So, I had this 1/72 Tamiya Spitfire Mk.Vb sitting in the closet, and I was given the chance to review this new product from Quickboost for the Tamiya Spitfire Mk.Vb, so I decided, hey what could go wrong?
Also reviewed are:
This book answered a question that has nagged me for many years, since Frog first came out with their Spitfire 14 kit back in 1968. Why would Supermarine want to go away from the fabulous Merlin engine and try something new? Well, this book answered that question early on. The answer is 1700 hp for the Griffon vs 1030 hp for the Merlin.
The contents are:
History
Appendices
This is the third Hasegawa Egg Plane I’ve built, and Twobobs is certainly right in their decal description. Everyone probably has one of these in their stash, and finally someone has come out with interesting aftermarket markings for the Lawn Dart. They also describe the kit as whimsical (yep) and one to be built just for the fun of it, as no one has a good photo of the original aircraft.
I built the RNethAF F-16 for that review because I worked with them in Italy. So the markings I chose for this review were one of Aviano’s Falcons. This was probably not the most interesting choice, as there are so many good sets of markings on the sheet. The instruction sheet is 4 pages long, so here are half of them.
The kit is really simple, so after a quick paint job and a coat of Future, it’s ready to decal.
Ah nostalgia... one of the big benefits of modeling is bringing back memories. Pegasus Hobbies new release of the ship and Martian from My Favorite Martian will certainly do that. For those of you who don't know the show, it ran between 1963 and 1966 for 107 episodes and chronicled the exploits of a crashed Martian anthropologist and the newspaper reporter who found him crashed. The showed starred Bill Bixby as the reporter and Ray Walston as Uncle Martin. Of course most people remember him as Mr. Hand from Fast Times at Ridgemont High and many other things. Bill Bixby played the Incredible Hulk way back when. Both were excellent actors and the show was very funny, at least to me.
I don't know how many models I have snapped pitot tubes off of – dozens? They seem to always be in the way. Put them on early to make sure they fit and risk breaking them completely, or put them on late and they don't seem to blend in well.
One trend lately is for manufacturers and the aftermarket companies to make these fragile parts out of metal – either turned brass or aluminum. For this set, the pitot tube is aluminum and the AOA probe is brass. Both are exquisite in their detail when compared to the kit parts.
Once installed, they will resist breaking for a long period of time.
For those of us with growing collections or having moved several times, parts like this are a godsend as they prevent breaking.
The parts are accurate, well made, very reasonably priced, and a snap to use. Recommended with no reservations!
My thanks to IPMS/USA and the fine people at Master-Models.
Dragon Models is fast becoming the standard for 1/72 armor. Recently I had the opportunity to review their new Sd.Kfz. 222 set for IPMS. That review can be found in the archives.
Dragon has now released a new set for the Sd.Kfz. 223. The set is very much like the 222, featuring a detailed chassis, separately molded hull doors, intricate detail, and PE grenade screens for the turret. The new 223 kit comes with two complete models [like the 222 kit] and features the large “bed frame” radio antenna. The 223 kit also features and accurately shaped hull with the turret mounted off-center to the rear of the vehicle. Unlike the 222, the 223 features the 7.92 MG42 in the turret, with a flat grenade screen. Both are nicely represented on the model.
First let me start off by saying if you have never bought/used a set of TwoBobs decals, you are missing out! Twobobs Aviation Graphics are the makers of some of the best, and arguably most interesting, decals sets. They like to tackle the rarer paint schemes and the new Florida Makos set is no exception.
The set includes marking/choices for 4 aircraft of the 482nd Fighter Wing out of Homestead, Florida [otherwise known as the Florida Makos]. Not only do you get three standard aircraft, but they have also included the Commanding Officer’s plane. The set allows you to mark up two full aircraft, so you can easily do the CO plane and one other. The markings are beautifully done, with very little film around the edges, and bright colorful printing. The artwork features the signature Mako sharks in some of the best printing I’ve seen in decals. TwoBobs has also gone the extra mile to include weapons decals and alternate decals for the different F-16 kits available.
Quickboost.net just keeps adding to their great line of quality resin aircraft accessories. The latest addition is for the Hasegawa F4F Wildcat. It is up to their usual standards; molded in grayish cream colored resin, smooth, seamless and bubble free. One thing of note is that they are really easy to remove from the mold block with just a few passes from a hobby saw.
The stabilizers that come in the Hasegawa kit are okay and are molded as one piece but the Quickboost.net parts are molded as two pieces so that they can be modeled in the down position. The Quickboost stabilizers are superior and add just that much more realism to the finished kit. The resin parts are very easy to install and fit in place perfectly.
In the 1950’s the American trend saw greater use of the pickup trucks as second vehicles, Due to good marketing Chevrolet set records in the production of trucks with a market share of almost 37%. The 1950 3100 had a 6 cylinder Thriftmaster motor that utilized a GM Model ‘B’ downdraft carburetor with a concentric fuel bowl and a centrally located discharge nozzle. This carb had an improved fast-idle/choke mechanism that helped cold weather starts. The deluxe cab had optional Nu-Vue windows with chrome trim, a wooden floor in the cargo box and optional chrome grille and bumpers. This AMT kit comes with optional parts to make a stock 3100 pickup or a road service vehicle for a Texaco service station truck. The kit also comes with a color pre cut placard with the box top art work suitable for framing.
