Archives: Kit Reviews
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ICM 1/35 scale Soviet ZIL-131
The ZIL-131 was one of the main Soviet/Russian trucks for most of the latter part of the 20th century. Production started in 1967 at the Ural Automotive works (AMUR) and continued until 2012, when the company went bankrupt and ceased operations. Several variants were built on the same chassis, including a tractor-trailer and a civilian…
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Tarangus 1/48 scale Viggen
Seeking a fighter capable of operating from short, improvised airstrips, Sweden turned to the Saab 37 Viggen. The delta-wing aircraft featured large canards to aid low-speed handling. The turbofan engine was equipped with a thrust reverser, allowing the aircraft to back up under its own power.
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Special Hobby 1/48 scale Supermarine Seafire Mk.III
FineScale Modeler reviews Special Hobby’s 1/48 scale Supermarine Seafire Mk.III plastic model airplane kit. The carrier version of the British Spitfire, the kit includes optional clipped wings, a photoetched-metal instrument panel, posable control surfaces, and photoetched-metal seat belts.
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Special Hobby 1/32 scale T-33A Shooting Star
FineScale Modeler reviews Special Hobby’s 1/32 scale T-33A Shooting Star. The T-33A was the advanced jet training workhorse for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy in the late 1940s. Based on the F-80 Shooting Star, it was a reliable design that kept it in active duty roles with many air forces into the 1980s.…
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Zvezda 1/144 scale Ilyushin Il-62M
FineScale Modeler reviews Zvezda’s 1/144 scale Il-62M passenger airline plastic model kit. With room for nearly 200 passengers, the Il-62 was Aeroflot’s permier intercontinental jet from the mid-1960s through the 1980s. Many of the almost 300 built were sold to airlines in Soviet-aligned nations.
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Hasegawa 1/700 scale Akagi
FineScale Modeler reviews Hasegawa’s 1/700 scale Akagi aircraft carrier plastic model kit. Hasegawa’s new 1/700 scale Hasegawa Akagi is based on the ship’s appearance after its 1937-38 conversion to a single flight deck. It can be built as it appeared at the attack on Pearl Harbor or as it appeared at its sinking at the…
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Master Box 1/72 scale Mk.I “Male” British tank
Great Britain’s Mk.I Male was among the very first tracked, armored fighting vehicles, entering action in World War I at the Somme in 1916. Master Box’s kit of this historic vehicle is molded in soft plastic with one-piece tracks, movable cannon, and — not labeled on the box — a photoetched-metal fret for the grenade…
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Wingnut Wings 1/32 scale Salmson 2-A2
While it probably wouldn’t be Snoopy’s first choice for going to war, the Salmson 2-A2 was a very important aircraft to the fledgling U.S. Army Air Service in World War I. Wingnut Wings has acknowledged this importance by including a USAS boxing of its brand-new Salmson 2-A2 in 1/32 scale (along with the French boxing).…
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PlusModel U.S. Motor Grader
FineScale Modeler reviews PlusModel’s 1/35 scale resin model construction vehicle kit. Models of military construction equipment have been scarce, but PlusModel has released an all-resin kit of Caterpillar’s No. 12 Motor Grader. During World War II, the U.S. military used the grader in all theaters of operation for building runways, roads, and bases of operations.
