Kit: Academy Chance Vought F-8E Crusader Reviewer: Bob Gerhardt Scale: 1/72 Parts: 91 gray on 4 sprues; 7 clear on one sprue Detail: Lightly engraved Retail Price: $22.00 The kit looks as though it could be a Tamiya kit.  If it assembles as well as it looks, then there won’t be any quibbles about the cost.  The kit is designed so it can be issued for several variants of the type, as is shown by the optional openings for the ventral strakes, afterburner cooling intakes, and the upper spine over the wing assembly.  So, if you don’t want to build the E variant, wait a little longer and you should get what you want from Academy. The level of detail offered is as good as the latest Hasegawa kits.  The wings can be assembled in either level in-flight or raised as in take-off and landing position.  The leading edge slats are separate, although oddly enough, the flaps are not. The landing gear is multi-part; with five parts for the nose gear and three parts for each of the main gear.  A separate speed brake and tail hook are also provided.  All the bays are deep enough and as well detailed enough to be convincing.  The intake is divided into upper and lower halves, which will be hard to fill and blend. The nose gear bay is attached to the lower intake assembly. The cockpit is offered as a five-piece assembly not including the three-piece ejection seat.  The consoles and instrument panel have raised detail which can be removed and replaced by the decals provided. Decals are provided for VMF (AW)-333 Fighting Shamrocks and VFM (AW)-232 Red Devils.  The decal sheet has all the stenciling you could want.  The black windscreen surround is provided and has the yellow surround to the Plexiglas.  There is a separate decal for those windscreens that get painted by the modeler.  Lastly, the tail hook striping is included so those that don’t want to paint this fiddly bit won’t need to. I highly recommend this kit.  Academy is at http://www.academyhobby.com/.

Kit: Tamiya F4F-4 Wildcat Reviewer: Ivan Rich Scale: 1/48 Parts: 57 parts on 3 sprues; 7 clear on one sprue Detail: Lightly Engraved Retail Price: $22.00 Wanting to add another WWII carrier based aircraft to my collection, I picked up this little gem at the aforementioned bargain price.  Upon inspection of the kit, I discovered the build could go relatively quickly, considering the modest number of parts involved.  As with other Tamiya offerings, the fit is superb, with only a scant amount of wet sanding needed in a few rough spots.  I noticed the styrene on this kit tends to shred a bit when working with regular sanding sticks.  I quickly switched to 800 and 1000 grit paper, making sure plenty of water was at hand.) Decals enable you to do the following variations: VF-41, aboard the USS Ranger, along with VMF-223 for the Marine Corps. Finally, there is VGF-29 assigned to the USS Santee. I chose the VF-41, simply because I liked the red and white stripes on the tail rudder. I chose Tamiya Acrylic paints XF-18 Medium Blue for the top and XF-19 Sky Grey on the underside.  According to the instructions, both will need a bit of white mixed in to get the exact color, but basically either a 2 or 3:1 ratio. The cockpit elements are nicely done but, since it is so small, spending serious money on aftermarket goodies seemed like overkill to me.  I elected to add the Eduard 49-001 PE belts/harnesses for WWII USN and USAF aircraft.  Whether you choose an open and closed canopy, only the most discriminating modeler will make note of the interior. Once the fuselage had been assembled, with some oil wash detailing beforehand, it was time to drop in the cockpit from the bottom. Don't forget this step before you permanently join the wings to the fuselage.  It could get ugly.  I added a small piece of plastic tubing to make the head rest and back plate pitch forward and close up the obvious gap between it and the fuselage.  The unusual landing gear on the Wildcat also requires your full attention.  The parts, while realistic, are very delicate and can break easily, to say nothing of throwing the stance of the aircraft off slightly. Read the instructions and be careful during this stage.  While I am still in the process of building this bird, I can see that it will lend itself to highlighting panel lines and using oil washes for detailing. After 3 light coats of Future, I applied the rather simple markings on the wings and fuselage.  