Review Topic: Aircraft
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Trumpeter 1/48 scale A3D-2 Skywarrior
Trumpeter’s new 1/48 scale A3D-2 Skywarrior is a welcome addition to 1/48 scale plastic model U.S. Navy aircraft kits, and the first time this aircraft has been offered in this scale. The kit is cleanly molded in light gray plastic. Details include wing- and tail-fold options, radar equipment, an open bomb bay, vinyl tires, and…
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Airfix Quick Build kits
Introducing boys and girls to the scale modeling hobby remains a constant goal of most model manufacturers, and, indeed, many hobbyists. Snap-together kits of popular subjects have been a mainstay for decades. However, these have been mainly targeted at the 8-and-older crowd. With its new Quick Build system, Airfix aims to lower the bar for…
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Xuntong 1/48 scale Tupolev Tu-2S
Newcomer Xuntong Model’s first plastic model kit is a different one: The Soviet 1/48 scale Tupolev Tu-2 medium bomber is an interesting choice for a maiden voyage, to say the least. Inside the box are nearly 400 gray styrene parts. Initially, I thought the molds looked OK. But after taking a closer look, I noticed…
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Airfix 1/48 scale Gloster Javelin
Britain’s Gloster Aircraft Company produced three fighter designs that were mainstays of the Royal Air Force. The Gladiator of the 1930s was the last British biplane fighter. In the 1940s, the Meteor became the RAF’s first operational jet. The Javelin, the last of the three designs, and Gloster’s last aircraft, was the first British combat…
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Airfix 1/72 scale Gloster J-8A/Gladiator Mk.II
Airfix’s Gloster J-8A/Gladiator Mk.II continues a line of impressive 1/72 scale plastic models from this company. The kit features finely scribed panel lines that enhance the excellent representation of the fabric areas. There are extra parts for different canopy and gear options, plus decals for two aircraft. For instance, in winter 1940, Sweden provided 12…
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Pacific Coast 1/32 scale Hawker Tempest Series II Mk.Vc
Pacific Coast Models’ deluxe 1/32 scale Hawker Tempest Mk.Vc plastic model kit includes a generous amount of photoetched metal and a handful of well-molded resin parts, including a substantial main-gear bay. A large decal sheet with a surprising number of stencils takes care of the five decal options, which include a postwar overall silver Tempest…
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Minicraft 1/72 scale PBM-5A
Minicraft has released its long-awaited 1/72 scale Mariner PBM-5A plastic scale model. In this review, Paul Boyer explains the kit’s successes and shortcomings.
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Trumpeter 1/48 scale HU-16A Albatross
The release of Trumpeter’s 1/48 scale HU-16A plastic model kit comes as a pleasant surprise. Previously, the only ones available were Monogram’s 1/72 scale “toy” from 60 years ago and a couple of 1/144 scale kits from Amodel. In addition to being a modern release in a larger scale, this one depicts the early A…
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Airfix 1/72 scale Avro Lancaster B.III (Special) The Dambusters
The Airfix 1/72 scale Avro Lancaster B.III (Special) The Dambusters plastic model kit is jampacked with 266 parts molded in blue-gray plastic. Seventy years ago last May, Royal Air Force Lancasters from No. 617 Squadron flew the famous raid against the hydroelectric dams in Germany’s Ruhr Valley. Operation Chastise was conducted to disrupt electrical power…
