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I've been working my way through some long term residents of my stash and this little gem of a kit has been with me since late 1999. Bought at the long closed model shop in Bath one evening on a work trip, I was worried the decals would be unusable and I could find no alternative. Luckily they were brilliant, thin and pliable, a joy to work with. The kit itself is a modification of the original Monogram Panther -5 and fits together beautifully. It is almost out of the box, just some aftermarket belts and an Eduard masking set, A total joy from beginning to end. Even Photobucket worked perfectly. Thanks for looking

I didn't expect to get this one finished this year, it is an old Monogram boxing of the F-80C which I picked up at the kit swap at this years' Telford for the princely sum of a fiver. It is pretty much straight from the box with just a aftermarket seat and Aeromaster decals for 49-806 0f the 36th FBS/8FBG in Korea. Thanks for looking

My entry for this GB is going to be based on the venerable old 1/48 Monogram AH-1S Cobra, which despite it's age and raised panel lines is an accurate representation of this classic gunship. Here's a picure of the box top followed by one showing the contents still sealed in the original plastic bag. And here is the decal sheet I will be using from Two Bobs. And a close up of the option I will be using for the decals for my build. Not that I intend to be finishing it like this, I've found something much more unusual, this one! Gotta love that temporary winter camo! I hope to make a start on her this evening and I am really looking forward to the build, there are already some really good models being built for this GB I hope mine grabs your interest as well. Thanks for looking in. Craig.

Ok so I finally dragged this kit across the finishing line. The story is detailed in my Mopar Madness thread but as that turned into a one man group build I'll recap it here to save time. Whilst looking for Centreline wheels for my Charger I fished out this Revell reissue of the Monogram 1969 SuperBee which I'd previously started. I decided to finally get it finished and made hast with stripping the engine so I could paint it the correct colour. I then found that the base for the air filter was missing. I assumed it was the reason I gave up the first time and set about a resolve. I chose to use the Hemi engine from a spares and repair Plymouth 'Cuda with the air filter from a '71 Plymouth GTX. The engine proved a right pita as its a lot bigger than the 440 6 pack engine and then I found the missing air filter base . In the end I gave up on it yet again when I'd have enough of the engine constantly breaking lose in the engine bay lol. Well a few weeks back whilst I was building my NASCAR kit I got it out and saw that despite all the niggles I was actually on the home straight with it. So I continued work on it in the background to the NASCAR and actually finished it before that. Though because of accessibility problems with my PC, someone put some Volvo doors in the way and how god awful it is trying to post a topic or even a reply with picture is it is from my phone; I've held off till now to post it lol. Anyway here it is. Paint is VW Mars red btw. As always comments etc always welcome. TTFN Ashley

Hi all, Here are some pictures of my latest build, Monogram's venerable 1/48 scale AH-1S Cobra which I have finished in the markings of the 1st Anti Tank Helicopter Unit of the Japanese Ground Self Defence Force which is based at Obihiro on the island of Hokkaido which is Japans most Northern island, hence the temporary winter camo scheme. I have built this as part of the Huey GB which has some great models in it and is well worth checking out, here is a link to the wip; Anyway enough waffle here are the pictures! Thanks for looking in guys. All comments and criticisms are gratefully received. Craig.