Tamiya decals are not the easiest to deal with.  However, with generous applications of MicroSol, the decals conformed nicely to the designated spots. The rest of the build went by fairly quickly, but I elected to do quite a bit of weathering and staining.  The open wheel wells on the Wildcat are a collection point for fuel stains, exhaust and rust.  You only need spot the two exhaust pipes directly in front of the opening.  Many of the reference pictures I studied off the internet show most Wildcats sporting heavy grime. (Show me a spotlessly clean Wildcat and it'll no doubt be one that just left the factory.) I used a mixture of black and burnt umber artist oils mixed with turpenoid for the nooks and crannies.  I went easy with the pastel chalk dust in certain spots that I felt could use a bit more roughing up.  I'm still debating whether to add some paint chipping.  It's easy to get carried away with that technique, so whatever I do will be minimal.  Testors Dullcote (from the bottle) was used to get rid of the sheen created by several applications of Future Floor Finishing. One of the last steps was the installation of antenna wires that run from the rear stabilizer to the post behind the canopy.  A second wire drops down the port side and enters right about where the left tip is on the star.  I used 4 lb. monofilament fishing line coated black with a Sharpie permanent marker.  The "wires" attached easily with CA on the tip of a toothpick.  I took a stab at insulators using Testors Clear Canopy Glue.  Small drops strategically placed were allowed to dry overnight and I then touched them up with some off-white acrylic paint.  This is no doubt one of my real weak spots.  Oh, well... Overall, this not a bad kit...especially since I snapped it up at the last Hobby Lobby 50% off sale (about $12.00).  I managed to crack the original rear canopy section in two pieces.  I bought a vacu-formed replacement from Squadron, but discovered the plastic was way too soft for masking.  By that time, a kind hearted soul on HyperScale heard my sad tale of woe and sent me the rear piece.  I had purchased several E-Z masks from Chris Loney in Canada and think they're absolutely terrific.  The set for the Wildcat went on easily and were not at all difficult to remove.  The minimal amount of adhesive residue left on the canopy was easily removed with a Q-tip dipped in "Goo Gone."

Kit: Pit-Road Wave-Line's Kashino Maru Reviewer: Rich Wright Scale: 1/700 Parts: 25 with accessory sprue and brass rods Retail price: $55.00 This 6,774 ton ship was designed to transport the turrets and barrels of the Japanese Battleship Yamato from their manufacturing location to the shipyard.  Afterwards, it was used as a transport.  I’m using it for a simulation for a Coral Sea War Game so I built it as a transport. This was my first resin kit so I had a lot to learn.  The adhesive that I finally settled for was super glue called Loctite that I purchased at Home Depot.  This is an isocyanate gel that provided good adhesion and application control. The hardest part about assembly for this kit was the booms.  Instructions clearly indicated what length and thickness to be used, but the booms were so tiny that I succumbed to using a good set of tweezers that I obtained from Mark Twain Hobbies in St. Charles, MO.  A pair of head worn magnifying glasses was an imperative tool.  I used a .005 ink pen for the port holes on the ship sides and WEMCC paints from England, all hand-brushed on.  The boom cranes were assembled by scoring the brass up-rights then applying gel to the boom and attaching them firmly to the up-right.  The cables were 1lbs test fishing line that was glued with gel, with the excess being snipped-off after the glue dried for 24hrs.  After the paint had dried for 24 hours, the entire ship was sprayed with C.E. Crafts etc! clear acrylic matte that was purchased from Hobby Lobby. Japanese freighters were painted in accord with the ship’s captain’s desires.  There were regulations but out in the Pacific, they were painted in any number of different schemes.  There seems to be no pattern.  My own artistic license was used with reference to John Snyder’s “Imperial Japanese Navy Grays”, David Williams “Naval Camouflage 1914-1945”, and Patrick Hreachmack’s “The Painter’s Guide to World War Two Naval Camouflage”.

