BOUNTY HUNTER BOOSTERS
Slave I Main Nozzles
By: Greenstrawberry
Item no: 01115 Price: US$12.10
Modellers wanting a quick upgrade for their FineMolds or Bandai Slave I kits will find Greenstrawberry’s three-piece resin ensemble ideal. There are two circular exhausts, plus a large oval nozzle, and the casting is superb, with the detail being far superior to the admittedly excellent styrene parts – the larger unit is notable for the refined features on its rear panel, and the recessed ‘lip’ is captured accurately. Just minor surgery is needed to the spacecraft’s underside, but this is identified clearly in the instructions.
MITCHELL’S GEARS
Spitfire Mk.I Undercarriage
By: Aerocraft Models
Item no: N/A Price: £9
While Tamiya’s newly tooled 1/48 Spitfire Mk.I is an absolute gem (see AMW May 2019 for a full build feature), the one potential structural weak point was the main undercarriage, so Aerocraft’s brass replacements should ease any structural concerns. The casting is superb, with pouring stubs to remove, after that it’s a straightforward replacement for the styrene part, and this is far more robust than white metal equivalents. As a bonus, there’s also a complete tailwheel unit, again cast as a single-part item.
MINIATURE FORESTS
Spruce with Trunk
By: Model Scene
Item no: SK200 Price: £23.60
Here’s a great accessory for any small-scale scene, in the form of five pre-assembled/coloured spruce trees, complete with denuded lower branches and a thickly leaved conical crown. The heights are between 180-200mm (73⁄32 - 77⁄8in), making them ideal for dioramas between 1/100 and 1/72. Modellers wanting to make their own trunks can use SM200, or use them to portray the edges of a copse/forest; SK202 could also be used in this manner, as it includes a short trunk.
UPGRADED INNARDS
Spitfire F.Mk.22/24
By: Eduard
Item no: 49924 Price: £15.38
Web:www.eduard.com
If Airfix’s recent releases have any shortfalls, it’s the use of decals for instrument panels, but Eduard rectifies this with a delightful double photo-etched metal fret package. The pre-painted frame caters mainly for the pilot’s console (including gloss-varnished dials), while the plain brass fret provides a scribing template for the Mk.22’s incorrectly positioned radio hatch. There’s also a new pilot’s seat, undercarriage bay extras and new radiator grilles.
VIPER POWER
F-16A/B C/D Block 25/32/42 P&W Exhaust Open/Closed
By: KA Models
Item no: MA48057 Price: US$39
While most exhaust nozzles claiming to be open/closed provide parts essentially for just one item, KA-Models’ value product includes enough for two full units. Each comprises three exquisite 3D-printed resin components; the afterburner ring, pipe and converge/ diverge nozzle assembly, all of which feature interior and exterior detail as appropriate. There is even a pre-cut self-adhesive paint mask set to protect the ‘turkey’ plates while colouring the remainder of each nozzle. These are designed for Tamiya’s F-16C Block 25/32 and C/N Block 32/42 kits.
SHERMAN BLING
M4A3E8 ‘Easy Eight’
By: Hauler
Item no: HLX48389 Price: €16.60
Web:www.hauler.cz
The concept of upgrading Tamiya’s excellent 1/48 M4A3E8 might seem a challenge, but Hauler has achieved it with a busy photo-etched brass fret. Mud flaps, grab handles and tool straps/clasps are replaced, while the styrene.50 cal machine gun gets a major makeover, including new perforated cooling jacket, swivel mount, ammunition case and triggers. There’s also a new pedestal for the turret-mounted.30 cal weapon, plus a new rear stowage shelf, (complete with attachment brackets) and light/ vision block guards.
BAGS FOR DROPPING
US 300gal Fuel Tanks
By: Brengun
Item no: BRL48105 Price: €19.66
Web:www.brengun.cz
Most US Navy attack jets between the 1960s and 1990s carried common 300 US gal (1,135.6 lit) drop tanks. Despite this, kit offerings are surprisingly inaccurate, so Brengun’s 27-piece ensemble (enough for three tanks) should prove popular. Two configurations are provided (finned/rounded) – and separate tails are supplied. When combined with the possible fin combinations (from one to four), it opens a wealth of options.
PAIRED CANNNON
Fw 190A-5/U12 Gun Pods
By: Eduard
Item no: 672196 Price: £7.86
Web:www.eduard.com
Designed to fit its own Fw 190A-5s, Eduard’s resin and photo-etched brass 20mm MG 131/20 gun packs enables a -U12 bomber-attack subvariant to be built – an option that hasn’t previously been available. Each pod comprises a single-piece outer resin cover, with two resin guns/barrels and photo-etched brass hinge mounts. Best of all, there is a set of decals representing the aircraft flown by Lt Erich Hondt, 2./JG 11, Husum, Germany during October 1943, which features a white rear fuselage and fin, with Eduard’s 70116 Fw 190A-5 ProfiPACK suggested as the base kit.