Happy to show my first model after joining BM. This old kit, intended as a quick build for training freehand added airbrush camouflage, surprised me with robust quality plastic resulting in a very smooth build. Despite the age (1980's) and the raised panel lines I started to like it more and more during the construction period. The model is build in the colors off the 17th Wild Weasel Squadron based at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, (1970-1974). Plane no. 291, was nicknamed "Muttley the Flying Dog". A famous cartoon in that period. Crew chief Bob Wood himself painted the cartoon on the air intakes. The upper camouflage pattern is created with free hand airbrush. The transition line to the lower hull is created with help from "Tacky-Gum". Used paint: Gunze MR Hobby Brown H310, (FS 30219), light green H303, (FS 34102) and dark green H309, (FS 34079). The lower hull in grey H311, (FS 36622) except for the center-line tank. This is a non standard and own creation. Weathering washes from Flory Models and water paint, (from the kids). All finished with a layer Revell enamel matt 2. Metal exhaust painted with HK's "True Metal line Gun Metal Wax", protected by Tamiya's X-19 smoke. So the plastics turn out to be still fairly competitive with modern kits. The decals are definitely not. They are not as sharp printed as we used to nowadays. Little struggling on some spots with silvering effect despite using a base off Alclad Aqua gloss, (ALC600) and "emergency" help from SET and SOL. So if you thinking about a Monogram F-105 take a look at Revell's one. It is the same plastic but with more modern quality, (and a more extensive) decal sheet. Kind Regards, Rudie

Alright gents, So I'm going to go ahead and throw my hat into it (or try at least). I am only ever able to put a model together when the stars have aligned just right, and I guess the galaxy has done me a favor for once. I finally finished putting my office/ hobby room together the other day and aside from some necessary equipment for my airbrush, I'm going to build me a model dangit. Anyway I had a choice of either a -T, -J, -W, -F, or even a -G( Cobra Company kit), and alas I am going to try my hand at the -F. Although now that I think about it the -G probably would have been a lot easier as all it is is the resin conversion kit and OOB basically. On to the build! I'm using the Monogram kit for starters plus: - Werner's Wing's decals, TOW's, Cobra update set, M-260 Seven Shot Rocket Pods, and IPS & Debris Deflector - Fireball Modelworks ALQ-144 IR jammer - Master Model M197 20mm barrels - Wingman Models "Tzefa" update set (Not building a Tzefa, just want some of the parts off it) - Trying my hand at some scratch building as well, especially in the cockpit area Here we are with a little overview. I have not done much except for some sanding and cutting out the plastic mesh, etc. No construction or painting as of yet. Next are just some close up of the minor minor work I have done One thing I have noticed for sure is that with the newer reboxing of this venerable old kit she is definitely starting to show her age in the molding. There are a lot of parts that have just poor corners and flash everywhere. Good thing you can still pick up original boxings of it for pretty cheap prices. And alas here is an example of what the final product should look like, not this exact one, but the same Squadron.

Finally finished, this is a 'refresh' of the Monogram 1/48 Convair F-102A Delta Dagger. This is the original kit released in 1990 and has the Case XX wing, being a fan of the Convair Deltas I would have built this soon after I purchased it so it has been around for at least 20 years. I did post this in KUTA VIII earlier this year but didn't finish. So, on to the photos: Not too upset with the result however a few parts are missing; the nose probe, the IR sensor, one of the Falcon missiles and the rocket tube fairings on the missile bay doors. All the major parts of the aircraft were stripped back using Fairy Power Spray, given a dusting of Halfords grey primer, then mostly airbrushed with Model Master 1731 Aircraft (ADC) Gray. Almost all other colours were brushed using Vallejo paints. She is marked as the 496th FIS Commander's aircraft based at Hahn in FRG in 1961. Basic stencils and markings from a very old Superscale F-102 'Complete Stencil Data' and the unit markings from the 2002 rebox. All decals went on really well however I don't think that the black/yellow band on the nose is the correct way round! The whole thing was sealed with a coat of Humbrol satin varnish. The end result is better than I expected. The model is huge and shows how large the Delta Dagger was! The AIM-4D Falcon missiles are the originals, one was lost during the build so the centre forward pylon is empty. Michael

This was a mad 48 hour build for a Halloween slideshow for The Model Shop Guys Halloween Spooktacular YouTube show that went out last year. I wasn't going to bother entering a subject but I saw this kit for sale on eBay, it was a right pain in the bum to build scraping all of the chrome parts for gluing, it took ages and a lot of patience needed to get the kit somewhere near right. I used Tamiya gold leaf X12 as the base coat for the body and then a candy inspire automotive red with a 2K clear coat. The body was so flimsy that the paint finish had to be perfect straight from the airbrush as there was no way I was going to attempt to polish it afterwards. I thought you guys would enjoy this spooky ride lol!