Kit: Monogram A/B-26C Invader Reviewer: Rick Reinbott   Scale: 1/48   Parts: 95 black on 4 sprues; 9 clear on one sprue   Detail: Raised   Retail Price: $18.75  The A/B-26C was the light bomber version of the Douglas Invader.  The A-26C was essentially identical to the A-26B, but featured a transparent nose with two forward-firing 0.50-inch machine guns on the starboard side. The bombardier sitting in the transparent nose permitted more accurate bombing from medium altitudes. Dual controls were fitted to the cockpit, with the second pilot being able to move in flight into the transparent nose to act as the bombardier.  The airframe, powerplant installation, defensive armament and systems were otherwise identical.  The modifications introduced on the A-26B production line were also introduced on the A-26C line. The clamshell canopy appeared beginning with the A-26C-30-DT block.  The water-injected R-2800-79 engines wing panels with internally-mounted guns, increased tank capacity, and provision for underwing rockets were introduced on the production line with the A-26C-45-DT block. A total of 1091 A-26Cs were built. 1086 of them were built by Tulsa (A-26C-16-DT to A-26C-55-DT) and only 5 by Long Beach (A-26C-1-DL and A-26C-2-DL). Invader production ended at Tulsa in August of 1945, when the end of the World War II brought the cancellation of all further A-26C contracts.   Upon opening the rather large box, you’re presented with two bags each containing two sprues of parts.  A separate sprue, which is not bagged, contains the nine clear parts, including a support rod.  Monogram kits have a habit of not having the clear parts bagged, which would certainly be nice to prevent unnecessary scratching of the parts.  All parts are molded in black.  There are ejector pin marks on the fuselage interior parts, inside of bay doors, and the landing gear itself.  Though the kit contains some flash, it is kept to a minimum.  Detailing is of the raised variety; however, it actually is quite good.  The model looks to be real tail-sitter, so, unless you want to use the clear support rod, a lot of weight will be needed to keep it on its nose.     The interior detail is very nice, including a well done instrument panel, consoles, floor detail, and dorsal gunner’s position.  All of this will look quite nice through the clear nose and cockpit and dorsal gunner’s canopies.  The wing landing gear struts even have hydraulic lines molded in place.  A well-detailed bomb bay is included.  Ordinance and weaponry includes bombs (eight for the bomb bay and two to be mounted under the wings), machine gun packs under the wings and a dorsal machine gun barbette.  Although the box art and the decal and paint guide show the internal wing-mounted machine guns, none in fact are supplied with the kit.  A nice touch is that, although rockets are not provided, the interior of the lower wing contains pre-drilled holes should the modeler wish to add these.  The clear parts, although a little thick, are nicely done.   The instructions are typical Monogram in that they are excellent, with the construction being broken down into 8 parts each containing various sub-parts.  The painting guide contains FS numbers for all the colors except Aluminum.  Markings are provided for two aircraft, with both in black.  One is the box top aircraft, “Dream Girl”, of the 34th Bombardment Squadron based in Pusan, Korea, in 1952.  This aircraft is at the USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio.  The other is “Toni C”, also of the 34th Bombardment Squadron based in Pusan, Korea, in 1952.  Decals are well printed and very glossy.  The box art is also very nice and should provide some assistance in weathering the model, particularly with paint chipping and the exhaust stains on the engine nacelles that Invaders are so well known for.   There are aftermarket accessories available that will enhance this model; however, it can be made into a very impressive model straight out of the box as well.  This kit was re-issued in late 2003 and has since been discontinued.  However, it is available through Great Models Webstore at http://www.greatmodels.com/.

