Model Rec

When I first saw a Hawker Typhoon up close at Duxford, I understood why modelers have been obsessed with this aircraft for decades. That chin radiator, the thick wing, and the Napier Sabre engine under the cowling make it one of the most distinctive fighters of WWII. Our team spent weeks comparing kits across every … Read more

If you have ever stared at a photo of Britain’s first operational jet fighter and thought about building one for your shelf, you are in the right place. The Gloster Meteor holds a special spot in aviation history as the only Allied jet aircraft to see combat during World War II, and it went on … Read more

There is something undeniably captivating about the Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe. As the world’s first operational jet fighter, it changed aviation history during the final months of World War II. Its swept wings and twin Jumo 004 engines made it decades ahead of anything else flying in 1944. For model builders, capturing that revolutionary design … Read more

The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien, known by its Allied reporting name “Tony,” is one of the most distinctive Japanese fighter aircraft of World War II. Unlike the radial-engine fighters that dominated the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force, the Ki-61 used a license-built Daimler-Benz DB 601 inline V12 engine, giving it a sleek, elongated nose profile that … Read more

The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is one of the most iconic attack aircraft in military aviation history. Designed by Ed Heinemann in the early 1950s, this compact carrier-capable jet served with the US Navy and Marine Corps for decades, earning legendary status during the Vietnam War. Its clean lines and aggressive stance make it a favorite … Read more

The Northrop F-20 Tigershark is one of those aircraft that captures the imagination of scale modelers everywhere. Developed as a privately financed evolution of the F-5E Tiger II under the FX program, it packed a GE F404 turbofan engine delivering 60% more thrust than its predecessor, along with advanced avionics and modern weapons systems. Though … Read more

If you have ever stared at a photo of the Northrop YF-23 and thought “that thing looks like it flew in from the future,” you are not alone. The Black Widow II was arguably the most striking aircraft to come out of the Advanced Tactical Fighter competition in 1990. It lost to the F-22 Raptor, … Read more

Building anti-tank gun models is one of the most satisfying niches in military scale modeling. These towed artillery pieces offer incredible detail opportunities, from the breech mechanisms to the trail assemblies, and they make fantastic centerpieces for WWII dioramas. Our team has spent months comparing kits from Tamiya, Dragon, Italeri, AFV Club, Rubicon, Zvezda, and … Read more

If you have ever stared at a photo of the Vought F4U Corsair with its inverted gull wings and massive radial engine and thought “I need that on my shelf,” you are in the right place. The Corsair is one of the most iconic fighter aircraft ever built, and building a scale model of it … Read more

If you have ever stood in front of a model shop shelf staring at Sherman kits wondering which one to actually buy, you are not alone. The M4A3 76mm Sherman is one of the most modeled tanks in history, and manufacturers from Tamiya to Rye Field Model have all taken a crack at it. The … Read more