MiniArt provides some additions to their British Jeep Crew in their latest set. We look at the contents in our preview...Read on... »

Atlantis has made a name for itself reboxing vintage kits. The Neptune is typical of these older molds. There is flash due to the age and mold features that were standards of this era. According to Scalemates.com, the model was originally manufactured in 1955. Atlantis has cleaned up the mold and, given its age, it is pretty good. The kit is molded in dark blue plastic and there are 57 parts, including one frame of clear parts. Thankfully, there are fresh decals along with vintage instructions.

I just completed the brand new Academy 1/144 B-2 Stealth Bomber. It's a very good kit with excellent fit, adequate cockpit, complete intake and exhaust trunking, optional opened wingtip speed brakes, fully detailed bomb bay and gear wells (which I left out since I was building this for my mother-in-law's shelf), and a choice of 3 bomb loadouts. The parts provided to close up the gear wells and bomb bay fit perfectly! Decals were excellent with a choice of 5 aircraft and the kit also comes with masks for the canopy and the wheels. I bent a length of clear rod in order to mount the model in flight on a simple base, using a concentric piece of plastic tubing cemented inside the fuselage as a socket. That's #14 for the year down! On to #15! Gil

Originally founded in 1968, Squadron / Squadron Signal is back in business again after bankruptcy and are now based out of Ringgold, Georgia. Their web page was re-activated in January 2022 for plastic kits. A retail store was opened in 2025 at their Ringgold address and is open from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm Monday through Friday. They have invited The Chattanooga Scale Modelers Club to meet at their warehouse, which occurs on the third Monday of the month. If you can’t make it, be sure to check out their YouTube channel where Brandon and guests are live every Wednesday night. Brandon Lowe and his father, Russ Lowe, re-acquired the Squadron Tools Product Line and are now marketing them once again.

In this case, Brandon Lowe has brought back the Squadron Scribing Tool, available again in a retail crimped clear package.

I haven't built a B-17 kit in some 30 years and want to do the RoG kit but needed some practice so I tried this one. I forgot how big this thing is!! Tried to fix the wing dihedral with some success and used the engines from my Hasegawa kit to replace the Academy ones.....much better. Setting the bomb bay doors in the closed position was a challenge which I failed somewhat. The decals in this 'Nose Art' boxing were outstanding. Got me looking forward to building the Hasegawa and RoG kits now.

To match the ZTQ15 light tank & PLZ05 155 mm self-propelled howitzer, today Meng releases the third in the batch, the ZTZ99A Main Battle Tank in 72nd scale. We have art, CADs & the real thing in our preview...Read on... »

We add the aircraft profiles, sprues & decals to MiniArt's new 1/48th scale P-47N. They join the art, features & real kites in our preview...Read on... »