Kit: Academy M4A2 Sherman – US Marines (#13203 ) Reviewer: Del Miller Scale: 1/35 Retail Price: $39.00 This is the second M4A2 Sherman by Academy, with the first being the 76mm version for the Russian Army.  This version is a late-production M4A2 with a 75mm gun, used by some USMC units in the Southwest Pacific theatre during World War II.  It is worth noting that the rear upper hull has been corrected (the angle of the rear plate in the earlier 76mm gun version in Academy #13010 was incorrect).  All other upper hull parts are the same as #13010, but there is appliqué side armor and wood panel armor included, as seen on some USMC Shermans in the Pacific.  There are also wading trunks provided, these having the upper sections cast separately from the lower mounts, should you want to have the rear wading trunk facing the rear.  This was apparently often done to curtail engine overheating (the forward facing trunk would suck in warm air from the engine).  Photos of this can be found at www.hardcorpsmodels.com, an excellent website for USMC armor material by David Harper, who produces resin accessories and such and works for VLS.   Tracks are T48 rubber chevron w/extended end connectors.  There are two sets of road wheels and idler wheels (stamped or welded), two styles of drive sprocket (open or solid) and the bogies for the road wheels are straight-arm VVSS.  There are also four extra welded road wheels including the plates sometimes added on between the open spokes, and two extra dished road wheels.  In all, some nice extras which will allow you to do external stowage.  All detail is crisp, with such features as separate heads for the hatch periscopes, brush guards and so forth.  There's also a choice of turret hatches for the tank commander, either the early split-hatch or the later vision cupola, along with springs (separate) for the loader's hatch and separate hold-open catches.  A nice .50 caliber M2 MG is provided.   Markings for five M4A2s are provided but take note that only "Caesar" and "Goldbrick Jr." are correct for M4A2s, as the others are correct for USMC M4A3s.  Other down-side items:  All tanks for which markings are provided should have the later, up-swept return roller arms for the VVSS bogies.  You can swap these for the bogies in the Tamiya Early Production Sherman (which is actually a mid-production variant) or use an after-market set.  Also, the weld seams on the hull are still recessed rather than standing proud of the surface, as they should be to be correct.  And as with almost every turret of every Sherman kit produced, there is no built-in cheek armor on the turret.   If you like Shermans (and particularly USMC variants) you have to have this kit.  The problems, though irritating, are small and fairly easily fixed, requiring some swapping between kits, or some modeling skills applications instead of throwing glue in the box and giving it a good shake (but then that's why they call us Modelers, right?).  I've got one and as time passes, there will be more on my shelves.  Academy is at http://www.academyhobby.com/.

Kit: Tamiya A6M2 Zero   Reviewer: Rick Reinbott   Scale: 1/48   Parts: 51 gray on 2 sprues; 6 clear on one sprue   Detail: Recessed   Retail Price: $12.50   The Zero Fighter (Zeke) was the main fighter of the Japanese Navy throughout the Pacific War during World War II.  The development of this fighter started in 1937 when Mitsubishi design staff led by Horikoshi Jiro proposed a model that would meet the strict requirements issued by the Japanese Navy for a fighter capable of high-speed, excellent maneuverability, long range, superior climbing and lethal armament.  Drastic measures were taken to meet these big demands and lighten the plane as much as possible.  Features employing new techniques such as lightweight duraluminum alloy main beam, a constant speed variable pitch propeller, a tear drop canopy and a streamlined drop tank that allowed it to fly over 3000km were used.  The armament consisted of two 7.7. machine-guns in the nose and two 20mm Type 99 cannons in the wings.    Zeke’s prototype was completed with a Mitsubishi Zuisei Type 13 engine in March 1939 and made its maiden flight the following month.  In July 1940, the engine was replaced with a 940hp Nakajima Sakae Type 12 engine, giving birth to the Zero Type 11, which overwhelmed the Chinese Air Force’s Soviet built I-15 and I-16 fighters.  