Review Content

My wallet really needed this to be a bad one. Oh well, christmas is around the corner after all.

Mike, it's actually a Mk.9 ejection seat not Mk.10 (ala Sea Harrier)

North American F-100D Supersabre Collection Part.1 (ED32-131) 1:32 Euro Decals by Fantasy Printshop The F-100 began life as a development of the F-86 Sabre with a more sharply swept wing to achieve supersonic speeds, but it evolved into a completely different airframe before it was accepted into service, being much more than just a supersonic Sabre. It fought extensively in Vietnam, then later in Air National Guard (ANG) units as well as some overseas sales. The last airframe flew in US service at the end of the 70s, with the overseas aircraft carrying on for a few more years into the 80s, after which a lot of them found their way into air museums around the world. Fantasy Printshop’s Euro Decals line have created some sheets for the fans of the Hun during its service, including the many ANG units, which often sported colourful markings on their shiny metal airframes. We have the 1:32 scale set 1 now, and there are more large-scale sheets in the works, so while you’re checking out the set from the links, you can see the options for the later sheets #132 #133 and #134 that will be along in due course. The set arrives in a Ziploc bag with a cover sheet and two double-sided pages of A4 colour instructions inside (one side per airframe), plus one and a half A4 sheets of decals printed on shiny blue decal paper. The common national markings are printed on the half sheet, while the airframe specific markings are found on the full sheet. Each sheet is protected by a sheet of greaseproof paper to keep condensation at bay. In this set you can model the following subjects: #56-3433 of 352nd Tactical Fighter Squadron, 354th Tactical Fighter Wing, United States Air Force, based at Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina, USA, 1959 #56-3404 of 27th Tactical Fighter Wing, 832nd Air Division, Unites States Air Force, based at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, USA, 1959 #56-3307 of 417 Tactical Fighter Squadron, 50th Tactical Fighter Wing, United States Air Force, based at Ramstein Air Base, West Germany, 1959 #55-3775 of 615th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 401st Tactical Fighter Wing, United States Air Force, based at England Air Force Base, Louisiana, 1958 The decals are printed by Fantasy Printshop as you’d expect, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin high gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. If you’ve got a smaller Super Sabres, we reviewed the smaller scale sheets a while ago, here. Conclusion There’s a good choice of schemes and locations in this set, and plenty of assistance with painting the rest of the airframe around the four good-sized profiles that accompanies each decal option. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Yes, KP today is just a brand onwed by AZ. Metal mould long-run kits tend to be branded KP while short runs appear more in AZ branded boxes... but this is not always the case so better check somewhere first before buying a kit from one of these companies. I'm building one of these 109Es at the moment and while I liked some aspects the fit is not what I'd have expected from a modern tooling. Still they seem to be quite successful, guess that the competitive price helps

F/A-18F Ejection Seats & Wheels (648775 & 648776) 1:48 Eduard Brassin We recently reviewed the first batch of aftermarket from Eduard for the new Meng F/A-18F here, and now we have a second tranche, including wheels and a delightful pair of ejection seats, all highly detailed and pretty much drop-in replacements. As is now usual with Eduard's medium resin sets, they arrive in a shallow cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. The smaller sets are supplied in flat resealable packs with the instructions wrapped around the protective card inserts within. Ejection Seats (648775) The two seat Super Hornet carries its pilots on a pair of Martin Baker Mk.14 seats, and those seats are replicated in exceptional detail in this boxed set. Arriving in two Ziploc bags, the first bag contains two each of the main seat components, cushions and umbilical between the pilot and aircraft. The other bag has a small fret of brass Photo-Etch (PE) that depicts the anti-flail leg restraints that tighten in the event of ejection, a full set of four-point crew harnesses in pre-painted brass, plus the stripey pull-handles that initiated the process between the pilot’s knees, and additional loops and controls on the side of the seat pan. The decal sheet includes three stencils per side of each seat, one of which is a stripey rectangle that is wrapped around the alternative ejection handle on the right side of the seat pan. Paint codes are given using Gunze codes for acrylic and lacquer, and stencil decal placement is shown on a pair of diagrams on the instruction booklet. Wheels (648776) Kit wheels are generally in two halves, which means you have the resultant joins to deal with, possible mould-slip issues on single part wheels, and sometimes less than stellar detail due to the moulding limitations of styrene injection technology, especially in the tread department. That's where replacement resin wheels come in, with their lack of seamline and superior detail making a compelling argument. They are also usually available at a reasonable price, and can be an easy introduction to aftermarket and resin handling, as they are usually a drop-in replacement. This set includes two main wheels with separate rear hubs that have copious brake detail moulded-in, plus two nose wheels, all of which have fabulous detail on the side walls, circumferential tread on the contact patches, and a minimal amount of sag in the bottom of the tyre where the weight of the aircraft makes itself visible. This is also where the casting block is attached to each wheel, so once cut off, it just needs to be flatted off and doesn’t affect the tread. Painting is eased by the inclusion of a sheet of pre-cut kabuki tape masks (not pictured) that will allow you to cut the demarcation between wheels and tyres with little effort. Conclusion A fabulously well-detailed pair of resin and PE sets that will add extra detail to an already excellent kit. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