My latest effort is the 1/48 Hobby Boss FJ-4 Fury. The kit has recessed panel lines and rivet detail, and average cockpit detail. Overall shapes and outlines appear accurate, save for one glaring error: the rear fuselage, between the trailing edge of the wings and the horizontal stabilizers, had a very prominent "dip" that shouldn't be there. A review of this kit in Bert Kinzeys' Detail & Scale book on the FJ-4 has instructions on how to correct this error, but I decided to live with it as is. Wing fold joints are included, but you must cut the wing tips apart yourself. Overall, parts fit is good, with a little filler needed at the wing roots and at spots along the fuselage and nose. The kit decals provide markings for two Marine jets, from VMF-451 'Warlords', and VMF-232 'Red Devils', but the blue in the VMF-451 markings are way too light. Hobby Boss offers kits of both the FJ-4 and FJ-4B, but you can build either variant from either kit. If you build an FJ-4, be sure to sand off the rear-most speed brake door on each fuselage half, and use the nose gear door without the antenna fairing. My references for this build were: Squadron/Signal Publications No. 103, FJ Fury in Action; Naval Fighters No. 25, North American FJ-4/4B Fury, by Steve Ginter; and the excellent FJ Fury in Detail & Scale, Part 2: FJ-4 and -4B Variants, by Bert Kinzey. Another valuable online source of photos and information was this web page on Replica in Scale: https://replicainscale.blogspot.com/search?q=fj-4 I wasn't happy with the barely-there kit instrument panel detail and how the cockpit consoles were represented, so I used an aftermarket cockpit set from AMS Resin. The kit seat is good, but lacks cushions and belts. The AMS resin seat wasn't that much better, but it did have a seat cushion, belts, and oxygen hose molded in. The kit has nicely detailed sidewall parts, but I couldn't get them to fit with the resin cockpit set. The AMS set also includes a detailed part for the area under the rear of the canopy, for which Hobby Boss provides nothing. The cockpit parts were airbrushed Model Master Acryl Dark Gull Grey, then details were hand-painted, and attached to the fuselage half. The AMS set also included a exhaust piece with flame holder, but it didn't fit well so I used the kit exhaust, and a length of styrene tube with the flame holder glued to the end to give the exhaust pipe some depth . The intake trunk fit pretty well but still needed sanding and putty to eliminate seams. The nose intake ring lacks the approach light at the bottom, so a section was cut from the intake and three small holes drilled, and painted Tamiya clear red, amber, and green. The cutout for the lights was then filled with Micro Krystal Klear. I ended up doing a lot of sanding around the intake to smooth everything out. Before closing up the fuselage halves, I added several large fishing weights to keep the model from being a tail-sitter. The fuselage speed brakes can be posed open, and have good detail inside, but I glued mine shut. The fit here was poor. The prominent vents on each fuselage side were too thick, so they were sanded down to paper-thinness, glued on place and faired in with Vallejo putty. The openings to these vents are also shaped incorrectly, but I didn't try to correct them. Airframe assembly went smoothly. Minor gaps at the wing root, nose and fuselage were filled with Vallejo putty, and Mr. Dissolved Putty. Wing fences are molded onto each wing, and were sanded to thin them to a more accurate scale thickness. Parked FJ-4's usually have a nose-up stance. The kit nose gear strut is a little short, so I added a one-eighth inch section of styrene rod to the top of the strut, and replaced the compressed torque links with a photo-etched one from my spares box. The nose gear fork was cut away and repositioned turned to the right. I added wire brake lines to the kits' main gear struts, and painted all the struts Tamiya Titanium Silver. Most of my reference photos showed that the main gear doors were often open when the jet was parked, but the kit doors had no detail on the insides. I used very thin sheet styrene cut to fit inside each main door, and cut lightening holes in them based on the photos I had. I also added rivets with a riveting tool along the door edges for added detail. One painted and highlighted with Tamiya panel line wash, they looked much better. All the gear bays were painted white, then the details highlighted with Tamiya black panel line wash. North American usually painted the entire inner surface of their landing gear doors red, but careful study of photographs indicated that Reserve jets had white inner gear doors, outlined in red. The landing light in the smaller nose gear door was painted Chrome Silver, and a wire added to the back of this light. The kits' wingtip pitot probe was too thick and inaccurate, so I built a new one with lengths of styrene rode and wire. The FJ-4 series has three fuel dump vents: one on each wingtip trailing edge, and another just under the fairing above the rudder. The wingtip vents are molded solid, so they were drilled out and sanded to shape. The tail dump pipe was recreated with a small piece of styrene rod drilled out and glued in place, then painted red. A small white position light was also added to the rear of the vertical fin fairing just above the rudder. I also added a missing vent on the left side of the upper fuselage, behind the canopy. The kit includes two drop tanks, two Sidewinders, and six Bullpup air-to-ground missiles, but the FJ-4 never carried Bullpups. The FJ-4 had long legs for a fighter, and therefore didn't usually carry drop tanks, either, so I left these off as well. I should point out here that the Navy flew the FJ-4B attack version, while the Marines flew the FJ-4 fighter version. Reserve squadrons often flew a mix of both types. I primed the model for painting with Tamiya White Fine Surface Primer. The paint scheme I chose was that of a Navy/Marine Reserve jet based at NAS Memphis in 1962. It was in the standard Gull Grey over White undersurfaces and control surfaces, but with the entire nose, tail, and forward half of the wings painted Florescent Orange. I used Model Master acrylic Flat Gull Grey for the topside color, Tamiya White Primer for the underside color, and Model Master Acryl Florescent Red (which is actually Orange) for the high-visibility color areas. Leading edges of the wings and stabilizers were sprayed Titanium Silver as well. After painting was complete, I gave the entire jet a coat of Future Floor Polish for a gloss coat, then applied the decals. No decal sheets existed for the jet I was making, but fortunately they are easily scrounged. The '6M' tail code, wing code, bureau number, and aircraft number came from AeroMaster and SuperScale letter and number sheets from my decal catalogs. The Navy/Marine Reserve service designator came from an old Testor F2H Banshee kit. The rest of the markings came from AeroMaster sheet #14193, 'Furies of The Fleet in Color, Pt. 2'. Once all the markings were applied, a final coat of Mr. Super Clear Matt sealed the decals. The final step was attaching the canopy, which led to the trickiest part of the build. Under the rear section of the FJ-4/4B canopy is a cylindrical object which isn't identified in any of my references, but I do recall reading somewhere that it's an oxygen regulator. A black coiled cable, resembling an old telephone cord, runs from this 'regulator' to the rear of the ejection seat. The cord is stretched taught when the canopy is open. It's very visible in photographs, so I recreated the cord by wrapping thin copper wire around a small drill bit, spraying it black, and attaching it to the 'regulator', which was then glued to the underside of the canopy. When dry, the canopy was then attached to the model. The Hobby Boss 1/48 Fury kits are a mixed bag: beautiful, crispy-molded and engraved parts that are flash-free with good fit, but with sub-par cockpit detail and a large 'dip' on each side of the rear fuselage that shouldn't be there. Still, a little extra detailing and work will reward you with a fine model of this very capable Navy fighter of the 1950's.

