IPMS/USA Reviews

Tom Cooper is an Austrian aerial warfare analyst and historian. Following a career in the worldwide transportation business - during which he established a network of contacts in the Middle East and Africa - he moved into narrow-focus analysis and writing on small, little-known air forces and conflicts, about which he has collected extensive archives. That resulted in specialization in such Middle Eastern air forces as of those of Egypt, Iran, Iraq, and Syria, plus various African and Asian air forces. In addition to authoring and co-authoring about 50 books - including about three dozen titles for Helion's @War series - and well over 1,000 articles, Cooper is a regular correspondent for multiple defense-related publications.

In the Box

Instructions

The instruction booklet was divided into 18 pages of clearly marked parts. The instructions contained 38 separate steps to complete the model. At the end of the instruction booklet there were painting and decal application illustrations.

Sprues

Contained in the box were 19 different model part sprues molded in olive green. Also contained in the kit, 8 rubber tires and a thread type tow cable.

The Eduard OVERTREE and Weekend Edition kits are really nice kits, but I think they benefit from having the pre-painted photoetch added to the model. I personally love the pre-painted photoetch. There is detail printed on them that I could never be able to replicate with a paint brush.

Packaged in the typical resealable package with a card stock protective backing is one fret of pre-painted PE. This single fret contains many essential interior parts, but the biggest impact would have to be from the seatbelts, shoulder harness and the instrument panel. Besides these key parts there are photoetch deflectors for the engine exhausts, as well as, some other panels and rudder pedals. These parts are all important. There are oil cooler faces as well. Personally, I don't use them as I like the way that the kit parts look, but that is up to the modeler.

Another nice touch is the inclusion of the scribing template for the saddle panel in front of the canopy. I always lose that bit of detail. This makes restoring it easy. Impart a slight bend on the panel then tape it down. Then just a simple pin vise will work to scribe the lines.

I hate to mask canopies and helicopters, especially transport ones, have plenty. I am a huge fan of pre-cut masks. Building the Kitty Hawk MH-60L was a lot of fun.

The Eduard masking set offers masks for the front windshield, overhead panels, pilot doors, window sliding doors, chin bubbles, cargo doors, and wheels. You also get masks for the landing lights. This is really a complete set which will help in making this kit.

The masking set comes in a typical resealable package with card stock inside, which protects the masks. The masks themselves are precisely cut from Kabuki tape. This is the best material for the compound curves. There are two sheets, the one is for the sliding cargo doors, and the other has masks for all the other pieces. You will have to add masking fluid to cover some areas but that is to be expected with the large expanses and compound curves.

The instructions are very helpful and show exactly how to use what and where.

The Spatha by M. C. Bishop is his third book for Osprey Publishing and probably not his last. Mike has been writing since 1983 primarily on archaeology. As part of his interest in archaeology, he has become a prolific artist in black and white illustrations, some of which are found in this book. Many of his works are available or referenced on his web site. He spends his free time doing freelance work in publishing (editing, typesetting, proofreading, etc.) and runs a considerable number of websites primarily devoted to the Roman military. Interestingly, in additions to being a model builder (Airfix), Mike Bishop has been flying gliders since 2004.