AZ club line is a welcome idea, hopefully we see more of them

I'd love a trip to Sweden too. I'd be living in one of the Nordic countries if it were an option, and not just because of the snow

I was going to choose the easy-out and do the plain green variant, but I can't do that now can I, seeing as how my tyres are brand new.

Get 'er done

Splinter camo in 1/72 is never easy, but on a SK61 it will be a real challenge!

Sk 61 Bulldog In Swedish Service (KPM0300) 1:72 Kovozávody Prostějov The Bulldog was originally designed by Beagle Aircraft, who sadly went bust before they could honour any orders for this two-seat prop-driven trainer, the first customer being Sweden. A new concern, Scottish Aviation took over and brought the Bulldog to market where it was used most notably by the RAF and Swedish Air Force, but by other countries too, as we’ll find out in later boxings. There were several models made, many of which were designed for the export market, with the RAF using the 121 as the T.1, while the 101 was developed for Sweden, where it was designated Sk 61 in the Air Force, or Fpl 61 in army use. The Swedish aircraft differed mainly due to the additional two seats in the rear of the crew compartment behind the pilots who sat two abreast, with a wide expanse of Perspex giving excellent forward visibility over the relatively short nose. The last RAF airframes left service just after the new millennium, and many have gone into private hands from all variants across the world. The now familiar Grob Tutor replaced the Bulldog as the entry-level trainer with the RAF and continues to serve today, with some avionics upgrades to keep pace with technology. The Kit This is the third in a new range of boxings in 1:72 from KP that brings modern levels of detail to this scale. The kit arrives in a small end-opening box with an attractive painting of the type on the front and the profiles for the decal options on the rear. Inside is a single sprue in grey styrene, a small clear sprue, decal sheet and instruction booklet, the clear parts safely enclosed in their own Ziploc bag. Detail is good, although there’s a tiny amount of flash here and there, but it’s minimal and mostly confined to the sprue runners. If you’ve been reading the reviews of the various boxings, you’ll be getting a feeling of déjà vu around about now, but when a similar model is put together in exactly the same way, what more can one say? Construction starts predictably with the cockpit, with the blank instrument panel receiving an instrument decal to detail it, and both seats getting decal belts. Check your references to see whether the option you want to depict will have the rear seats fitted, but you’ll have to make those up yourself as they’re not included in the box. The floor is moulded into the one-part wing and has raised areas for the seats that are detailed with a pair of control columns, centre console and rear bulkhead, while the instrument panel is glued into the front of the cockpit opening after closing up the fuselage halves. A pair of side windows pop in from the inside, and the front is closed up by adding the nose cowling, which has a depiction of the front bank of piston inserted behind it that will show through the oval intakes either side of the raised prop shaft surround. The wings and fuselage are joined, and the single-part elevators with their ribbed flying surfaces moulded-in are glued into their slots in the rear. The canopy is a single piece that has the framing engraved in, and it’s a crystal-clear part that will show off your work on the interior once its finished. There are a couple of choices of antennae on the spine behind the cockpit, and a clear landing light fits into a recess in the leading edge of the starboard wing. To finish off the build, the landing gear legs are glued onto raised teardrop shapes under the cockpit, and it might be an idea to drill and pin these for extra strength, with the one-part wheels attached to the stub-axle on each leg. The nose leg has its oleo-scissor link moulded in, and the wheel fixes to the axle moulded into the one-sided yoke. The two bladed prop is moulded as one piece with a spinner sliding over it, and behind it there’s a cowling under the nose with two exhaust stacks sticking out, then at the rear are another pair of antenna and a blade antenna under the trailing edge of the wing/fuselage. Markings The stencils are numerous and they are covered on the rear of the instruction booklet to avoid overly-busy diagrams on the back of the box, and there are three decal options, from which you can build one of the following: The decals are well-printed in good register, with a thin glossy carrier film close to the printed edges for the most part, but with a few that are a little larger. This shouldn’t cause too much of an issue however, as the film is thin and has a relatively soft edge. There are seatbelts and an instrument decal on the sheet, which should add a little realism to your finished cockpit. Conclusion The Bulldog is a small aircraft, so the model is commensurately small and a simple build that’s very friendly to your pocket. Clean up those moulding seams and you should end up with a really nice replica of this Swedish trainer. If you don’t do it in splinter camo, I’ll be coming round to slash your tyres. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