This was my first build of 2016, it's an original Monogram kit I got from a guy in the USA off eBay. It was in a complete and excellent condition. I decided I wanted to add some crew figures so looking around my stash I found some figures from an old 1/32 Trumpeter A10 Thunderbolt kit that I haven't built in over 10 years. I had to modify the figures using a scalpel blade, I re-sculpted their flight suits and had to remove their face masks and sculpt a new face to go with a suitable look for this build and I had to adjust the arms and legs and head of the pilot figure and the arms and head of the observer figure. Also I made some boom microphones which was out of magnet wire cynoed to the side of their helmets and a dab of 5 minute epoxy to the end to make the mic. In fact it took longer to work on the figures than it did to actually build the kit! I found of the actual filming helicopter showed a lot more safety style warning decals around the aircraft so I added a few from the Trumpeter decals. I think they improve the look of the overall model. It may bring back memories of an 80's classic movie and TV series. I shall probably search for an Airwolf kit to go with this build. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

I'm calling this one done, Monogram's 1974 issue of the DO-335 Pfeil. There are nicer kits out there, but this one was in the stash, and I do like a challenge! Kit was rescribed completely, molded in engine details cut out and the forward and rear cowls closed, exhaust boxed in (and reduced in size), rear engine radiator flaps opened and boxed in, clear nav lights made from drilled acrylic rod, elevators cut free and dropped, molded in cowl guns removed and replaced with brass tube guns. The wheel wells, gear, and cockpit were detailed with copper and brass wire, aluminum tubing, sheet plastic and some photo etch belts , and Ultracast exhaust stacks (designed for the Tamiya kit) were used. Paint is Tamiya acrylic, and weathering is oils and pastels, with Cutting edge decals. Hope you like, Colin and an interesting size comparison, it shows what a huge airplane the Pfeil really was! - Thanks for looking, Colin

Ok so there is a story to this build. It's a long one so I'll try my best to keep the soppy stuff to a minimum. Last year I decided to build a model car for each of my closest friends as a Christmas present. My best friend's favourite car was the 1969 Dodge Charger, a kit I new well as I'd build one as a kid. And after quizzing her about what her ideal Charger would be it dawned on me that there was to be a problem with the Revell Monogram '69 kit. Namely that the body in the kit comes with a molded on vinyl roof. But after a bit of research it turned out that the recent '68 release, the same kit but with a new chrome fret, had a body without a vinyl roof but told you to paint it like it had. Problem solved. Get the two kits and swap the bodies. I liked that idea too as it allowed me to build a companion '68 car to act as a sudo friendship bracelet or something to similar effect. I got the info I needed from my friend on how her dream Charger would be and the specs were thus: Black paint without the vinyl roof, Magnum 500 wheels, No R/T stripe over the boot, Black leather interior. (I took a liberty with the wood effect) And this was the result: Unfortunatly those are the only pics I have of the model before I packed it safely in its box and wrapped it up for her present. Now for the sad part. Not long after I wrapped it up we started getting into fights and having big fallouts. In the end I had to walk away coz it was too upsetting and was actually depressing me to a large extent. I did deliver the present and left it as a parting gift. We did reconcile earlier this year, and for a couple of months everything was fine. Then complete silence which became clear was intentional. Too this day I have no idea why. And so the completion of this once friendship project was on hold. After the completion of her '69 Charger the kit was packed away so I could focus on the other builds I needed to complete for presents, with the intent to complete the project in the new year. However because of what had transpired and what followed the kit remained in the stash. At times even the thought of the kit was enough to invert my mood for a week. Everything was just too painful. However more recently I've been getting on with things and forgetting the past. I reached for a Shelby mustang that I started the engine on at the same time as the '69 Charger and before I knew it the '68 kit was out and I wasn't sad or upset. It felt like the right time to build it. And so now that I've finished the Lancia and with all the other builds I have on-going stalled, it's moved onto the workbench. My plan for this kit was to use these: Some may recognise 2 of them from my for sale page. Well with no interest in them I've decided to cannibalise the parts I want. The Centreline wheels from the Shelby using the tyres and backing plates from the 'Cuda will adorn my '68. I did plan on using the Hemi from the 'cuda too but it doesn't fit. So the 440 Magnum engine will do. Not sure whether to do it the correct period Chrylser engine blue or as the change over year to engine red was '69, just paint it like the previous one? I am also using the optional hood i.e the one with the big scoop and it will be painted satin black with the vinyl roof being matt black with the black r/tstripes on the rear. The colour is going to be ford signal green as I have half a tin of it left over from a Hakosuka build. No pics of said build yet as I'm still fettling the body ready for primer and filling some pin marks on some panels that need to be painted body colour. Hope I haven't bored anyone with my story lol TTFN Ashley Edited to lessen the soppiness