The Zeke was modified to be a carrier borne fighter in December 1940 with the employment of 50cm folding wingtips, hook and homing equipment.  This was the birth of the new Type 21, which became the main Japanese fighter of the Pacific War.  This version took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Philippine Islands invasion, and the Indian Ocean campaign where it clashed with countless allied fighters.  Besides Mitsubishi, Nakajima also built the Type 21 Zero under license.  A total of approximately 3,600 Type 21 Zero were produced.     Upon opening the box, you’re presented with two bags each containing one sprue of parts.  A separate sprue, also bagged, contains the six clear parts.  The clear parts include canopies in both the opened and closed positions.  All parts are molded in light gray.  There are some ejector pin marks on the cockpit and engine cowling interior, inside of the landing gear strut covers, and the landing gear itself.  Though the kit contains some flash, it is kept to a minimum.  Detailing is of the recessed variety and is quite good.    The cockpit interior, while somewhat sparse, is good, with the instrument panel consisting of a decal.  The wheel wells are very nicely detailed and should look great with a light wash and some drybrushing.  There are no gun barrels included for the wing mounted 20 mm cannons; however, some type of tubing should work just fine.  Although the seat contains molded-on harness, the detail is not very good and it would be better to replace it with scratchbuilt, resin, or photo-etch harness.  A nice touch is that, should the modeler wish to finish the model with the landing gear retracted, the kit provides the option to do this.     The instructions are well laid out, with the construction being broken down into 8 parts each containing various sub-parts for the cockpit, engine, fuselage, etc.  The painting guide contains numbers for Tamiya Paint colors.  Markings are provided for five aircraft; which are:   Akagi Aircraft Carrier Fighter Group, Hawaii, December 1941   Tainan Air Group, Denpasar Base, Bali Island, February 1942   3rd Air Group, Kendari Base, Celebes Island, March 1942   253rd Air Group, Tobera Base, Rabaul, January 1944   261st Air Group (Tiger Corps), Kagoshima Base, February 1944     The decals, although a little thick, are well printed.  The box art is also very nice and should provide some assistance in weathering the model.   Although being around for quite a number of years, this kit can be made into a nice model of an early Zero.  It will look good straight out of the box and the detail is enough so that, by adding some scratchbuilt and/or aftermarket details, it can be made into a very impressive model.  Tamiya is at: http://www.tamiyausa.com/

Kit: ESCI A-4M/N Skyhawk II   Reviewer: Rick Reinbott   Scale: 1/48   Parts: 91 silver on 3 sprues; 3 clear on one sprue   Detail: Engraved & Raised   Retail Price: ? - OOP The A-4 Skyhawk was designed by Douglas Aircraft’s Ed Heinemann in response to a U.S. Navy call for a jet-powered attack aircraft to replace the A-1 Skyraider. Heinemann opted for a design that would minimize size, weight, and complexity. The result was an aircraft that weighed only half of the Navy's specification and had a wing so compact that it did not need to be folded for carrier stowage. The diminutive Skyhawk soon received the nicknames "Scooter," "Bantam Bomber," and, on account of its nimble performance, "Heinemann's Hot-Rod." A distillation of all the best features of preceding Skyhawks, the A-4M was easily the most capable model, as well as the most powerful by virtue of the J52-P-408A which generated 11,200 lbs (5,080 kg) of thrust.  A square-capped fin, similar to that of the A-4H/K, later provided a convenient anchor point for ECM equipment and the A-4M also introduced a much revised canopy giving enhanced all-around vision.  A “bent” flight refueling probe was fitted to minimize interference with the radar, and the aircraft had a braking chute, additional ammunition capacity (at 200 rounds per gun, exactly twice that of its predecessors), self-start capability, a new gunsight and a ram air turbine for emergency power supply.  The A-4N was built in response to an export order from Israel in the 1970s.  Israel’s A-4N was basically similar to the A-4M, but featured a much revised navigation/attack system.  Key elements of this were a Lear-Siegler digital computer, a Singer vertical platform and an Elliot Automation head-up display (HUD) unit.  The A-4N was produced in concert with the A-4M.      Upon opening the box, you’re presented with three sprues of parts.  A separate sprue contains the three clear parts.  All parts are molded in silver.   While the overall detail is very good, there is an odd mix of engraved and raised panel lines.  The fuselage is engraved but the wings and stabilizers have raised detail.  The cockpit is a bit basic, with the instrument panel and consoles consisting of decals and the seat not having very much detail.  The fuselage plastic is thick with a grainy texture, and has somewhat overdone engraved detail. Landing gear detail is very nice and the wing slats can be positioned in the open position.  There are no problems with ejector pin marks or flash.  The clear parts, while a little thick, are nicely done, although they don't include the correct bulbous canopy for the N version.  The extended infra-red suppressing tail pipe, sometimes seen fitted to the N version, is not included.       The kit includes the Mk. 12 20mm cannons as well as the DEFA 552/553 30 mm cannons.  A nice selection of 'things under wings' is provided, including two 300 gallon drop tanks, six Mk. 82/500 lb. low-drag bombs, and two LAU-3/19 rocket pods.  The kit instructions also recommend 20 grams of nose weight to keep the model on its nose.   The instructions are very good and offer several excellent construction sequences and offer color information in generic terms and FS numbers as well.  A nice touch is that the instructions also provide the various weapons options that the A-4M/N could carry.  Markings are provided for three aircraft, one of which is shown on the box art, which are:   U.S. Marine Corps A-4M, VMA-311 “Tomcats” – MCAS El Toro, California 1978   U.S. Marine Corps A-4M, VMA-214 “Blacksheep” – Iwakuni Air Base, Japan 1977   Heyl Ha’ Avir A-4N, Israeli Air Force 1973   Decals are well printed and semi-matte, and, assuming they hold together due to their age, should work well.    Notwithstanding the mix of engraved and raised panel lines, this is a nice kit, that, with a little bit of extra detailing, can be made into an impressive looking model.

Kit: Matchbox 1/72 Hawker Tempest   Reviewer: Rick Reinbott   Scale: 1/72   Parts: 36 olive drab/dark yellow on 2 sprues; 4 clear on one sprue   Detail: Engraved   Retail Price: $3.50 - OOP   In March of 1940, Hawker initiated a number of design studies aimed at improving the Typhoon. Among these studies were ways of improving the Typhoon’s high altitude performance. These involved the use of a new wing design that featured a thinner wing section and a reduced wing area. The new wing had an elliptical planform and showed a great potential for increasing performance at altitude while reducing the tendency of the original Typhoon wing to buffet at speeds around 500 mph.  The thin wing meant that alternative space for fuel had to be found and this was achieved by moving the engine 21 inches forward and inserting a 76 gallon tank between the firewall and the oil tank.   The Tempest Mk VI was basically a Tempest V airframe modified to accept the 2,340hp Sabre V engine. Externally similar to the Tempest V, the Mk VI featured wing root air intakes similar to those installed on the Tempest II. The use of wing air intakes, for the oil cooler and carburetor, left the nose area free to house a larger engine coolant radiator.    The Tempest Mk II had been intended to be powered by the 2,250hp Sabre Mk IVA in-line liquid cooled engine. Sir Sydney Camm however felt that the radial engine Tempest Mk II would offer the ultimate in performance for the Typhoon/Tempest line and, as a result, considerable effort was made to improve the efficiency of the 2,210 hp Centaurus air cooled radial engine.  All production aircraft were fitted with the Centaurus V engine, the short-barreled Hispano Mk. V cannons and the standard Mk V tail-unit. All of Bristol’ aircraft and Hawkers first batch were built as fighters, while the rest of Hawker’s production aircraft were built as fighter-bombers with strengthened wings. The former were later modified to FB standard. The prototypes and early Hawker built aircraft did not have air filter intakes in the upper fuselage behind the engine cowling. Later production Mk IIs had also the pitot head moved from beneath the port wing to the port wing tip.  