P-38J Upgrade Sets (for Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard Tamiya’s new releases of the P-38F/G then H and later J variants has well-and-truly kicked the Academy kit off the number one spot in 1:48 for the most part, the J having been release in 2022, thereby triggering Eduard’s latest efforts. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the usual modular manner. Get what you want for the areas you want to be more of a focal point. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE), small Brassin, SPACE and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Interior (491294) Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass, plus a small printed piece of acetate sheet. The sidewalls are first relieved of much of their moulded-in detail, to be redecorated with a substantial set of new parts to replace and augment the detail that is there. This includes the throttle quadrant, which has a garden of levers sprouting from both sections, plus more of the instruments that are dotted about the cockpit, and even an insert that is applied to the head of the control column. The gunsight is stripped of its thick clear styrene glass, and is refitted with a PE frame and a piece of acetate cut from the sheet. A complete set of new layered instrument panels and replacement rudder pedals are fitted to the kit panel after removing the original details, with even more instruments and details placed in every nook and cranny. The pilot’s seat is replaced entirely by a new PE unit, which also has a pair of cushions, requiring only a minor alteration to the frame it sits on. Moving to the engine nacelles, the gear bays are upgraded with new ribbed PE parts inside the bulkheads, a two-layered circular grille over the intakes under the prop, and a backing panel that covers the kit detail on the central intake deep inside the boom. Two large radiator fairings on each side of the tail booms are also given two-layer grilles to detail their interiors, with another circular grille and an intake on each side of both nacelles just under the exhaust outlets. The final parts involve removing all of the oleo-scissor links from the three gear legs, and replacing them with folded PE parts, plus additional details on the main gear struts. Zoom! Set (FE1294) This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen above. Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the structural elements. SPACE 3D Printed Cockpit Decals (3DL48081) The Eduard SPACE sets use new 3D printing techniques that lay down successive layers of different colour resin, creating highly realistic almost full complete panels that are supplied on a decal sheet. They can depict metallic shades, plus glossy, satin and matt colours too, which really ups the detail on everything they print. In addition, a small sheet of nickel-plated and pre-painted PE is included for the aspects of the set that lend themselves better to this medium, such as seatbelts and rudder pedals. On the PE sheet is a set of pre-painted seatbelts for the pilot, with a comfort pad under the buckles, plus a lot of instrument box faces; rudder pedals; levers for the controls; circular bases for winders that require some 0.3mm rod sections from your own stock to complete. More details for the black boxes and a pre-painted frame for the gunsight glass are also included. The decal sheet has a gorgeous instrument panel replacement, plus stencils and all manner of instrument surfaces to give your cockpit the ultimate in detail. Externally, there are beautiful glossy printed identification lights that you will find four of each in green and red for the port and starboard wingtips, plus four more in blue for the sides of the tail fins, with all the kit lumps requiring removal before you can replace them with these super-realistic decals. Wheels (648782) Kit wheels are generally in two halves, which means you have the resultant joins to deal with, possible mould-slip issues on single part wheels, and sometimes less than stellar detail due to the moulding limitations of styrene injection technology, especially in the tread department. That's where replacement resin wheels come in, with their lack of seamline and superior detail making a compelling argument. They are also usually available at a reasonable price, and can be an easy introduction to aftermarket and resin handling, as they are usually a drop-in replacement. This set includes one nose wheel with separate spoked hub caps to be inserted into the centres along with optional PE discs to hide away all that beautiful detail, which seems a shame. The two main wheels have an outboard hub, plus the same bland disc that covers them if you really have to for accuracy. The nose tyre has oval tread and the main gear a diamond tread, with a small sag at the bottom where they join the casting block, and a set of kabuki tape masks (not pictured) to cut the demarcation neatly between tyres and wheels with little effort. A scrap diagram shows a method for removing the flash between the spoke of the hubs and in the middle of the nose gear wheel, using a cocktail stick or something similar to push it out toward the inside. I use the tip of a #11 blade myself, but it’s time consuming and there will be blood. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1295) These belts are Photo-Etch (PE) steel, and because of their strength they can be etched from thinner material, which improves realism and flexibility in one sitting. Coupled with the new painting method that adds perceived extra depth to the buckles and other furniture by shading, they are more realistic looking and will drape better than regular brass PE. As well as a set of crew belts, you also get a comfort pad that sits under the buckles to prevent chaffing of the pilot’s general areas. Masks (EX883) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. In addition, you get a set of hub/tyre masks for all the wheels (including the out-riggers), allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Masks Tface (EX884) Supplied on a larger sheet/two sheets of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with everything above, but also give you another set of canopy masks tailored to fit the interior of the glazing so that you can paint the interior and give your model that extra bit of realism. Conclusion A great bunch of sets to augment a great kit of a great aircraft that I just happen to be watching a documentary about as I type this. Spooky. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

