Review Topic: Aircraft
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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…
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Kinetic 1/24 scale P-47D Thunderbolt
The most numerous of P-47 variants, the P-47D, is the subject of Kinetic’s sizable 1/24 scale Thunderbolt (20″ wingspan) plastic model kit. In the box are eight sprues of light gray plastic and a decal sheet with two sets of markings: one for the 405th Fighter Group based at Saint-Dizier, France, 1944; the other for…
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Special Hobby 1/72 scale AH-1G Cobra
FineScale Modeler reviews Special Hobby’s 1/72 scale Bell AH-1G Cobra helicopter plastic scale model kit. This appears to be a significant step up in quality for the Czech manufacturer, noted for its variety of short-run offerings. The parts are crisply molded with fine recessed details and flash-free tiny details.
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Freedom Model Kits 1/48 scale X-47B UCAS
FineScale Modeler reviews Freedom Model Kits’ 1/48 scale X-47B UCAS drone plastic model kit. Despite there being only two of them, the X-47B, like other drones, has been getting attention from kit makers. Platz released a 1/72 scale kit in 2012. Now, newcomer Freedom Model Kits hits the market with an ambitious 1/48 scale offering.