Upon opening the box, you’re presented with two unbagged, colored sprues containing a total of thirty-six (36) parts.  A separate sprue, also not bagged, contains the clear parts which consist of a closed windscreen & canopy piece and a three-piece stand.   One sprue’s parts are colored a dark yellow while the other sprue’s parts are colored olive drab.  The plastic is thick with heavy engraved panel lines.  Though the kit contains some flash, it is kept to a minimum.      The cockpit is sparse and contains just a seat, pilot figure, and oxygen bottles.   The kit includes different cowls for building either a Mk. VI (Napier Sabre inline variant) or Mk. II (Bristol Centaurus radial) version.   The main landing gear is molded with strut covers attached.  A nice touch is that, should the modeler wish to finish the model with the landing gear retracted, the kit provides separate strut covers to do this.  The exhaust stacks for the Mk VI version are separate parts while the exhaust stacks for the Mk. II version are molded onto the cowl halves.  No underwing stores are included.  The pitot tube for the Mk. II version indicates that this is an early Mk. II version.     The 20 mm cannon gun barrels are molded integral with the wings but can be easily hollowed out with a mini-drill.  The clear canopy piece is thick, although the framing is well defined and should be easy to paint.   I expanded the profiles of the Mk. V Tempest contained in the Ducimus Camouflage & Markings booklet on the Hawker Tornado, Typhoon and Tempest to 1/72 scale and to assess the dimensions of the kit’s parts and am happy to say that the kit’s fuselage and wings matched up exactly to the expanded profiles.           The instructions are well laid out, with the construction being broken down into 8 parts.  The painting guide (exterior colors are indicated on the back of the box) contains numbers for Humbrol Paint colors.  Markings are provided for two aircraft; which are: Mk VI – RAF No. 6 Squadron, Nicosia, November 1945 (Dark Green and Ocean Gray topside over Medium Sea Gray underside)   Mk. II – Royal Indian Air Force, No. 7 Squadron, Poona, India 1949 (Overall natural metal)   The decals, although a little thick and somewhat faded, are well printed.  I’ve read a couple of internet articles on the Mk. II version using the kit-supplied decals and they indicated that there were no problems with the decals.   This kit is long out of production (the box indicates 1974!) and, if you can find one, it has “fun build” all over it.  It looks like a relatively simple and quick build and will look good straight out of the box.  Although it doesn’t contain some of the finer details of contemporary kits, it will be a nice addition to your collection.    Special thanks to John Krukowski for finding this kit for me!   Reference: The Hawker Tempest Page: http://www.hawkertempest.se/

Kit: Tamiya L.T.V. A-7A Corsair II Reviewer: Rick Reinbott Scale: 1/100 Parts: 63 medium gray on 4 sprues; 1 clear on one sprue  Detail: Engraved  Retail Price: $8.50 Though derived from the Crusader, the Vought A-7 Corsair II was a totally different aircraft.  By restricting performance to high subsonic speed, structure weight was reduced, range dramatically increased and weapon load multiplied by about four.  Designed to replace the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, development was outstandingly quick, as was production.  Vought built 199 A-7A, used in action for the first time on December 3, 1967, with VA-147 Argonauts aboard USS Ranger, followed by 196 B models.  The C designation was used for the first 67 E models which retained the TF30 engine.  In 1966 the Corsair II was adopted by the US Air Force, with the A-7D having the superior TF41 engine, Gatling gun and more complex avionics for blind or automatic weapon delivery under all conditions, with head-up display and inertial/Doppler navigation. By late 1975 over 380 had been delivered, with reduced production continuing.  The Navy adopted the same model, with an even more powerful TF41, and by late 1975 about 490 E models had been built, bringing output to well over 1,250 within a decade.  Vought funded development of a tandem-seat YA-4H, and later converted 40 B and C into the dual TA-7C.  