That’s a mistake from a British company, when the Japanese companies put both LHD and RHD in there boxes

I built that one recently! It is awesome fun weekend build. The included paint and glue are as usual 'better not'. Out of those 4 paints 2 arrived dried on arrival. Cockpit has no real details though, but since it is closed canopy only, its not a big deal. Decals are minimal. Here is how it ended up, behold my shaky freehand airbrushing technique It is not the display piece but I had a lot of fun spraying it. + Really fun simple model from Airfix. + Tiny aircraft stand that actually works + Brilliant idea about how to glue transparent piece on without risking placing glue on canopy - it is glued by a tab under the antenna. - Humbrol "not a paint" products included. - Who stole my cockpit? I painted mine with Golden Fluid Acrylics.

I'm a bit surprised that it doesn't appear to include the Vokes filter. A real shame since the vast majority of VCs operated in Middle and Far East. This rather limits the colour options so I doubt I'll be getting any.

Spitfire Mk.IXc Club Line Kit (CLK0006) Pilot Sqn. Leader Johnny Plagis 1:72 Kovozávody Prostějov The Supermarine Spitfire was the mainstay of British Fighter Command for the majority of WWII, in conjunction with the Hurricane during the Battle of Britain, with the Mk.IX being the most popular (with many) throughout the war, seeing extended periods of production with only minor alterations for the role that it was intended for that differentiated between the sub-variants. Originally requested to counter the superiority of the then-new Fw.190, a two-stage supercharged Merlin designated type 61 provided performance in spades, and the fitting of twin wing-mounted cannons in wing blisters gave it enough punch to take down its diminutive Butcher-Bird prey. The suffix following the mark number relates to the wings fitted to the aircraft, as they could vary. The C wing was also known as the Universal Wing, and saw extensive use because it mounted two 20mm cannon in each wing, the outer barrel usually covered by a rubber plug. The main gear was adjusted in an effort to give it more stable landing characteristics, and bowed gear bays removed the need for blisters on the upper wing surface, helping aerodynamics. The gun mounts were redesigned to need smaller blisters in the wing tops to accommodate the feeder motors, and there was even more room for fuel than earlier wings. Lastly, the wings were able to have longer or clipped tips fitted, the resulting shorter wingspan giving the aircraft a faster roll-rate, which would be useful in low-altitude combat especially. The Kit The original tooling of this kit debuted in 2012, so is still a relatively modern tooling. This reboxing with a special decal sheet under the Club Line branding arrives in a small end-opening box with a painting of the subject just completing a victory over a fiery Fw.190, and on the rear there are four profile views of the decal option, as well as some words about the pilot, Sqn. Leader Johnny Plagis. Inside are two sprues in grey styrene, a single canopy part in clear styrene, two sheets of decals and the instruction sheet that is also intended for E-wing Spits, so take care to follow the appropriate instructions when building your model. Detail is crisp, and the outer skin of the model has a polished surface that shows off the engraved panel lines and restrained rivets. Construction begins with the cockpit that a lot of modellers will find instantly familiar. There is a decal for the instrument panel, and the Mk.IXc uses an unaltered armour panel behind the seat. The control column, mass of greeblies in the footwell and the Bakelite resin seat with pencil quilted cushion in the rear are all added during the painting process, with plenty of additional detail moulded into the interior face of the fuselage, although possibly a little soft by today’s standards. The cramped cockpit and scale means that this probably won’t notice however. The fuselage is closed up around the cockpit and exhaust stacks that are inserted from inside, and a gunsight is applied to the top of the instrument panel. The wings are full span out to the tips on the underside, and have narrow boxes glued over the tunnel where the struts rest in flight, before the upper wings are dropped over the top and glued down. For the C-wing, the tips, gun barrels and shallow blister fairings are all fitted into their respective spots, taking extra care to get the blisters aligned with the airflow and each other, as there are no pegs or outlines to follow. It might be wise to glue them on before the fuselage is between them, making alignment easier. Under the wings are two big box fairings for the radiators, which have front and rear faces fitted within, their location shown by cross-hatching in the shallow bay in which the parts sit. An offset T-shaped pitot probe is inserted into the port side of the wing, then the landing gear with separate oleo-scissors and captive bay doors are made up along with the chin scoops of long and short variety. The fuselage is inserted into the space between the wing uppers, a choice of elevators are slotted into the tail, with another choice of two styles of rudders plus the tail wheel underneath. By this time the Spit’s extra power was being delivered by a four-bladed prop, which is a single part clamped in place between the spinner cap and back plate, joined by the longer chin scoop on the C-wing variant. A choice of two tyre types are fitted to the axles at the end of the main gear legs, the other end of which is inserted into a hole in the inner edge of the bays. A scrap diagram shows the correct angle of the revised undercarriage from the front. Markings The stencils for this kit are shown on the back of the instruction sheet using quite small diagrams, but a lot of us could probably put them in the correct place blindfolded, but if you’re not one of those, just make sure your glasses or magnifier are to hand. There is just one decal option in this boxing, but that’s the whole point of the Club Line. From the box you can build the following: The decals are well-printed in good register, with a thin glossy carrier film close to the printed edges for the most part, but with a few that are a little larger. This shouldn’t cause too much of an issue however, as the film is thin and has a relatively soft edge. There are seatbelts and an instrument decal on the sheet, which should add a little realism to your finished cockpit. Conclusion A Spitfire model is a pretty easy sell to most modellers, and this one no different, having the additional interest of being the mount of a well-known Rhodesian pilot that fought against the Nazis during WWII, with 16 confirmed kills, many of which were over Malta. It’s also keenly priced. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Thanks for the review. I am waiting for the red/white.grey colour scheme to be released. The D type roundels need to be replaced with correctly proportioned R/W/B ones.

