Heller and Academy kit parts. Talk about a noticeable difference – the detail on the Quickboost part is outstanding. I left the pieces of the Academy seat unassembled in one of the photos to show the number of pieces there are. Big plus for Quickboost, the seat is only two parts. The initiator rings that are at the top of the seat are separate so that they don’t get broken before you get them.

Review Author
Rob Booth
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/144
MSRP
$11.95

Scale Aircraft Conversions has produced replacement gear for the Airfix Boeing 727 kit. The white metal replacements are a clean drop-in for the kit’s plastic parts. The supplied items include two main gear struts and braces, and one nose gear strut. Some SAC packages include replacement wheels, as well, but that’s not the case here. You will need to use the Airfix shoes for your build.

A side-by-side evaluation (see photo) indicates an identical replacement that should provide a greater strength of assembly with a significantly improved weight capacity and abuse tolerance. In some cases, painting may not be necessary.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Scale Aircraft Conversions and the IPMS Reviewer Corps for the opportunity to review this item.

Book Author(s)
Claude GIllono
Review Author
Mike Van Schoonhoven
Published on
Company
ADH Publishing
MSRP
$22.95

ADH Publishing is a UK-based magazine company that produces a multitude of model related magazines. Some examples are Military Illustrated Modeler, Model Military International, Tamiya Model Magazine International, and Model Airplane International, along with a host of RC magazines.

This magazine covers the units of the German Army in defense of Sicily. Even though this magazine only consists of thirty-three pages, there are a lot of great references. A narrative starts off the magazine with several excellent period photographs embedded within it. The rest of the magazine is loaded with many period photographs with captions, campaign maps, loss charts of the Divisions involved, a full page of color divisional markings, and color drawings of the equipment of this campaign.

Book Author(s)
Paolo Varriale
Review Author
Roger Rasor
Published on
Company
Albatros Productions, Ltd.
MSRP
$21.95

Windsock Datafiles from Albatros Productions rank high on the list of reference/historical publications by those who build WW I scale aircraft models. Each volume focuses on a specific aircraft and can be counted on to provide a thorough study of the subject. The most recent volume covers a subject that may not be well know to modelers who are not well versed on the subject of Axis aircraft that served in the “Great War.” Windsock Datafile No. 158 details the history of the Austro-Hungarian UFAG C.1…a two-seat aircraft that served in the dual rolls of aerial observation and ground attack. It was, in fact, one of the best of its kind in service during the final year of the war, and one that became popular with its aircrews.

Review Author
Dave Koukol
Camden Koukol
Published on
Company
Hobby Boss
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$15.99

Background

Considered by many the best American close air support fighter of the Second World War, the P-47D Thunderbolt was instrumental in the Allied ground campaign in the European Theater of Operations, as well as a key to ensuring air superiority and providing air interdiction in European and Pacific theaters.

The Kit

Hobby Boss steps up with another addition to its fantastic “Easy Assembly” series of 1/72 aircraft kits in the form of the “Razorback” variant of the P-47D. Molded in 3 light gray sprues and solid wing and fuselage segments, a single clear sprue, a small sheet of decals for 2 markings options, and instructions with full color paint and marking guide, the contents of the little box offer a gold mine for modelers of all skill levels.

Review Author
Tim Wilding
Published on
Company
Trumpeter
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$31.95

The Soviet Union introduced the NKL-16 Aerosan during World War II, based on the earlier NGL-6. It was constructed from plywood and powered by a radial airplane engine. It ran only on skis and was designed for frozen lakes or snow-covered tundra.

This Trumpeter kit contains 151 parts on nine sprues, a clear window sprue, a short piece of copper wire, and a whopping 86 photo etched parts. Most of these PE parts are for the mounts on the skis and door hinges. The copper wire is to be cut to make ski cables, an engine part, and a probe for the front. We get a detailed dashboard to be used with the only decals with the kit – the five gauges on the dash, which you can kind of see through the windshields.

Book Author(s)
Andrew Thomas
Review Author
Mike Van Schoonhoven
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$22.95

This book follows the operational use of the Spitfire starting in Australia, moving into India, then onto Rangoon, The East Indies, and then with the last mission being flown on 10 August 1945. The last mission that day was a search for a Mosquito in distress.

The author takes you on a journey as the book goes along, using many first-hand accounts and after-action reports. It is interesting to read about how these pilots had thought that they had encounter one type of Japanese plane only to find out through the author’s research that it was a different type. Just goes to show how in the heat of combat everything becomes a blur and you just start relying on your training.

Review Author
Jeffrey Brown
Published on
Company
Master Box Ltd
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$42.95

This review is of the Master Box German Military Staff Car, WWII Era, Sd.Kfz.1 Type 170 VK, also known as the Mercedes Benz 170 VK. Since I am a lazy typist I am going to refer to this as the “Mercedes” during this review.

Well, this is one of those kits that is different, and therefore a welcome challenge. The kit consists of three main builds: the engine, the frame, and the carriage.

The engine is a complete engine minus the wiring and oil leak. It is a really neat thing to have, and it is INCLUDED! No extras to buy, no aftermarket stuff, but included. It went together without any problems. There is a little flash to clean up on the fan, but that was minor.

Next step is the frame, which also went together without any difficulties. There was some minor flash to clean up, but nothing too bad. The engine gets attached to the frame, and then everything is attached to the underside of the body.

Book Author(s)
Michael G. Johnson
Review Author
Ken McDevitt
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$17.95

This is another fine publication in Osprey Publishing’s Men-at-Arms series. There are 10 books in the series that covers the Indians of America. This publication covers the Indian tribes of the Southwest, which is mainly Arizona and New Mexico and some of the surrounding states. The contents cover the history of the tribes, the Spanish Invasion, and the approximately 35 tribes in the Southwest. This number includes all the major tribal groups along with their sub-tribes. There is a description of the major tribal groups and their main characteristics, hunting, gathering, and customs. The section on language and tribal accents is particularly interesting. The major tribes of Ute, Apache (with 4 variants), Navajo, Zuni, Hopi, and Pueblo are covered, as well as marginal tribes. Numerous photographs from circa 1870 up to 1910 are included, along with color art work, maps, and illustrations.

Content overview: