IPMS/USA Reviews

IPMS/USA again thanks the Eduard team for sending us more of their prolific output targeted toward improving already great kits.  Thanks to Phil and John for obtaining the sets for the team...

This set for is for the Wellington Mk 1/b Flap and is the now-expected as a norm high-end upgrade to the 2018 release of the new-mold Airfix 1/72 Wellington 1a/c.  I consider this an EXPERT level of detail, and I failed BUT read on...

I primer painted the unpainted fret, in retrospect, not smart, as the superglue tended to not bond the paint as well as the actual metal.   I don't have a good option here, as the glare and requirement to cover up the brass color will come up and require priming after the build.  Sigh. Of course, if I had not kept having the tweezers wick up the superglue, then the problem would not be there.  Maybe Gator glue would be a better option, as you can at least clean up a bit with water! 

The Aircraft

The DC-8 was Douglas' version of the Boeing 707.  I reviewed Minicraft's DC-8-73 back in 2014.  You can read the review of the kit here  http://www.ipmsusa.org/reviews/Kits/Aircraft/minicraft_144_dc8/minicraft_144_dc8.htm

Unfortunately, sitting on the shelf for 5 years has taken its toll on this model.  It's still quite good looking, and when Phil Peterson, who manages the sending of review items, said there was a landing gear set available, I took it.  When I picked up the model from the shelf to see how tough it would be to remove the original gear, one of the main gear legs fell off.  OK, SAC to the rescue.

Background

The Electronic Aircraft (EA) EA-18G Growler is a modified version of the F/A-18F Super Hornet that is used in a naval strike package to jam enemy radar to make the strike package virtually invisible. The EA-18G Growler had its first test flight in August 2006, the later entered service in the U.S. Navy in September 2009. Our Australian allies later adopted the Growler in March of 2015. This aircraft is also able to provide self-defense with AIM-120 medium range air to air missiles, along with the Super Hornet's speed and maneuverability. With this advanced technology, the Growler blinds the radar and the strike package is able to deliver its weapons with pinpoint accuracy with little or no resistance.

In The Box

History: Second Punic War 217-206 BC

The peace that followed the First Punic War was shallow and fractious, with the resumption of hostilities in 218 BC- sparked by Carthaginian expansion in Iberia- seeing Rome suffer some of the worst defeats in its entire history. The Carthaginian army was a composite affair, primarily made up of a number of levies from Africa and around the Mediterranean, augmented by mercenaries and allies, and these troops crushed the Roman heavy-infantry maniples in a series of battles across Southern Europe. Improvements made to Rome's military, however, would see Roman revenge visited on Hannibal in full measure by Scipio, who would beat the Carthagians at their own game and bring the legions to the gates of Carthage itself. In this study, the epic battles at Lake Trasimene (217 BC), Cannae (216 BC) and Ilipa (206 BC) are explored in detail, supported by carefully chosen illustrations and specially commissioned full-color artwork and mapping.

In conjunction with the release of its new 1/72 MiG-21 series, Eduard has released an Overtree set of the weapons sprue that is included with its new MiG-21MF kits.  In looking at the weapons included on the sprue, I expect that this sprue has been designed to be a common sprue through-out all its planned MiG-21 kits.