SA Bulldog T.1 RAF Special (KPM0299) 1:72 Kovozávody Prostějov The Bulldog was originally designed by Beagle Aircraft, who sadly went bust before they could honour any orders for this two-seat prop-driven trainer, the first customer being Sweden. A new concern, Scottish Aviation took over and brought the Bulldog to market where it was used most notably by the RAF and Swedish Air Force, but by other countries too, as we’ll find out in later boxings. There were several models made, many of which were designed for the export market, with the RAF using the 121 as the T.1, while the 101 was developed for Sweden, where it was designated Sk 61 in the Air Force, or Fpl 61 in army use. The Swedish aircraft differed mainly due to the additional two seats in the rear of the crew compartment behind the pilots who sat two abreast, with a wide expanse of Perspex giving excellent forward visibility over the relatively short nose. The last RAF airframes left service just after the new millennium, and many have gone into private hands from all variants across the world. The now familiar Grob Tutor replaced the Bulldog as the entry-level trainer with the RAF and continues to serve today, with some avionics upgrades to keep pace with technology. The Kit This is the second in a new range of boxings in 1:72 from KP that brings modern levels of detail to this scale. The kit arrives in a small end-opening box with an attractive painting of the type on the front and the profiles for the decal options on the rear. Inside is a single sprue in grey styrene, a small clear sprue, decal sheet and instruction booklet, the clear parts safely enclosed in their own Ziploc bag. Detail is good, although there’s a tiny amount of flash here and there, but it’s minimal and mostly confined to the sprue runners. Construction starts predictably with the cockpit, with the blank instrument panel receiving an instrument decal to detail it, and both seats getting decal belts. The floor is moulded into the one-part wing and has raised areas for the seats that are detailed with a pair of control columns, centre console and rear bulkhead, while the instrument panel is glued into the front of the cockpit opening after closing up the fuselage halves. A pair of side windows pop in from the inside, and the front is closed up by adding the nose cowling, which has a depiction of the front bank of piston inserted behind it that will show through the oval intakes either side of the raised prop shaft surround. The wings and fuselage are joined, and the single-part elevators with their ribbed flying surfaces moulded-in are glued into their slots in the rear. The canopy is a single piece that has the framing engraved in, and it’s a crystal-clear part that will show off your work on the interior once its finished. There are a couple of choices of antennae on the spine behind the cockpit, and a clear landing light fits into a recess in the leading edge of the starboard wing. To finish off the build, the landing gear legs are glued onto raised teardrop shapes under the cockpit, and it might be an idea to drill and pin these for extra strength, with the one-part wheels attached to the stub-axle on each leg. The nose leg has its oleo-scissor link moulded in, and the wheel fixes to the axle moulded into the one-sided yoke. The two bladed prop is moulded as one piece with a spinner sliding over it, and behind it there’s a cowling under the nose with two exhaust stacks sticking out, then at the rear are another pair of antenna and a blade antenna under the trailing edge of the wing/fuselage. Markings The stencils are numerous and they are covered on the rear of the instruction booklet to avoid overly-busy diagrams on the back of the box, where you will find three decal options, two in black and yellow, and one in civilian service, from which you can build one of the following: The decals are well-printed in good register, with a thin glossy carrier film close to the printed edges for the most part, but with a few that are a little larger. This shouldn’t cause too much of an issue however, as the film is thin and has a relatively soft edge. There are seatbelts and an instrument decal on the sheet, which should add a little realism to your finished cockpit. Conclusion The Bulldog is a small aircraft, so the model is commensurately small and a simple build that’s very friendly to your pocket. Clean up those moulding seams and you should end up with a really nice replica of this much-loved RAF trainer in some more unusual colours. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Coyote TSV Update Set (36489 for Hobby Boss) 1:35 Eduard We reviewed this new kit from Hobby Boss here a couple of months ago, and it’s a nicely detailed kit of the British Army’s modern armoured support vehicle. This Photo-Etch (PE) detail set from Eduard is designed to improve on the detail that’s available in the kit, taking advantage of the thin etched brass to make in-scale parts. The set arrives in an A5 sized resealable clear foil bag, and consists of a single large fret of brass that is filled with a host of goodies. Two large skins are supplied for the inner sides of the main load area, and the undersides of the rear wheel wells are similarly skinned with a new part each, which also has a replica of flexible rubber “frill” that helps to keep the dust and aggregate from kicking up when in motion. When the glue is dry, you are advised to push the edges to give it a more organic look to better replicate the real rubber, so check your references if you’re unsure how they should look. A similar wheel arch insert with simulated rubber edges is supplied for the front arches too. The front of the vehicle and centre section stowage boxes between the cab and load area is covered with tie-down loops, all of which are removed and replaced with new PE parts with better detail. The running boards down the side of the vehicle have PE mesh included in the box, but the replacements in this set are more defined and to be honest, more capably etched. The seatbelts for the crew will stop them from getting thrown clear of the vehicle at the first bump, and four sets are included for all the crew, then the same courtesy is afforded to the big .50cal ammo cans around the gunner’s platform, which are lashed down on trays that are absent from the kit, so you’ll need to cut off the pins for the ammo boxes, glue the trays in place, then add the ammo boxes back, lashing them down if you wish. Another tray for a ready ammo can is included for the gunner’s ring, which again fits in place over the two locating pins once they are removed. The rear of this platform is covered with pioneer tools, all of which get new clasps after a short chop to remove the chunky mouldings. Next to these tools, a box is skinned over to include a mesh panel in the centre that is missing, as is a circular part on the floor behind it. A couple of weapon lashing points are added to the other side of the hump. The kit includes a large single part to represent a stowage box that is fixed to the A-frame door on the starboard side of the vehicle, and most of this part is removed, leaving the narrow top section to be reused. A new lower section is made up from PE panels, with internal load crates that have tie-down straps across their fronts. Lashings for a spade are added to the underside, then the top section of part D58 is glued atop the new assembly to complete it, giving the area much better scale authenticity. On the opposite side of the vehicle the similar framework “door” carries the spare tyre, which is fitted to its mount with a new PE bracket and large retaining nut for extra detail. The crew cab doors are detailed with additional small parts too, with the work duplicated on both sides, and new wire-cutters replacing the chunky kit mouldings on the sloped front roll cage around the cab. On the sides a pair of “shopping bags” made from strapping are made up from the etched parts on the fret, looped through itself and fitted on the two positions on the right side of the vehicle, adding some contents if you feel the need. At the rear of the Coyote, the two extensions that overhang the rear of the vehicle’s light clusters are replaced by a new PE pair, with mounts for the kit’s grenade dispensers with a more realistic hollow underside and scale thickness. The last area to be detailed is the antenna forest that is carried over the stowage in the middle of the vehicle behind the drivers. The kit platform is slightly incorrectly positioned, so it is replaced by a new assembly that consists of a flat top surface that has double-folded edges for strength, and is further stiffened by adding cross-braces and C-section stringers to the underside. On the flat top surface, an additional sensor is made from 2mm rod from your own stock with a circular base, and some of the other kit antennae are also placed on raised “washers”. This is then fixed to the two supports as shown on the final diagram. Conclusion A very comprehensive upgrade set for what is already a nice kit. The extra detail will definitely set your model aside from all the others. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