Here's my entry: Beaten up old box, but not a bad kit inside. GWH it ain't, but still has better shapes than the Revell 1/32 version. That said, it has many shape inaccuracies and the open louvres on the upper LERX which is a shame. But for a fiver I'm not complaining, and it WILL look like a Fulcrum. Not bad for a kit that dates from the very earliest sightings of the jet in the West (1988). Instructions pretty basic, as are the provided decals. Represents one of the famous visitors to Rissala, Finland in 1986 which i will be making. Work to start next week! Good luck with your builds folks, Al

For my second build I'll be working on the classic Monogram (Recent blech Revell boxing) AH-1F cobra. The kit dates to the mid-1980s, and is quite nice. It features finely raised lines, which actually give it a more rugged and tank-like appearance. Something I like in helicopter models. There are not too many parts. but detail is generally nice, as can be seen on the main cockpit pieces shown here. Thought the details are nice, Revell could not be fussed to clean up the moulds for the rerelease (a sticker inside the fuselage says kit was produced in Bydgoszcz, Poland). You'd think they would put in the funds to get things looking tidy again, but I guess not. There is a great deal of flash, especially on the finer parts like the skids and gun barrels. The cleanup will likely be a major component of the build. I'll be building an aircraft from B-company of the 2/503 battalion, stationed in Hanau around 1985/86. Markings are pretty generic, but these aircraft featured two blue bands at the base of the tail to distinguish them. There are a few photos on Pintrest, but I cant get the damned things to link.

So as promised after the Tu22 my next build is another 1/72 bomber and is one of my all time favourite aircraft, the Boeing B52 Stratofortress. This is the Monogram 'big, bad and beautiful' kit of the aircraft, which I think will be the largest model kit I have ever built and after the B36 is probably one of the largest 1/72 aircraft out there. This kit depicts the aircraft during Operation Arc Light, strategic bombing raids against North Vietnam during the Vietnam War, with the bomb bay and wing pylons loaded up with 1000lb 750lb M117 bombs and the distinctive 3-tone camoflague scheme along with a more unusual black underside. I got this second hand (the only way to get them nowadays) a while ago and have now decided to just hold my breath and plunge in to what will no doubt be a difficult but enjoyable build. The B52 is one of the most iconic aircraft of the Cold War and I think that as much as us Cold War types love it, comparatively few of us end up actually building one. The awesome box art, consistent with the Monogram 1/72 B36 and 1/48 B58 and B29: I believe that the contents are not in the best condition (if the box is anything to go by anyway) and a couple of parts may be already assembled so, in the words of Bryn Cartwright from the Welsh classic Twin Town, 'what's the existing shamonga like?' Upon opening the box: A quick size comparison- that's an Airfix 1/72 Typhoon, already quite a large aircraft: Laying out the box contents- required multiple photos due to size: The bits that had come off of the sprues the box- I've checked it and it appears to all be there: Instructions and decals: By this point I was itching to get started so I did, assembling the wing fuel tanks: And the engines- one of these was already done. There are only three here as the kit has the ability to show one engine with the inspection hatch removed, which I will be doing: And the engine pylons- one of these was also already done: I also did the main landing gear: This is going to be a fun one! With the Christmas holidays over my modelling rate will be slowing down drastically but I will try to spend one or two nights a week at least in the mancave. -Flash