The A-7 also saw action in Grenada (1983), Lebanon, (1983), Libya (1986), Operation Praying Mantis (Persian Gulf - 1988), Operation Just Cause (Panama -1989), and Operation Desert Shield/Storm (1991).  Besides the USA, the Corsair II was also operated by Greece, Portugal and Thailand.  Upon opening the box, you’re presented with four collectively bagged, medium-gray colored sprues containing a total of sixty-three (63) parts.  Inside this large bag are two smaller bags, with one containing a clear closed-canopy and the other being a metal ball-weight to be inserted in the nose of the fuselage so as to keep the model from being sitting on its tail.  The plastic is thick with engraved panel lines.  Most of the parts contain some flash, although it is kept to a minimum.  Ejector pin marks are present on the weapons pylons and some of the gear doors.    The cockpit is very sparse and contains just a seat.   The wheel wells are boxed in but don’t have any detail molded in.  The wings are each one piece and fit into slots molded into the fuselage halves.   A nice array of ordnance is included which includes drop tanks, two sidewinder missiles and bombs that look like the Mk. 82 500 lb. type.  There are holes and corresponding slots for all the parts, including ordnance, making it easy to keep everything in alignment.  The clear canopy piece is a little thick, although the framing is well defined and should be easy to paint.  Options are provided to display the model on its landing gear or in-flight.             The instructions are well laid out, with the construction being broken down into 3 parts.  The painting guide contains numbers for Tamiya Paint colors.  Markings are provided for two aircraft; which are: VA-174, US Navy VA-86 US Navy (USS Saratoga) Both aircraft feature the standard US Navy Light Gray over Insignia White paint scheme.  The decals, although perhaps a little thick, are well printed.  One of the kit’s sprues indicates the dates 1968 and 2004, so this model has been around for quite some time!  That being said, this looks to be fun, quick build that will look nice in your display and won’t take up too much room either.  And even in this small of a scale, just the large size of the A-7 will ensure that the model will be noticed. For a complete listing of the kits in this series, go here: http://www.tamiya.com/english/products/61601combatplane/index.htm Reference: The Encyclopedia of the World's Combat Aircraft, Bill Gunston 1975  Wikipedia: A-7 Corsair II: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-7_Corsair

Kit: Airfix Spitfire Mk. Vb # 4100 Reviewer: Rick Reinbott Scale: 1/48 Parts: 47 gray on 2 sprues; 5 clear on one sprue Detail: Raised Retail Price: $16.00 I’m certainly not an expert on the history of Airfix kits; that being said it is my understanding that this is a re-issue of a kit that was originally released at least as far back as 1979.  Most of the parts contain some flash and there are some ejector pin marks on some surfaces (cockpit walls, gear doors, etc.).  The exhaust stub, propeller blades and 20 mm cannons are molded as separate parts and the kit includes a rearview mirror for mounting on top of the windscreen.  The instrument panel has raised detail; however, the individual dials are not detailed.  Some sidewall detail is molded in the cockpit and a pilot figure is included.  Also included is a Vokes filter for building the model as a tropical version of the Mark Vb.  2 types of windscreens are included. The decals are matt and look to be very well done.  Markings are included to build the model as either "QJ R" of No.92 (East India) Squadron, flown by Squadron Leader Neville Duke, or as "BP H" of No.457 Squadron, flown by Squadron Leader Johnny Gibson. I did a quick comparison of the fuselage and wings with the 1/48 scale drawings contained in the Modellers Datafile (SAM Publications) book on Merlin Powered Spitfires and, while not absolutely spot-on, overall I would say that the kit scales out pretty well.  This looks like a straightforward, uncomplicated model that shouldn’t take too long to complete and will look the part when finished even if it’s built out of the box.  For those of you that like to “add a little extra”, I’m sure that there are many aftermarket accessories that will enhance the model as well.