This massive bomber was built as an interim piece of hardware simply to fill a short term need
while more stealthy aircraft were under development. Even so it is a
fearsome weapon able to deliver a truly impressive weapons load over
long distances and at supersonic speeds. Built only in limited numbers
this heavy bomber is still active in US inventories and the model is
nearly as impressive as the real thing. Check out this massive kit from
Revell of the Rockwell B-1B Lancer.
10/15/06
The was the first American four engined jet to fly, it was the first operational jet bomber to be used by the US Air Force,
the first jet aircraft to be refueled in the air and it was the first
jet bomber to drop a nuclear weapon. On July 29, 1952, an RB-45C made
the first non-stop Trans-Pacific flight, having been refueled twice by
KB-29's along the way. Here Gary Buchanan takes us through the Mach-2
1/72 kit of the B-45 Tornado. 8/25/07
The supersonic B-58 Hustler derived from a concept developed in the late 1940s and early 1950s which took into account
the greatly increased capability of ground defenses, including radar
tracking and ground-to-air missiles. Among the many revolutionary
advances embodied in the B-58 Hustler was the use of new procedures and
materials in constructing the aircraft. Today there are only six B-58s
left in existence. Issued in 1986 by Monogram and seeing a few
subsequent reissues from Revell here is the 1/48 Convair B-58 “Hustler”.
7/23/05
When Monogram released their B-58 Hustler in 1/48 they failed to open the aft crew compartments or provide
any details for those areas. Not long after that Engines and Things
came along with a somewhat crude detail package for this area and
development of the kit seemed to stop there. Now, years later, a small
cottage industry, Golden Dragons Productions has issued an extensive set
to remedy this problem. Somewhat sporadic in their production of the
set it is the best detail set to date for this old Monogram kit. Here is
the GDPR B-58 Cockpit Set.
8/27/05
In the late spring of 2003 Revell of Germany re-issued the 1/48 scale B-58 Hustler. It seemed like a good idea to review the detail kit that "Engines and Things" had produced a few years ago for the more daring modelers.
For your enjoyment and information, here is the review for "Engines and Things" B-58 Back Seat Set
6/3/03
I like the s trange and unusual and I think this aircraft definitely fits
the bill. Coming from the Bedfordshire area of the United Kingdom, from
the mist enshrouded shop of ARBA Resins, this is the British version of the Bell X-1 trans-sonic
research aircraft. The De Havilland 108 “Swallow”, high speed version.
For a review of this unusual and historically significant aircraft,
click here…De Havilland DH-108
10/18/03
Construction completed 3/7/04
Design work on the Vampire series actually began in mid 1942. De Havilland utilized an egg shaped fuselage to house the
Goblin engine and a twin boom structure to avoid interfering with hot
exhaust gasses. The Vampire did not take flight until 1943 and the final
production version was not test flown until 1945 so the type never saw
active service during the Second World War. While many single seat
fighters were produced and sold to a myriad of air forces three
predominant two seat version were manufactured and here we can take a
look at all of those kitted by Classic Airframes in 1/48. Here are the Vampire Two Seaters. 6/15/08 Construction complete 7/24/08
I am not generally a Jet person but the A6 Intruder and it’s electronic warfare cousin the EA-6B Prowler hold a
special place for me. I like these aircraft because they perform more
in the realm of older subsonic aircraft that I usually build. This is
Monogram’s reissue of the 1992 1/48 scale EA-6B Prowler. For a review of
this kit, click here…EA-6B Prowler Review
Here is a look at the CAM decals that will eventually end up on this bird...VAQ-130 Zappers
Updated 11/28/08
One highly sought after kit in the world of 1/48 aircraft modeling has always been the Revell-Monogram
EA-6B Prowler and when this kit was put into production briefly in
2003 it prompted several aftermarket companies to release various
upgrade packages. Here I would like to show you the new and improved
replacement cockpit from V.M.D Studios just released in May of 2005. I
think this is a “must have” accessory for any Prowler build. Without
further ado here is the Black Box Prowler Resin Cockpit, Combat series.