I have a couple of builds that I am calling done. Not to the standard of many builds but I have enjoyed them. Neither kits is exactly new & the are built out of the box. the F-15 is an A version from Soesterburg (kit by Monogram) and the F/A-18 (boxed as an A-18 also by Monogram) is from Pt. Mugu base of the Navy Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron. Both 1/48. Trying (not very successfully) to use my HAS as a background Both of them with the HAS as a diaorama Let me know what you think

It's Monograms ancient 1/48 262, still a great kit, and the only one that doesn't require a lot of panel/rivet filling! This is just a quick build, I've added an Ultracast seat, and some scratchbuilt cockpit and wheelwell details and a spare nose wheel. It will be finished as one of Adolf Galland's aircraft from JV44, using the Aeromaster "Galland special" sheet. Hope you like, so far. Colin

Well, she's finally done: And finally a couple shot with a different lens that should be a better approximation of what a human eye sees looking at one of these: A really nice base kit, noticeably enhanced by the Fine Molds white metal parts. Thanks for looking! bestest, M.

This is the Hasegawa boxing of Monogram/s 1/24 kit, with additional white metal parts by Fine Molds. First up, the body in Zero Paints Guardsman Blue, with Zero 2K clear coat. This is as she came out of the paint shop. There are a couple of minor blemishes to polish out, but other than that I don't plan on doing any more "added shininess" Here's a few of the engine in progress, to compare and contrast the original and Fine Molds parts: And this young lady will be popping in from time to time in this thread. She's a Master Box figure, from their new "Pin-Up" series: Loads more work to do on her as well, but she's very nicely sculpted... ;-P bestest, M.

Encore Models is to rebox in 2016 the HobbyBoss (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234932988-148-republic-f-84f-thunderstreak-by-hobbyboss-released/?hl=thunderstreak) 1/48th Republic F-84F Thunderstreak kit - ref. 48006(?) Sources: http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/Ausstellungen/Nuernberg2016/Bilder_AT/Squadron_MMD.htm http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/Ausstellungen/Nuernberg2016/Bilder_AT/Bilder_AT_1.htm V.P.

Hello Chaps, I'm back to share with you my final build of 2015, that I completed the morning of New Years Eve. This was a gift from a fellow YouTube modeler, who sent it to me because he knew that I was enjoying building Luftwaffe aircraft during the last 8 months, but hadn't yet built a bomber, and that the Heinkel He 111 was a plane that I really wanted to get my hands on. This is a discontinued kit from 1994, but has been re-released under the Revell banner. For a 22 yr old kit, it has some reasonable details, including recessed panel lines on the exterior surfaces and three figures: a officer, pilot and bombardier/front gunner.. I did have a couple of fit issues though: one of the wing root to fuselage joints had a gap of around 1.0mm that I had to fill, and, the profile of the greenhouse canopy was wider than the profile of the fuselage body on both sides. I therefore had to carefully file the clear part down without damaging the window areas. Also, the original decal sheet was yellowed and the moment I put decals into water, they disintegrated. My friend who sent me the kit had suspected this might happen, so he included a more up to date set of decals, although they had markings for two H-6 version Heinkel's that carried two torpedoes and also didn't have the fully enclosed dorsal gun turret, but the open style with the windshield facing forward to protect the gunner from airflow. This newer decal sheet didn't include decals for the V1 rocket, of which there were 24 stencils intended to go onto the rocket on the original sheet. I therefore decided that this was going to be a non-existent, what if, fun build. I mixed some of the fuselage side markings from the decal sheet to spell 1H+AM, which was associated to a Junkers Ju 88 and which I thought appropriate at the time of building, as it was Christmas, and most people like a good Spiral Ham! With this being a large model at 1/48 scale, I thought that the two tone splinter camo was just too much green, and therefore broke the monotony of it up with a white tail band, which would have indicated that it operated in North Africa....again...accuracy isn't playing into this build...it's just for fun at this point in time. I have to say though, it was a good kit besides the outlined issues and I had a lot of fun building it! Enough waffling and onto the photos, I hope you like them Well there she is, I hope you like her as much as I enjoyed building her. Again, just like my Fw 190F-8 build, I haven't had the time to post my build on here, but I do have a introduction to the build video and 4 "Build Update" videos on my YouTube Channel, along with my "Final Reveal" video that are available to watch, should you be interested in all the stages from start until end of this build. Here are the links for the 5 videos associated to this build: Introduction Video Link- https://youtu.be/BRDvVv0aAS8 Build Update #1 Video Link- https://youtu.be/VCvq7-FxUxU Build Update #2 Video Link- https://youtu.be/wolvHNA4rZQ Build Update #3 Video Link- https://youtu.be/WPJQIszbQIs Build Update #4 Video Link- https://youtu.be/gSrM2QytLYc Final Reveal Video Link- https://youtu.be/l2BoXSWtHcE Thanks in advance for taking a look at this posting, for leaving comments and for watching any of the videos, should you do so, much appreciated! Until my next build thread begins, happy modeling, have fun and Happy New Year! Cheers Martin