UMM-USA is dedicated to fine scale modeling, encompassing model kits, accessories, and specialized tools. Owned by John Vojtech, a fine scale modeling veteran. UMM-USA is an on-line Store, importing and exporting kits, modeling tools and supplies, and seeks and offers solutions on technical issues. In addition, his services currently include design and production of master parts, casting of original masters, photo-etched masks, decals, and building made-to-order models for customers. You can see a sampling of John Vojtech's finished projects in the Our Gallery section of the Web site.

Be Izzi is a relatively new company from the Czech Republic specializing in hobby tools. This item, the Ultimate Razor Saw, is comprised of a standard handle with a straight attachment fixture and their Ultra Smooth, 0.1mm thick razor saw blade.

Favorite model when I was a kid. Had to re-do it. Enough said that you can't relive your childhood. Fought me all the way, but it's done.

Meng's new PLZ05 155mm self-propelled howitzer in 72nd scale. We have art, CADs & the real thing in our preview...Read on... »

Guideline Publications is the UK's leading publisher of modeling and hobby-related magazines. With a world-class portfolio of titles and an international Social Media presence, Guideline Publications has a dedicated readership that is constantly expanding into new areas. This English language book, The M47 Patton Tank, is authored by David Doyle. This English language volume was published in 2025 and is published in conjunction with Military Modelcraft International. A digital edition will soon be available. The latest of Guideline’s publications can be found on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/guidelinepub/.

Printed on heavy gloss stock, this hard-cover book contains 160 pages in an 8” X 10” format. It contains 150+ photographs in mostly black and white, with a few color pictures added where available. The text is well-researched and written in an easy-to-read and understand manner.

HI ! I have so many extra parts that I have accumulate true the years and finaly decided it was time to give them a little love , So here it is .. the first BABY step to the project !.. If you like to follow the complete WIP on this project , I have set up an GOOGLE page, just follow this link .. https://photos.app.goo.gl/NtNSgh1zJgx9jRSx5 Here an exemple of the one I have completed so far Enjoy ! Jmarc

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Summer flew by in a flash, and we're reflecting on our recent trip to the IPMS National Convention in Hampton, Virginia. We're eager to hear your experiences if you attended – especially first-timers! Looking ahead, mark your calendars for September 27th when we'll be at the Military Modelers Club of Louisville show in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. We'll have a table right next to Jeff Groves, so stop by to chat! The spacious Pariquet Springs venue makes this one-day show particularly enjoyable.

Our podcast lineup for September includes a special Q&A segment with Dr. Strangebrush in Episode 147 and a shop talk featuring Chris Wallace from the Model Airplane Maker channel in Episode 148.

Don't miss our modeling tip of the month – we've discovered that certain Aldi prosciutto packages contain interleaving film that's actually 2.5 thousandths polystyrene sheeting, thinner than anything commercially available for modeling!

Meanwhile, our Plastic Model Mojo Dojo community continues to thrive with nearly 5,500 members sharing tips, solving problems, and discussing everything from airbrush troubleshooting to using Star Wars kits as painting and weathering practice. Join our growing modeling family and share your own projects and questions!

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The M1278A1 Heavy Gun Carrier w/MCTAGS vehicle in 1/35th scale from I Love Kit is our subject today. With art, info & a built-up test kit to show you in our preview...Read on... »

German fighters in winter – three singles, two sets of two & a limited release of three figures are all-new from Ardennes Miniature in September. We take a look at each of them in our preview...Read on... »

Right off the bat the 2 inserts are going to grab your attention! The color Sheet C is a large 16”x23” profile and top view of the ship as she was in 1944. Additionally, it has a profile showing the armaments for 1944 as well. This color version is obviously to reflect the camouflage scheme and will be the perfect reference for painting. The flip side of this is sheet D, the planes arrangement on the stern deck, which includes 3-view and technical data for the OS2U Kingfisher and SC1 Seahawk aircraft.

This next build is a commission build. I have a client who requests/schedules a build every year. He was a Harrier pilot for VMA-214 also known as the “Blacksheep”. For this build he has requested a build of the famous F4U Corsair the Blacksheep flew and it be set in a diorama of a Pacific Island Airfield. The F4U I will be using is the 1/48 Tamiya F4U-1A Corsair which will be mounted in a custom display case From Grandpa's Cabinet's featuring a typical island airfield with a Mini-Art Marston tarmac, a row of palm trees to line the back of the display, a background behind the trees of a beach/ocean view, and mounts that the client can attach the squadron patch and his name tag. I will also be using Eduard photo etch details to add to the realism. Starting off with the cockpit I added the photo etch replacements for the seat and the seat mount on the rear bulkhead. The side consoles were then modified with more photo etch details. The instrument panel was replaced with a placard for the gauges and the photo etch face. The last of the photo etch details and seat belts were installed onto the cockpit halves and then the cockpit tub was assembled. I am now working on detailing the inside of the fuselage halves and the engine. I am hoping to get the fuselage assembled and starting by the end of the next week. You can see all the photos and details from start to finish in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f4u-1a-corsair/