Review Topic: Aircraft
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GWH Handley Page Victor B.2
Following its Vulcan, GWH brings us a Handley Page Victor B.2. Like its predecessor, this kit is a beauty, with finely engraved surface detail and nicely detailed wheel wells and speed-brake bay. The speed brakes can be posed open or closed. Decals provide a choice of three RAF bombers during the 1960s.
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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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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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Eduard 1/48 scale SSW D.III
FineScale Modeler reviews Eduard’s 1/48 scale SSW D.III scale plastic model biplane kit. Many years ago, Eduard decided to make model kits instead of just supplying accessories for them. The first kit was a 1/48 scale Siemens-Schuckert SSW D.III, the quick-climbing, pugnacious World War I German fighter. A lot of kits later, Eduard returns to…
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Airfix 1/72 scale Supermarine Swift FR.5
FineScale Modeler reviews Airfix’s 1/72 scale Supermarine Swift FR.5 plastic model aircraft kit. The Supermarine Swift was a fallback option for the Royal Air Force in the event Hawker’s Hunter didn’t pan out. Problems with the Swift’s development led to one setback after another, but — like the Vigilante and Voodoo — the aircraft became…
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Revell Germany 1/144 scale Airbus A400M Atlas
FineScale Modeler reviews Revell Germany’s 1/144 scale Airbus A400M Atlas plastic model aircraft kit. The A400M Atlas, Airbus’ military transport, bridges the gap between the C-17 and C-130. Derived from its earlier 1/72 scale release, Revell Germany’s new 1/144 scale Atlas is impressive. But it shares some challenges with its big brother.
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Kitty Hawk 1/48 scale F-101A Voodoo
Finally! An F-101A to go with the Monogram F-101B from the early 1980s. Kitty Hawk’s 1/48 scale plastic model kit comes molded in medium dark blue gray plastic that’s a bit brittle, especially when it comes to the more delicate parts. The kit supplies one Genie missile and four Falcon missiles, but there’s no place…