SOUND AND LIGHT SHOW
Chance Vought F4U Corsair Electronics and 3D Parts Kit
By: Magic Scale Modeling
Item No: N/A Price: €83
Available from:www.magicscalemodeling.com
With its combination of cuttingedge miniature electronics and intuitive ‘plug-and-play’ design/ assembly, this light/sound package (designed for any 1/32 Corsair) represents the next generation when compared with similar offerings. From the integrated stereo speaker, to the pre-configured electronics board (with pre-programmed startup/ shut-down engine/lighting sequences), the aim is to make adding such a comprehensive upgrade as simple as possible.
Everything is provided; extension cables (allowing power to be input via the tailwheel or main undercarriage), double-sided selfadhesive strips and UV-activated glue (to secure parts within the airframe). The innovations don’t stop there, as there is a tiny 7mm diameter drum-style electric motor (with adapter to fit the kit propeller) and Nano LEDs (just one of the six sets is shown) for the navigation, landing and instrument panel lights. It’s all brought together via a comprehensive instruction guide, and the numbered sockets make assembly intuitive, regardless of experience levels with such electronic accessories. This is also available separately without the sound package for €59.
LOCKED UP
Safe
By: Hauler Item no: HLH35111
Price: €15.74 Web:www.hauler.cz
Comprising just eight finely cast resin components and five photoetched (PE) brass parts, Hauler’s safe is ideal for any ‘Kelly’s Heroes’-style scene, or perhaps a damaged store diorama. The casting is first rate, and while the pour block will take time to remove from the main body, the detail, notably on the hinges and castor wheels, is crisp. All interior shelves and boxes are supplied on the PE fret, while decals replicate the painted goldcoloured filigree on the safe door.
ALLIED ARMOUR HUES
British Tanks Disruptive Camouflage 1936-45 Set 2
By: LifeColor
Item No: CS44
Price: £17.99
Available from:www.airbrushes.com
LifeColor’s second compilation for British tanks caters for those vehicles operated in France and the UK, and provides six 22ml bottles of acrylic paint. The colours are: UA270 SCC 15 Olive Drab, UA271 SCC 14 Blue-Black, UA272 Light Mud Provisional, UA273 SCC 2 Brown, UA274 SCC 1A Very Dark Brown and UA275 24 Deep Bronze Green. This mix of tones should enable modellers to replicate any camouflage scheme worn by British tanks in the European Theatre of Operations during World War Two.
VARIED GLUES
Flexy 5K CA
By: Vantage Modelling Solutions
Item No: N/A Price: €8.90 each
Available from:vms-supplies.com
Accessory specialist VMS Supplies has a range of cyanoacrylate (CA) adhesives, with 25ml bottles of thin, standard and slow-drying cement intended for use with photo-etched metal components, plus one optimised for attaching resin components. Modellers may find this last item of greater use though, as its bond isn’t as rigid as most CA products. Each bottle has an integral nozzle dispenser, which allows for fine applications, although specialised applicators are available elsewhere.
DRIVER’S CHAIR
Defiant Pilot’s Seat with Belts
By: CMK
Item no: Q48336 Price: €4.80
Web:www.cmkkits.com
Modellers wanting a simple upgrade to their Airfix 1/48 Defiant cockpits may wish to consider CMK’s seat with belts. Part of the firm’s ‘Quick and Easy’ line, it provides a single seat with integrally cast straps, and a separate yoke to link it to the tensioning cylinder. The casting and detail are splendid, and the intercom cable and seat buckles are clearly discernible, while the seat is far finer than the styrene original. This product is also available without harnesses (Q48337).
BRIT BOOTS
Spitfire Mk.IX Wheels 5-spoke w/ smooth Tire
By: Eduard
Item No: 632127 Price: £7.81
Available from:www.eduard.com
Intended for Tamiya’s highquality 1/32 Spitfire Mk.IX kits, Eduard’s resin upgrade supplies a single-piece tailwheel and three-part mainwheels; the latter have separate inner/outer hubs, easing painting greatly. The cast detail is excellent, with manufacturer and tyre details on the sidewalls, while the mainwheel outer hubs feature accurate bolt heads and spokes. All are drop-in replacements for the kit parts, although the locating hole for the main landing gear legs may require minor modification to fit.
TECH CARTONS
Commercial Boxes II
By: Plus Model
Item no: 517 Price: €3.90
Web:www.plusmodel.cz
Product packaging is an everyday item, at times seemingly invisible, but particularly noticeable when TVs, computers, electrical tools and kitchen products are concerned. Plus Model has catered for this with a single A6 sheet, which offers five different box types; three feature artwork for TVs, and there’s an electric planer and coffee maker to complete the mix. Each must be cut from the surrounding paper, then folded into the correct shape.