6/3/05
In 1944 the Ministry of Aircraft Production was looking for a replacement for the DeHavilland Mosquito,
The task of developing a replacement was sent to English Electric, a
well established manufacturing concern with no actual aircraft
experience. With “Teddy” Petted heading their design team they came up
with a winning creation that ultimately served in over a dozen
contemporary Air Forces in cluding the USAF and only was retired from
the RAF in 2006. Lets take a look at the limited run Classic Airframes E.E. Canberra B.2.
6/24/06
The idea that was to become the F-16 Fighting Falcon (Viper to its crews) began in the 1960s.
A group of individuals influenced by Colonel John Boyd known as the
fighter mafia championed the development of a lightweight, high
maneuverability fighter program which ultimately produced the F-16 in
1976. Still in use and in production today this workhorse of a jet can
be found in air forces around the world. In April of 2007 Tamiya
released this 1/48 version of the block 50 aircraft which is to date
probably the most accurate 1/48 scale model of this particular aircraft.
Let’s take a look at this wonderful kit of the Lockheed Martin F-16 C/J Block 50 ‘Viper’. 4/6/07
The F-22A Raptor built by Lockheed Martin in cooperation with Boeing represents the fifth generation of The United States air
superiority fighter. Not only is it an air superiority fighter but also
fills several other mission functions including ground attack,
electronic warfare and signals intelligence. The aircraft traces its
origins back to 1981 when the Air Force first began to look for a
replacement for the F-15 Eagle. From Academy this is the 1/48 F-22A Raptor. 1/23/2011 Construction complete 6/16/2011
In 1949 Republic gave its F-84 a new swept wing and tail and fitted it with a J35-A-25 engine in hopes of bringing its performance up to that of the F-86 Sabre. The F-84 designation was retained because it was thought that the F-84F would be a low cost improvement of the F-84 with around 55% parts commonality. Here Adam Longenecker takes a look inside the box of the 1/48 Italeri F-84F Thunderstreak. 1/09/2012
The Air Force called it the Thunderchief but the crews called her “Thud” because that was the sound she made when she crashed.
We've looked at this aircraft before in large scale, recently
Trumpeter's little brother, Hobby Boss, released the kit in a downsized
version. Based on the same drawings here is the smaller and slightly
simplified 1/48 scale Hobby Boss F-105D Thunderchief. 2/5/2011 Construction completed 2/24/2012
Designed in the late 1940s with an orthodox configuration, the IL-28 was the first jet bomber to enter service
with the Soviet air force. It was their equivalent to the British
Canberra. This kit has gone through a strange evolution beginning with
the original release by Bilek followed by a reissue from Italeri. This
kit was rough to say the least but things really picked up when
Trumpeter retooled the kit and issued it under their own banner. In 1/72
here is the final evolution of this kit of the Ilyushin IL-28 Beagle. 5/13/05
The 1/72 scale IL-28 Beagle kit went through a strange path of evolution before it was a competent model kit
but the addition of some resin materials from a little Czech company
called Pavla really makes for an outstanding model. This is not the only
aftermarket set available for the IL-28 but it covers the most features
that needed help on the kit be it from Bilek, Italeri or Trumpeter. For
your consideration, from Pavla Models here is the IL-28 “Beagle” resin detail kit.
