Hasegawa kits often feature a lack of detail in the wheelwells and very minimalist cockpits, their 1994 Bf 109 kits are no exception. Fortunately, there are some very good aftermarket options to enhance the kits, this is the resin set from Aeries which does the job nicely. The complete lack of any sidewall detail makes installing the resin set easier.This is the Fine Molds cockpit with several added bits of Evergreen strip. The fuel line is made from solder, and the PE seatbelts are Eduard.The Tamiya cockpit looks great right out of the box, I added a seat cushion made from masking tape and Ed ..read more

A beautiful photograph of the new battleship USS Connecticut (BB-18) on her builder’s trials off the Maine coast, 1906. Connecticut carried twelve coal-fired Babcock & Wilcox boilers for a maximum speed of 18 knots, impressive for the time.  Photographed by Enrique Muller ..read more

Project S68 was an effort to evaluate the operation of manned turrets on the Boeing B-29 Superfortress in the event of difficulties with the General Electric remote turret system.A single airframe, B-29-25-BW serial number 42-2441, was modified in October 1944. Nose armament was a unique pair of Emerson Model 136 barbettes, each mounting a single .50 caliber gun.Upper remote turrets were replaced with Martin manned turrets, while the lowers were fitted with a Sperry Model A-2 ball turret forward and a semi-retractable A-13 aft.The sighting blisters on the fuselage sides were replaced with sing ..read more

This Henschel Hs 129 of 4.(Pz)/Sch.G. 1 with an impressive scoreboard was photographed in Russia during the Summer of 1943.  Italeri kit, Excito decals ..read more

Photographed by Don Gilman at Cavenaugh Flight Museum, Dallas Part I here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2020/02/09/mig-21pf-walk-around ..read more

Model Con 419 was held yesterday at the Quality Inn in Perrysburg, Ohio.  The show was a collaboration between the IPMS Fremont KitBashers and the Toledo Plastic Modelers.  This was the first show in the Toledo area since 2018, for those wondering 419 is the local telephone area code and the show was part of a series of events in the greater Toledo area.  Being the first show in a while it was on the smaller side.  Big Burel’s BBQ food truck was on hand.  Everything wrapped up early, with many venders packing up around lunch time, and judging was completed by 3:00 ..read more

IDFSpc. Tajzee Strong US ArmyLatviaKateřina Hlavsová with L39IDFUSAFUkraineATA Commandant Pauline Gower in deHavilland Tiger MothIDFNorwayUS ARMY MRAPSwedenUSAF F-16US ArmySwedenRomaniaAviation machinist’s mates Mary Arnold, Violet Falkum and Bernice Stansbury adjust the intake on an SNJ training plane on October 27, 1943Soviet Medic WWIIBrazilChinaIDFUkraineRyazan Higher Airborne Command School, Russia ..read more

Another comparison build, and another excuse to build a batch of Messerschmitts! This time we’ll see how the new Eduard Gustavs stack up. The oldest kit here is the Hasegawa 1994 offering, it is not really a contender in light of the quality of newer offerings but it is a benchmark to see the progression of kit quality in the last 30 years. The Fine Molds 2005 family of Bf 109s have been my go-to selections, and my most-built kit ever with more than 70 in the case. Tamiya released their G-6 in 2019, it looks like what you would expect from Tamiya but I have not built one yet. Eduard’s 2023 kit ..read more

A U.S. Navy Sikorsky JRS-1 flying boat in the Yellow Wings scheme, this example was assigned to VJ-4.  In the civilian market they were known as the S-43, most famously operated by Pan Am as “Baby Clippers”.  The USAAC purchased five as the OA-8, the USN operated seventeen as the JRS-1.  The type soldiered on into 1941, where at least one was present for the Pearl Harbor Raid and searched for the Japanese Fleet.  A survivor is preserved in the Smithsonian Institution ..read more

Color photographs of Douglas Boston IIIs of No. 24 Squadron South African Air Force taken at Zuwarah (also spelled Zuara), Tripoli, March 1943. The squadron was originally equipped with the Martin Maryland, but converted to the Boston in late 1941 when these became available. They flew the Boston until December 1943 when they converted to the Martin Marauder. (IWM)A line of No. 24 Squadron Bostons with engines running, AL683 nearest to the camera. Aircraft often began their take-off runs into the wind in line abreast to avoid the inevitable dust clouds kicked up by the prop wash. (IWM)Aircrew ..read more