She is a poor faded old gal, an original Monogram 1/48th F-102A Delta Dagger with the Case XX wing and I put her together in the early 90's using the kit decals and painted using one of those Humbrol small spray cans which were popular back then, was supposed to be FS36473 'ADC Grey' but I suspect was something quite different. Whatever, the sum of the parts was good and she has been on display in my cabinet until recently however with seven new builds this year I need the space and she has been ousted and is now poised on the edge of the 'shelf of shame'. So what to do? Well, I could bin her, however the original Monogram kit fitted well and all she needs is a little filler. The decals are shot but being Monogram they refuse to peel off. I think I did good work with the complex armaments bay and thanks to the brittle poly cement that I used all the parts have fallen out without too much persuasion. My plan is to attack her with Fairy Power Spray and lots of sanding paper and see what she looks like after that. I do have decals for other Delta Daggers, or I could complete her as a PQM-102A drone, or even as stored in AMARC back in the late 80's. I want to get this done quickly and the end of January deadline of this group build suits me perfectly, I want to start a big project after this. On to the photos Michael

This set intended to improve 1/48 Monogram / Kinetic F-84F Thunderstreak exterior details. Highly detailed airbrakes, wing interceptors with fine details, emty shell ejection ports fences, small air scoops for both fuselage sides, JATO hooks are included in the set. Though airbrakes are very complicated to build, you can simlify building process, using kit details as a base for outer and inner elements. We will provide some building tips here soon for better model accuracy. Made of steel with a thickness of 0.05 mm.

B-29 Superfortress Replacement Engine Cowlings 1:48 Air-Craft Models via Coastal Craft The Monogram B-29 kit in 1:48 was patterned back in the day using the preserved airframe of Enola Gay as reference, which unbeknownst to them had one unusual feature externally that was applied to only a few airframes. The engines were special high-powered variants of the Dual Cyclone, and as such the cowlings were of a different shape, with a straighter profile viewed from the side. The intake under the main opening was also of a different shape, giving the engines a subtle, but different look. This set arrives in a small white box that has the product details stuck to the lid. Inside are four resin cowling parts that have been liberated from their pouring blocks and just need a little clean-up on the trailing edges of the cowling flaps, and the removal of some resin wafer that was used to enable the moulding of the aperture at the front. A quick swipe and polish with a sanding stick should see them ready for action, after a bath in warm soapy water to remover sanding residue and any mould release agent lingering on the surface that could affect paint adhesion. The cowling flaps are depicted in a neutral setting just like the kit parts, and the "smile" under the main aperture has a moulded-in intake grill to add detail. Installation should be fun, as you will have to align the engine/bulkhead part both in terms of depth and centring, which is best done in conference with the kit parts and your references. It would have been nice to have some alignment aids for this process, such as replication of the strips inside the kit cowling and a template for cutting back the bulkhead part. Once you have done one however, the rest will be easy, so take your time over it and trim a little bit each time until you are satisfied. Conclusion An important set in terms of external accuracy, unless you are planning on modelling one of those airframes with the more powerful engines. Be aware of the work you will need to do, and you will be happy with the resulting improvement. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

