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F-104 Pylons (2 sets) 1:32 VideoAviation There have been large scale F-104 kits floating about for years, but as well as the Revell kit, we have the Hasegawa and Italeri kits to satisfy your desire for a manned missile in 1:32. VideoAviation have produced these two neat resin sets to improve the look of the stores, as well as providing things not in the kit box. Mk.25 Luftwaffe Practice Bomb Dispenser There's not much to say other than this is a resin set of the sub-munitions dispenser used by the Luftwaffe, which contains ten parts and comes with decals to stencil the finished article. Four cylindrical bomblets with square noses as well as four more that look somewhat like mortar bombs are included, which gives you a choice of bomb load for the two-part container, which has attachment lugs on the top-side, and curved shackles on the lower. The instructions are straight-forward, and includes a stencilling guide, as well as colour call-outs for the dispenser and bomblets. Casting is good quality, detail is well defined, and the pouring stubs have been sensibly placed to ease construction. Remember not to breathe in the dust, and do wash the parts before painting, and construction should be a pleasant experience. Wing Pylon & Centreline Pylon Two highly detailed pylons for the wing mounting points, with separate tail section and sway braces are supplied, plus a very nicely done central pylon along with a scrap diagram on placement. The pylons are handed, with instructions to place them with the small access doors away from the fuselage for correct alignment. A nice, simple upgrade for the kit. Review sample courtesy of

MJ-1A/B Loader 1:48 Videoaviation The MJ-1 Bomb loader has gone through two versions, hence the A or B suffix, and has been seen on just about every US Air Force base from the 80s onward. It is an unusual looking little vehicle, with an open crew cab at the rear, which is curiously on the right of the engine. Odd, for a country that drives on the wrong side of the road! At the front is a set of wheels and a movable arm with a platform at the end on which different munitions can be loaded. The driver positions his vehicle and offers the bomb up to the pylon to be attached to the shackles ready for take-off. The Kit This is a new resin kit from Videoaviation, and is available in Early (A) and Late ( versions by way of separate boxings. It is also available in 1:32 in case you're interested, with an almost identical breakdown of parts. The kits arrive in sturdy little white card boxes with a picture of a finished vehicle on a sticker that covers the majority of the top of the box. Inside are three bundles of resin parts carefully swaddled in bubble wrap for protection. A sheet of decals is also included for the copious white striping that covers the vehicle, and stencils in black. The main chassis parks are further protected by foam sheeting that is taped around them, and inside the larger bag of parts, you'll find a short length of styrene rod taped to a blue card that is used in the build. It's nice to see this level of completeness in a kit, rather than "you will need 10mm of 1mm rod", as is often seen in other aftermarket. The instruction sheet gives a full breakdown of parts for you to check against the contents, and assigns them each numbers to assist with the build. Early MJ-1A Late MJ-1B Construction begins of course with the removal of casting blocks, which for most of the parts could be done with a sharp knife. The chassis parts and base of the lifting module will need a razor saw or Dremel to remove the blocks, so take care not to breathe the dust here. The differences between the two kits are subtle but visible, however we will treat them as one, because the build process hardly varies. The two chassis sections are brought together first, with the early version requiring the removal of a control lever and its associated hump, before building the lifting arm module. The driver's "cab" is a simple flat seat with a simple instrument panel and steering wheel, plus foot pedals moulded into the floor pan. The front wheels of the vehicle are positioned on a pair of out-rigger rails to stabilise the vehicle under load, and these have separate wheels, outer axle-guards and short curved mud-guards to protect the driver from spray. The broadly triangular base of the lifting arm accepts the four arms with two on each side, pivoting around a peg on the base. A spacer is added between the lower arms half to provide stability, while a small bracket and the aforementioned rod are fitted to the bottom of the base. The bomb platform is made up from two parts, and each corner is glued to the ends of the arms, with a strut across the top arms, proving more lateral stability. A pair of optional ordnance supports can be added to the top of the platform, sitting perpendicular to the vehicle's line of travel. You even get a figure to drive the loader, with a slightly different one in the late boxing, complete with safety conscious additions such as ear-protectors. Not many companies would take the trouble to sculpt a new figure for a different variant, so Videoaviation are to be commended for their attention to detail. Markings The early model was all-over yellow with some spot painting in tan and metal, plus a number of white stripes on the sharp edges at the front and back of the vehicle. The late version is more varied, and starts with a common markings layout, then two variants in FS34102 Green, but with different main markings, and the modern FS26173 Grey variant that is used to this day. Conclusion Super stuff to populate your military air base diorama or display base with, and very nicely presented too. Casting is good, detail is also very good, with the figures included, it's a turn-key solution to your needs, with the addition of basic modelling skills and a bit of paint! Highly recommended. Early (MJ-1A) Late (MJ-1B ) Review sample courtesy of

