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I grabbed the new Revell Strike Eagle for €15,- a few weeks ago on an exhibition and nearly couldn´t wait to put my hands on it. But I had to order some goodies first.😎 First step was a dry fit of the cockpit section and I was positively surprised. Everything fits tight and without any problems. In some areas the structures was sanded down for the etched parts bevor painting everything with black and finally Gunze H307. As the etched parts are designed for the Academy kit, they needed some trimming to match the Revell parts. I think the result is okay. Next will be the two crew members from PJ Production and the ACES II seats from the kit. Regards Daniel

This has been bugging me for some time but, what kinds of stowage are correct for the U.S. Army 2003-2004 period in Iraq? Been refurbishing my old Tamiya M1A2, which of course comes with the ALICE packs for stowage. Would these be correct for the period, or were more modern packs being issued at this time? Its been hard to find shots of the vehicles that aren't from the front, so I can't identify the bags properly. Cheers for any assistance. Gaz

Hi all and here's the latest from me - finished for the KUTA group build here. I always wanted to model an F-14 getting ready to launch with dropped flaps etc so decided to take a knife to the original Revell kit a couple of years back...and then lost all interest. She has been in stuffed away in a box on the shelf of doom for ages and I finally got the finger out and finished it for the GB. Not my finest build and some inaccuracies here and there but I had a lot of fun and am really happy to have it finished at last. The full build log is here but in summary... Kit: 04195 Revell 1/72 F-14D Tomcat Paints: All brush painted - Revell Aqua Colour acrylics, Future, Flory Models wash, W&N Matt Varnish Decals: From Hobby Boss F-14D kit for BuNo163894 VF-2 Bounty Hunters, CAG jet USS Constellation Extras: Hasegawa - pilots, wing sweep bladders, BOL rails, Lantirn pod and weapons Hobby Boss - catapult nose gear Wing slats/flaps - kits' own and scratchbuilt The real a/c was delivered to the US Navy in 1990 and served with a couple of squadrons before transferring to VF-2 squadron aboard USS Constellation in the late 90s. In 2001, the plane became the CAG jet with the callsign 'Bullet 100' and dropped over 55 bombs during operations in Iraq in 2003. The big stripe markings apparently are called 'Langley Stripes', in honour of when this squadron served in the 1920s aboard the USS Langley, the first American aircraft carrier. Thanks for looking and comments welcomed! Dermot

Here she is! VF-31's '110', BuNo 519618 as she was at the beginning of OIF in 2003. I used the Hobby Boss 1/48 F-14D, TwoBobs 'Felix in the Fight' decals, Humbrol enamels, W&D Studio pitot and AOA probe, Eduard canopy mask (Godsend!) and a really cheap airbrush. My aspiration was to use as little AM as possible to show what a great kit this is, in my opinion it is superb. It has one or two idiosyncrasies, but still offers a superb amount of value and is a great fitting kit which allows you to make a great looking 'Cat out of the box. I chose not to fill all the rivets, as I don't mid them. I added small touches here and there to improve the kit, but all was done using what's in the modelling box (wire etc). Build thread is HERE

Streaking Effects and Weathering Sets AK Interactive (AK062, AK091 & AK120) Mig Jiminez's company continue to produce excellent products to help armour modellers (and other genres too, as the skills are transferrable) to make realistic and realistically dirty vehicles, and these three sets are descriptive in their aims. Streaking Effects (AK 062) This enamel based wash set contains three 35ml plastic bottles of a more pigment dense mix than filters and some washes, which are designed to give the effect of weathering due to rain and dirt flowing down a vertical panel leaving residue of rust, dirt and other contaminants on the surface. This is the effect known only to well in the winter months even on our modern cars, where if left unwashed, even a clean car will become streaked with subtle marks that get less subtle as time goes by. The technique is to draw vertical lines of differing thickness in a random manner down the side of the vehicle's panels, and after leaving a short length of time for it to dry, blend, lighten and stump the marks with a wide brush moistened with thinners to tone down the effect and give a more realistic look to the finished article. Being an enamel based fluid, it is designed to be used on acrylics or enamel or lacquer paints that have been protected by an acrylic varnish. The bottles within the set are as follows: AK 012 Streaking Grime - a deep brown shade AK 013 Rust Streaks - a reddish brown AK 014 Winter Streaking - a dirty greenish hue Interior Weathering Set (AK 091) Where this set differs from the Streaking effects set is that it contains two 35ml bottles of effects liquids, and one 17ml bottle of paint - in this instance Cremeweiss, which is the colour of WWII German armour and military vehicles, marking this set more as a German AFV interior weathering set than anything else, although this isn't noted on the outer box. The streaking fluid and wash can still be used on most AFV interiors though, as they all tend to be lighter in colour to improve visibility and make the interiors look less dull than they otherwise would. Included in the set are the following: AK 092 Cremeweiss (RAL 9001)- a creamy bone white colour AK 093 Interior Wash - a greenish shade AK 094 Streaking Grime for interior - a dark autumn brown colour OIF & OEF Weathering Set (AK 120) Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom were the two main US led operations that resulted in the ousting of Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq, and this set enables the modeller to produce realistic effects on their US armour from this period. The set contains three items, two 35ml bottles of enamel based weathering fluids, and one 17ml bottle of acrylic paint. The paint is in the Vallejo type dropped bottle, and is used as the base colour for your armour, while the two bottles of effects fluids are for washing and then streaking your armour to give it a suitably used look. AK 121 US Vehicles Wash - a dark earthy brown AK 122 US Base Colour - a sandy desert acrylic colour AK 123 US Streaking Effects - a dark brown/grey These three bottles should allow the modeller to create a realistic looking base colour on top of which further rust, chipping and other effects can be added to complete the job. Conclusion While some of the colours in these sets are quite similar, the sets are so handy to have that you can forgive this fact. They are most definitely aimed at the modeller that uses acrylic paint for their AFV modelling, so if you're a die-hard enamel user, be prepared to change your techniques if you plan on using them, or at least place an acrylic varnish barrier layer between the enamel base paint and the enamel based washes and effects fluids. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of