OFFICE FURNITURE
Desk & Filing Cabinet
By: ResiCAST
Item No: 35.2408 Price: €15.50
Available from:www.resicast.com
Here’s a great product for any civilian office or military headquarters scene, comprising a roller-topped desk and a Kardex filing unit. The latter is delightful single-piece casting, while the former comprises a main frame (with integrally cast writing surface and two letter shelves), pullout drawer, two cupboard doors, roller cover, handles and four ‘feet’. All parts are produced to the firm’s typically high standards, with clever positioning of pour stubs to minimise warping of the thin doors
REARWARDFIRING QUAD
B-P Defiant Weapon Turret
By: CMK
Item No: 4365 Price: €10.30
Available from:www.cmkkits.com
Arguably there isn’t much to improve on Airfix’s delightful quarter-scale Defiant, but CMK’s all-resin upgrade addresses perceived deficiencies in the aft turret detail. Comprising just 14 finely cast pieces, it replicates the internal gun mounts and rotating mechanism, providing the turret ring, quad-gun assembly and four lovely.303 Browning machine guns. Several kit parts, notably the turret glazing and gunner’s footrests, require minor modification to accommodate the new items, but otherwise this can be regarded as a drop-in replacement.
DESERT MUD
Arid & Dusty Soils
By: AMMO-MIG
Item No: A.MIG-7440 Price: €11.85
Available from:www.migjimenez.com
Comprising three 35ml bottles, AMMO-MIG’s Arid & Dusty Soils is part of its Mud & Earth Sets series and allows modellers to recreate mud and splashes on any model/diorama, in this case, those with a desert/dry climate, so pale tones predominate. There are two medium-density ‘Splashes’ products, A.MIG- 1750 Dry Earth and A.MIG-1751 Dry Steppe and, as the names suggest, they are best used to create spattering effects. A.MIG- 1700 Dry Light Soil has a much heavier consistency, so could be either dry brushed, stippled or applied in thick layers.
’ANTON’ TO ‘DORA’ GEAR
Fw 190A-6 to A-9, F and D Mainwheels – Ribbed
By: BarracudaCast
Item No: BR32358 Price: US$9.95
Available from:www.barracudacast.com
Barracuda’s resin mainwheels are designed to fit any of the Hasegawa or Revell 1/32 Fw 190 kits and are direct replacements for the styrene items. This particular release provides two wheels with ribbed tyres and the cast detail is exquisite, with accurate renditions of the brake housings and even the tyre inflation valve on the outer hub, which also features convincing bolt heads.
EMBELLISHED BOMBER
He 111H-6 Exterior
By: Eduard
Item No: 48957 Price: £17.26
Available from:www.eduard.com
ICM’s 1/48 He 111 kits are the best in the scale, but even the latest moulding techniques have shortfalls, and Eduard’s two-fret package concentrates on improving detail in the bomber’s undercarriage bays and legs, engine filters and bombs. Given the comprehensive nature of this product, there is surprisingly little cutting required to the styrene parts, and extras include new bay liners and fittings, hydraulic cables, and new reinforcing strips for the bomb fins. It could also be used with most of ICM’s other He 111 releases.
TWIN-BOOM FIREPOWER
P-38M Lightning.50 cal Brownings and 20mm Cannon Tips
By: Master Model
Item No: AM-48-115 Price: £4.70
Available from:www.master-model.pl
Designed for Academy’s P-38M, this beautiful turned brass set provides barrels for four latestyle.50 cal machine guns (lacking cooling jackets) and a single 20mm cannon. All are fitted with flash suppressors (as befitting the type’s night-fighter role) and are straightforward replacements for the styrene items, although the locating holes may need to be widened or deepened slightly to achieve the correct staggered configuration.
TROPICAL FOLIAGE
Jungle Plants B
By: Matho Models
Item No: 35078 Price: €8.95
Available from:www.mathomodels.com
Matho’s photo-etched brass leaves and plants make a great addition to any jungle scene, replicating two commonly seen styles of foliage. There are eight examples of the large-sized multiple ‘finger-style’ vegetation and ten of the smaller five-lobed greenery, probably ivy. The former appear almost fern-like, while the thin brass makes it ieasy to ‘tweak’ these fronds into the desired shapes.
NAVAL AIR GUNNERY
Lewis Gun RNAS Pattern
By: GasPatch Models
Item No: 48075 Price: €7
Available from:www.gaspatchmodels.com
The Lewis Gun was used by all of Britain’s armed forces during World War One, each with their own configuration, and this twin-weapon set depicts the Royal Naval Air Service version. Each gun is formed from three parts (weapon body, drum magazine and spent cases bag) and there are spare ammunition containers. The casting is of the highest quality, from the textured bags to the hollow buttstock, and separation between the barrel and reloading piston, and these are far superior to any styrene or white metal equivalent.