Coleman MB4 Tractor & Towbar 1:48 VideoAviation Manufactured in the 1950s, the American Coleman MB4 was distributed by Coleman Company, who are more well known for BBQ equipment and gas canisters these days. The short tractor was fitted with a Chrysler 230 flathead petrol engine, with an electric clutch and manual transmission, linked to all four wheels, which were all steerable for east manoeuvring. It was capable of pulling up to 10,000 pounds from the pintle-hooks at the front and rear, with a small load or crew carrying area to the rear. Their heyday was the 60s and 70s where they saw service in the US military, but even now some are still in use, although I can't vouch for whether they'll be pulling anything as exciting as a Phantom or SR-71 these days. The Kit This is another resin kit from VideoAviation, who specialise in airfield and aircraft carrier equipment and tractors for use in your dioramas or display. This release is in 1:48, but I understand that a 1:72 version will be forthcoming in due course. The kit arrives in a small white box, with a picture of the kit on the top, and inside there are 48 resin parts in two ziplok bags, decals, pre-cut acetate transparent parts, and a couple of lengths of copper and styrene rod in another bag. The instruction booklet consists of two pages of A4 printed on three sides and stapled together. The casting blocks have been thoughtfully placed, so clean-up shouldn't be too onerous, with some of the large flat parts having been wafer cast with minimal scrap resin to remove as a result. The usual warnings about resin dust apply for this process, and a good clean of the surfaces in warm soapy water would be a good idea to remove any residual mould release agent. The build centres around the ladder chassis, to which the transmission housing is added, and the drive-shafts going to the front and rear axles are dropped into their location sockets. Four leaf-springs are added to more sockets either side of each axle, and then the bodywork is added to the top. The engine cowling is a solid block of resin that slots into the top of the chassis, the cab floor sits astride the central section, with the load carrying area doing the same behind it. The cab floor already has a kick-plate and foot pedals moulded in, but the dash is added above it, plus the steering wheel with its shaft made from the supplied styrene rod, and gear change glued into a hole in the floor. The two crew seats mount onto lugs at the rear of the cab area, and a scrap diagram shows the correct angles of all the parts from the side. The single piece cab is then dropped over the detail, and the running boards with front fenders are added to the sides. The rear fenders are built into the rear area, so adding the wheel hubs and separate tyres completes the main vehicle work. The next job is to build up the tubular upstands that run around the load area, and to form these easily there are two rectangular resin jigs supplied that are clearly marked left and right. Bend the malleable copper wire to shape into the engraved grooves in the jigs, and then cut off the surplus, adding the extra two verticals from 8mm pieces cut from the styrene rod supplied. Everything fits into small holes through the rear part, and clearly some care and delicate handling will be needed to do a good job. Add a tool box to the port fender, headlamps to the front of the cab, and towing shackles to the front and rear finishes the building of the tractor itself. The tractor cab has a comprehensive set of glazing, and this is supplied in a single sheet of thick acetate that is pre-cut for ease. Simply cut the backing sheet to release the parts from their surrounds, and glue them in place with PVA glue or GS-Hypo. Even Klear could be used if the pieces are a good enough fit, but masking them may be a little tricky if unmasking causes them to tear loose. The towing bar parts are in a separate bag from the vehicle parts, and the bar itself is made up from two parts which link together with pin and socket. The V-shaped axle part is added next, and this has a pair of small wheels that facilitate man-handling. The link at the vehicle end is a simple eye that fits to the end of the bar, while at the other end a three-prong linkage with a piece of styrene rod running through it is added, with two attachment arms rotating on the styrene rod, which allows adjustment to accommodate differing widths of nose-gear attachment points. A lifting handle is moulded into the vehicle end, and a winding handle is made up to adjust the height of the wheels for towing and ground handling. markings The instructions tell you to paint the vehicle and the towbar in yellow (FS135538 Gunze H34), although in civilian use this may have changed. Decals are provided for a US Air Force machine, with a Coleman logo on the front of the cowling, plus US AF logos stencilled along the length of the cowling. Over each tyre a stencil for the correct pressure is provided, and the chevron patterns on the front and rear bumpers are also included. Add a little chipping and wear-and-tear to taste. Conclusion Another super little model that shouldn't take you too long to build and paint. These are the things that bring life to a diorama, or add interest to a model sat on a shelf, and with sympathetic painting, it should make your finished model a little out of the ordinary. Remember to check your references to see whether this tug was used with your chosen model, and make sure you hook it up correctly, and you're away! Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

SUU-21 Bomb Dispenser Videoaviation 1:32 The latest release from Videoaviation.com is this, well, what I can only call it a model for that is what is in its own right, of a SUU-21 Bomb Dispenser. Inside the sturdy cardboard box are two poly zip lock bags of creamy beige resin parts, a small decal sheet and the instruction sheet. The resin is beautifully rendered, with no signs of bubbles or other flaws. The casting blocks don’t look to difficult to remove, but it will take a razor saw to do the best job on the larger parts. The kit includes the following resin parts:- Main bomb container Nose cone Tail Cone Closed off bomb bay parts A pair of bomb lugs, for the main container 6 x BDU 48 bomblets 6 x Mk75 bomblets 2 x display stands. The details on the main container are very finely done with recessed panel lines and screw heads and the resin is wonderfully smooth. Construction is easy once the parts have been removed from the moulding blocks and cleaned up. The nose and tail cones are fitted to the central container part followed either by the closed door parts or the bomb bay roof and 6 of either type of bomblet. Job done bar the painting, (which is white overall and either blue or possibly yellow bomblets) and the decaling which consists of the container placards and six RBF flags which only need to be added if the bomblets are fitted. The instructions are very clear and easy to read, but it would have been nice it parts were actually named as well as numbered. Conclusion This is a very nice addition to the Videoaviation product range and will add something different to a completed model. With the well moulded, flawless resin it should go together fairly easily. All the modeller has to do is check their references and see if the model they are building needs one or two SUU-21s. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

US Navy MHU-191/M Munitions Transporter 1:32 VideoAviation The MHU-191/M is a bomb trolley used by the US Navy to transport two GBU-38 JDAMs from arsenal to the aircraft that are intending to use them. This kit is available in 1:32 at present, but I'm hopeful it will find its way to 1:48 in due course. Included in the white card box are three bags of resin and another containing a small decal sheet (not pictured). The bomb truck is built up from flesh coloured resin and should include two sets of wheels. My review sample however has a pair missing, so please check your package before stashing it. The lower bomb is cradled on a curved bracket, with a similar one completing the oval and permitting another to sit on top. Each part has rollers placed in recesses that support the bombs and stop them from rolling sideways, which would be no fun for anyone. The two cradles attach to the ladder chassis, and an L-shaped pull handle is attached to the front of the chassis. A bumper sits at the end of the handle, and two grab-handles and a brake lever form a T with the upright portion. A pair of figures are included with the set, and it's surprising how large they look compared to the more familiar (to me) 1:35. They are very well sculpted and have separate arms, all of which is in the same creamy flesh coloured resin. One is pulling, while the other pushes the trolley, and the instructions show them painted red, presumably for danger! Happily you also get a pair of bombs to fill your trolley, which some producers might not have included. They are nicely detailed and the dangerous part is covered with the rough ablative coating used on carriers that slows down the cook-off rate of the warheads in the event of a fire. The bombs have separate tail sections, GPS Antennae, and if you elect to use them, a DSU-33 Radar proximity sensor, which requires you to slice off the very tip of the nose. A separate diagram covers the painting of the bombs, and shows where the rings that show live (Yellow) or training (blue) round should go. The small decal sheet is designed for the trolley, and adds a large number of yellow markings that are dotted around the frame, as well as the serial number and some data plates on the handle. The trolley is painted gloss white with black handles, with orange or yellow rollers, but would undoubtedly become quite worn very quickly. Plenty of scope for weathering there! Conclusion A cool addition to any deck-side diorama, or just to have next to your 1:32 USN aircraft in the cabinet. You get a lot for your money, and hopefully yours will have all four wheels! Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of