AC-47 Gunship Photo-Etch Updates (for Revell) 1:48 Eduard The Monogram/Revell AC-47 has been around now for a while, and is showing its age in some respect, although it's still a nice model. In the eternal round of re-popping, which is what we colloquially refer to the re-release of a kit, it has surfaced again, and Eduard have come to the rescue of the detail-hungry with a trio of Photo-Etch (PE) sets and a masking sheet. As usual with Eduard's PE 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 (49736) Although the canopy of the Dak is a bit of a slit, it wraps around the sides of the fuselage, so it is well-worth adding a bit of detail, which this kit supplies on two frets. The first is nickel-plated, pre-painted and self-adhesive, containing the colourful parts that will lift the detail, while the other is bare brass for constructional elements that will end up painted the interior colour. The instrument panel is trimmed down to the basic board, and gets new laminated pre-painted instruments and dials, control "wheels" plus a new centre-console with throttle quadrant and other levers installed in the nub of the central projection. The radio panel and other instruments are treated in the same manner, and a replacement overhead console is added along with plenty of cockpit sidewall details. The crew seats are also improved with new arms-rests, seatbelts and other details, even down to a pair of headphones to hang on the arm of the radio-operator's chair. The floor between the pilots is skinned with a couple of detailed panels, and their rudder pedals are added after removing a small section of the cockpit floor. As a bonus, you get a couple of ammo-can upgrades too, which add to the detail so you can place them somewhere prominent. Exterior (48858) Consisting of one large fret in bare brass, this set includes fittings and upgrades to the airframe, starting with the cone-shaped tail-wheel well; various access-panels and fairings around the airframe; a bulkhead if you are planning on shortening the tail fairing; a small upgrade to the landing gear bay, with a lovely cross-brace that is folded up from perforated parts to replace the one moulded into the kit gear legs plus brake hoses; mesh filters on the oil-coolers; exhaust details, and a wiring loom for the twin P&W Twin Wasp engines. Other small parts are added under the nose; a surround for the wing-mounted landing light, and finally, a rather neat-looking crew access ladder for the fuselage cargo bay door, which would be useful in dioramas. Landing Flaps (48859) This large brass fret contains parts to allow you to drop the flaps on your model, which begins as you'd expect with the removal of the flap lowers from the centre and inner sections of the lower wing. The upper wing also needs scraping to a thin trailing edge to accommodate the flap bay skins, which are made up in four sections from one main part, which has the ribs twisted 90o and folded back, after which three stringers are added, plus a strengthening web in one corner, which differs between sections, as well as being handed. The flaps themselves are built up in the same manner, but have curved ribs and a long tab that acts as the hinge, attaching to the edge of the bay, with a ram holding it in the correct angle. Scrap diagrams show the correct positioning of the parts along the way, and once the surgery on the kit is done, the sets are surprisingly easy to use. Masks (EX481) With lots of windows, a masking set could save you time, frustration or both, so it's well worth looking at, as it is supplied as pre-cur kabuki tape, with masks for each panel of the windscreen; all of the twelve side windows (in two halves each); the landing lights; astro-dome, and as a bonus, a set of doughnut-shaped hub masks, although you'll need to mask off the rest of the tyres before you commence painting. The Astro-dome mask only covers the lower edge due to the sharp compound curves, so you'll need to top that off with either masking fluid or sections of scrap tape. Review sample courtesy of