It is. Crisper than a box of Rice Krispies.

Any Wildcat/Martlet accessory is welcome in my book. Looks like a very nicely-done set!

F4F-3 Wildcat Life Raft (648770 for Eduard) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Just when you thought it was safe to back in the water (quite literally in the case of this set). More aftermarket for the new tool Wildcat from Eduard, and this is the second wave of aftermarket sets that they have released for those that want to increase the level of detail over and above what’s achievable using injection moulded styrene. As is now usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, they arrive in a deep Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. This set is an unusual one, and will doubtless appeal immediately to anyone that has a hankering to open up some panels, or anyone crazy enough to want to build a ditching diorama with a Wildcat in the drink and sinking as the pilot absconds with his dinghy. Inside the two Ziploc bags are ten 3D printed parts, plus a small fret of bare Photo-Etch (PE) in its own bag with a card protector. The instructions are wrapped around the parts to protect them, and are accompanied by two sheets of foam due to the delicate nature of some of the parts. For once, the instructions don’t detail the removal of the areas of the fuselage with their usual red-outlined drawings, but looking at the fuselage halves currently in my spray booth shows that it’s a very simple task to identify where to make the cuts. Work inside the panel lines and fine-tune the cut-out until your new bay part fits snugly, and the two hatches fit without looking sloppy. With the bay in place, you can choose to put the two bags inside and strap them down with some wires from your own stock, and add a small eyelet to the front of the bay. Your other option is to leave the bay empty apart from the afore mentioned wires draped over the edge of the bay, because Eduard have thoughtfully included a full dinghy in black 3D printed resin, which is finished off by adding a PE seat across the middle, and a pair of rollocks on the sides. A gas cylinder is placed at an angle across the bow in a shallow recess, and you can choose where you’d like to position the two oars, depending on what you intend to do with your dinghy. Finishing off the adaptation of your kit includes placing a narrow spine stringer down the centre and then gluing the doors in the opened position. I now need another Wildcat, and the skills to create a ditching diorama. Damn! Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

