Quickboost just keeps adding to their great line of quality resin aircraft accessories. The latest addition is for the Academy P-40 Warhawk. It is up to their usual standards; molded in grayish resin, smooth, seamless and bubble free. One thing of note is that they are really easy to remove from the mold block because of a nice perforation; they just popped right off of the mold block.

The doors that come in the Academy kit are okay but just lack the level of detail on the inside of the covers that the Quickboost covers have. The Quickboost covers are superior and add just that much more realism to the finished kit. The resin parts are very easy to install and can be used on any other brand kit that is similarly molded.

The Master Box Company just keeps turning out these very unique kits made exclusively for building dioramas and/or vignettes. They come out with the most peculiar subjects that will add that finishing touch to a diorama or base a diorama around one of these kits and then you realize how we ever got along without these kits. This time they have come out with the Eastern Region Peasants in the WWII era. When I opened the box I wasn't surprised at the great detail and preciseness of their clothes, facial expressions and other small items which adds to the realism but, in fact, I knew that these figures and such would be held to their high standards as always. The kit includes five figures depicting a family of peasants speaking to the youngest child. And as far as the price is concerned, the value can't be beat.

Eduard has recently come out with a bunch of new products which will enhance the realism of some dioramas through photoetch. Eduard has come up with a small wired sheet with what looks like tiny pieces of confetti colored with three shades of green for their spring sheet. It is approximately 5 ½ by 9 inches which is attached to a border around the perimeter. This must be cut off and then the sheet can be folded, rolled, crushed, torn, twisted, poked, bent, and cut to any size with a scissor or modeling knife. It does conform to the shape of the object but still not as well as a piece of cloth. Reshaping and bending too much can cause the color to peel but I would guess that touching it up wouldn’t be a great task. The colors do need to be toned down a bit as they are kind of shiny but again no great task.

These come beautifully cast without flaws and are designed to be “drop-in” replacements for the kit parts. A slight amount of minor surgery is required in fitting them in place, but nothing an average modeler couldn’t accomplish. Many thanks to Aires for the review sample.

Visit them at their website https://www.aires.cz/en/ for these and other products.

Highly recommended

The Ship

They say Necessity is the mother of Invention. Such was the case with the Independence class of light aircraft carriers. The U.S. Navy’s pressing need for fleet carrier decks during the early stages of the Pacific War brought these vessels into being. The nine Independence class carriers were converted from Cleveland class light cruisers already under construction. Having already built a 1/700 U.S.S. Independence, I chose to build this model as one of her sisters. U.S.S. Belleau Wood was converted from U.S.S. New Haven, and commissioned as CVL-24 in March 1943, joining the U.S. Pacific Fleet four months later. She participated in numerous actions, including the invasions of the Gilbert Islands (Tarawa), Marshall Islands (Kwajalein), Hollandia, and the Truk raid. During Operation Forager (Marianas invasion) and the ensuing Philippine Sea battle, her air group sank the Japanese carrier Hiyo.