6/12/05
In 1950 Ilyushian engineers began design work for a close support aircraft whose pedigree obviously tracked back to the earlier
IL-28 ‘Beagle’ and IL-2 Shturmovik. After five years of teething
problems and design modification the initial production run began only
to be terminated almost immediately. The type never made it into
operational service but did prove itself to be a nimble and potentially
effective support aircraft before fading into the annals of aviation
history. Here is the limited run 1/72 Amodel kit of the early Ilyushan IL-40 ‘Brawny’. 12/13/2010 Construction completed 1/1/2011
The design requirements for this aircraft grew out of the perceived needs for bomber escort fighters during
the last days of the Second World War. Originally designated the F-88
Voodoo the aircraft experienced so many changes during development that
it was re-designated the F-101 Voodoo. Even after the initial production
run enough modifications were made that it should have been given an
entirely new designation but ended up with a B suffix and went into
service in the US and Canada as an Interceptor. Originally kitted in
1985 let’s look at the current incarnation of Monogram’s 1/48 scale McDonnell F-101B ‘Voodoo’. 8/4/07
Some planes are marvels of technology while others are more the pilot’s machine – made for flying. The MiG-21 is one of those
in the pilot’s machine category. It did not have seriously advanced
avionics or targeting acquisition but it was fast, Mach 2, agile and in
the hands of a well trained pilot a very dangerous weapon. Easily
maintained this is one of the most produced aircraft since the Second
World War. Here we take a look at the 1/32 scale kit from Trumpeter that
is relegating the old Revell kit to the back of the stash or to the
E-Bay listings. Here is the large scale MiG-21 MF. 12/16/06
During the 1950’s Northrop began an internally funded light fighter program with the intent to develop jet fighters capable
of operating off of U.S. Navy escort carriers. While the U.S. Navy no
longer had a demand for a light fighter there still existed a world
market for the aircraft and the F-5A Freedom Fighter went into
production for sale to U.S. Allies with 636 units manufactured. Several
upgrades and variations of the type were produced and AFV Club is doing
their best to give us all the late model Northrop F-5 aircraft and variants. 11/21/2010
The USAF called it the F-105 Thunderchief but the crews called it “Thud” because that was the sound it made when it crashed.
If that doesn’t inspire you to fly safe then I don’t know what will.
Here you can take a look at the 1/32 offering from Trumpeter Models of
the largest single engine fighter ever used by the USAF and the primary
strike bomber during the early days of the Vietnam War. A wonderful kit
to behold this is the Republic F-105D Thunderchief. 2/24/08
The Sukhoi Su-27 was designed specifically to combat the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle
As the F-15 program developed and the Russians learned more specifics
of the aircraft their program saw continued modification to combat the
American fighter’s capabilities. By time the aircraft entered service it
was a formidable looking aircraft with amazing flight capabilities and
is one of Russians premier multirole aircraft. From Academy this is the
1/48 Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker B. 7/22/2010 Construction Completed 12/21/2010
In 1947 Vickers-Armstrong submitted a proposal for the Valiant heavy bomber which was to become one of and the first of the Cold War V Bombers. While not as advanced in design as the A.V. Roe and Handley-Page proposals the Valiant was able to enter service by 1955 and this was what won it the primary contract. A poor choice of Aluminum type used in the main wing spar couplings resulted in it also being the first withdrawn from service. Here from Airfix is the first of the V Bombers, the 1/72 Vickers-Armstrong 'Valiant'. 10/3/12
When reporters first saw Douglas' racy, form-follows-function X-3 Stiletto on the flight line at Edwards, in October
1952, they were certain they were looking at the shape of things to
come. Things didn’t work out quite as planned but a lot of crucial
information was discovered during the program’s life and this sleek
machine helped to develop construction methods using high-tech materials
that resulted in more advanced and recognizable aircraft in the future.
Come on, let’s take a look at the Douglas X-3 Stiletto
3/10/04
This is a gallery of my Special Hobby 1/48 scale X-15 A-2. The kit is
built right out of the box with virtually no modifications. For gallery pictures and some ramblings about the kit, click here…X-15 A-2
Revised 9/18/03
Over the years there have been several models of the X-15 manufactured,
almost all of them 1/72 scale or box scale. Each of these kits have had
their
issues from accuracy to fit. Special Hobby has taken care of most of
these in this new 1/32 scale issue of the X-15A-2. Join me in examining
this well detailed multi media kit of the legendary research space plane
that lead to the development of the space shuttle. Click here for the
Special Hobby 1/32 X-15A-2. 3/15/08
Developed by the infamous Lockheed Skunk Works as an add-on contract for Air Defense Command the YF-12A interceptor set
records in virtually every category it cared to. Operated as a test bed
for an interceptor that was never to be and the only aircraft that
could ever really be considered a chase plane for the space shuttle, here is the old Testors 1/48 scale YF-12A Interceptor
12/12/03
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