F-86F-40 Sabre Upgrade Sets (for Airfix) 1:48 Eduard The new Airfix Sabre has been out for a wee while now, and in their usual style, here comes a batch of upgrade sets for you to drool over. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the usual modular manner. Get what you want for the areas you want to be more of a focal point. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE), SPACE and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Detail Set (491298) Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other larger fret in bare brass. It starts with a comprehensive overhaul of the ejection seat, which is very much different afterwards, having a pair of raised sides that make it look a bit like an arm chair; a more realistically shaped headbox; a set of more accurate foot plates that are folded up to shape and fitted in place instead of the moulded-in kit steps. The instrument panel is sanded back flat and has a two-layer pre-painted main panel and another centre panel installed. The same is done to the side consoles, but the removal of material includes reducing the height of the consoles to 8mm before applying the new parts on top, on the sides, and on the side walls, including a detailed throttle quadrant with protruding levers. Behind the pilot on the rear deck, the soft and ambiguous kit detail is augmented by numerous parts, then a shaped head-armour panel with fitments is glued in at an angle behind the seat headrest. In the canopy a single rear-view mirror is provided, needing your shiniest silver paint to give it some realism. The nose gear bay is built under the intake trunking, which has some ribbing moulded into it, which is first upgraded with rib-top details and the removal of a run of straight wires. The bay walls have some triangular fillets removed, then have details and surface skins fitted to the rear face before it is joined to the bay roof. The gear leg is updated with a PE oleo-scissor, and a support strut has additional details applied to the visible surface. When the bay is together and is inside the fuselage, additional panels and wiring looms are inserted to complete the overhaul. The main bays are left as provided, but the gear legs are augmented with new oleo-scissors and links between the Y-shaped captive bay door, which will require some short lengths of 0.6mm rod from your own stocks to complete. In the gun bays to the sides of the cockpit, a bump is first removed from the front corner, then new skins are fixed to the front and rear bulkheads before inserting the three .50cals on each side, which have been upgraded with detailed tops to their breeches after removing raised areas from front and rear. The bay doors in the kit are thicker than the real thing, which is fixed by the new two-layer gun bay doors included in the set, which also have appliqué parts fixed to the inner side. Before gluing the two layers together, they need to be bent slightly to shape to match the curve of the fuselage, which can be done by pressing the annealed parts against the kit doors and tweaking them until they sit flush with the fuselage during test fitting. The last area to see improvement are the air-brake bays found on the sides of the fuselage. The bays are left as-is, but the brake panels are replaced entirely by a totally new assembly that is made from a curved piece of PE for the exterior skin, laminated to an inner skin that is bent to shape to give it thickness. The hinge-point is buried in a hole in the inside skin, and a number of stiffening parts are fitted along the length of the inner face to form the pivot-points at the front of each brake. Each one is then glued in place once painted using the original actuator strut. The result is a much more in-scale look to the assemblies. Zoom! Set (FE1298) This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen above. Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the structural elements. SPACE 3D Printed Cockpit Decals (3DL48083) The Eduard SPACE sets use new 3D printing techniques that lay down successive layers of different colour resin, creating highly realistic almost full complete panels that are supplied on a decal sheet. They can depict metallic shades, plus glossy, satin and matt colours too, which really ups the detail on everything they print. In addition, a small sheet of nickel-plated and pre-painted PE is included for the aspects of the set that lend themselves better to this medium, such as seatbelts and rudder pedals. The PE sheet has a set of four-point crew seatbelts with separate comfort pads under the buckles, plus levers for the throttle quadrants on the left side console. The decals require removal of the kit panel and side console moulded-in detail, after which they are replaced by superb new consoles, the throttle quadrant base, sidewall instruments, and the main instrument panel, which is in two parts and has a PE lever protruding from the left side. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1299) These belts are Photo-Etch (PE) steel, and because of their strength they can be etched from thinner material, which improves realism and flexibility in one sitting. Coupled with the new painting method that adds perceived extra depth to the buckles and other furniture by shading, they are more realistic looking and will drape better than regular brass PE. As well as a set of four-point crew belts, you also get comfort pads underneath the buckles. Masks (EX887) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. In addition, you get a set of hub/tyre masks for the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Masks Tface (EX888) Supplied on a larger sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with everything above, but also give you another set of canopy masks tailored to fit the interior of the glazing so that you can paint the interior and give your model that extra bit of realism. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Reading the concern about the rubber tyres performance over time got me thinking. The weight of the model compressing the rubber and possibly cracking it might be alleviated by drilling the ground contact point through to the hub and inserting a bit of plastic or metal to take the weight. I would be more concerned by a possible chemical reaction though. A set of recent Revell car tyres, with red line decals applied, that I had stored in a ziploc bag had stuck together where the decals touched. Something was active there. Thoughts of the dreaded tyre or track melt of old came flooding back at that time. I coat tyre decals with acrylic clear to get a uniform finish and always leave lots of drying time. Something between the decal, tyre and clear reacted, with the posibility of the ziploc bag gassing off to add to the mix. Aftermarket resin may well be the way to go.

I recently finished my B-24 in RCAF markings. I removed the pegs that go through the spar and just slide the wings into place. The fit is decent enough and holds together without any additional magnets or fasteners. I miscalculated on the nose weight needed (didn't get enough in) so I added more behind the engines which is just in front of the MLG. Needless to say, she's a bit heavy. Carl