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AModel 1/72 C-37B GulfstreamAModel has released its 1/72 C-37B Gulfstream kit. The C-37B is the military version of the Gulfstream G-550, business-class twin-engine jet aircraft manufactured by Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation. One version of the C-37B VIP transport was available in a color scheme that was developed with input from First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy for Air Force One, but only a few aircraft had the honor of wearing the highly recognizable colors. The G550 variant received upgrades with improved engines in 2003, and in 2014, was fitted with new Rolls-Royce engines. Although eventually replaced in 2019, the G550 was kept in limited production for long-term special missions and government orders.

The kit contains approximately 170 parts molded in gray and clear plastic and two frets with 27 photo-etched metal detail parts. While the passenger compartment does not include any structural components,

the cockpit features a detailed interior with separate pilot seats, floor and sidewalls. Decals represent the instrumentation for the control pan-el. The landing gear and bays feature basic molded details, suitable for the scale. The kit comes with illustrated instructions, including full-color painting and decal placement guides, as well as decals for two different aircraft in the same basic colors.

AMT 1/24 Don Garlits Wynn’s JammerAMT has released its 1/24 Don Garlits Wynn’s Jammer kit. Don “Big Daddy” Garlits was an innovator, engineer, and world-class champion in the business of drag racing. He was the first to break a series of recognized speed records on the quarter-mile track. Garlits’ pioneering car designs and winning record helped fuel the growth and popularity of the sport, but it did not come without some pain and suffering. While driving his front-engine Swamp Rat 13, the transmission exploded at the starting line, severely injuring his feet and legs. While recovering in the hospital, Garlits began designing a safer racer, possibly his most significant contribution to the sport. The design featured a drag racing vehicle with the engine and transmission at the rear behind the driver,

Keith’s picks for MarchAcademy 1/48 V-156-B1 ChesapeakeAcademy has released its 1/48 V-156-B1 Chesapeake kit. In 1935 the Vought SB2U Vindicator won the U.S. Navy design competition for a new scout/bomber over five other designs. The Navy awarded Vought a contract for fifty-four SB2U-1 aircraft in October 1936. France ordered fifty SB2Us in 1939, with an additional fifty to be delivered by March 1941. The export versions of this aircraft were designated V-156-Bs. By the time America entered World War II, the SB2U Vindicator was virtually obsolete, although many of them served on aircraft carriers until late 1942. The French SB2Us were outmatched and suffered heavy losses against the Axis forces. After France surrendered to Germany in

mid-1940, the British Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm accepted the additional fifty aircraft assigned to France, designating the aircraft as Chesapeake. However, like the U.S. Navy, the British soon assigned their Chesa-peake squadrons to non-combat duties due to inadequate perfor-mance and the availability of better aircraft.

The kit contains four sprues of parts molded in gray plastic and one sprue of parts molded in clear plastic, along with a fret of photo-etched metal detail parts and a set of paint masks for the canopy. The exterior surfaces have exquisite detail, with engraved panel lines, rivets and fas-teners. The fabric texture on the fuselage, wings and control surfaces is subtle but effectively done. The fuselage interior features molded string-ers and longerons. The cockpit and gunner station feature separately molded sidewalls, seats, instrument panel and control stick, as well as multiple detail parts. Seat harnesses are provided in photo-etched met-al. The engine, landing gear and landing gear bays are all finely detailed for an accurate representation. The kit features several build options, including raised or lowered landing gear, open or closed engine cowl flaps, and a variety of ordnance for arming the bomber. The kit can be built with either open or closed canopies, and the included masks will greatly ease the process of painting the complicated framing structures. The kit comes with illustrated instructions, with separate full-color paint-ing and decal placement guides, as well as decal markings for seven different aircraft in either French or British service.

A pre-war bomber design, the V-156B1 was outclassed by German defenses, but it soldiered on in non-combat roles.

Keith Pruitt

MODEL KIT REPORT

The C-37B is the military version of the Gulfstream G650 busi-ness jet used for government and military VIP transport..

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forever changing the top fuel dragster configuration. Wynn’s Jammer is currently on display at Don Garlits’ Drag Racing Museum in Florida.

The kit contains eighty-one parts molded in black, chrome-plated and smokey clear plastic, along with soft vinyl racing slicks, a metal rod axle and a black plastic display stand. The highlight of the kit is the supercharged 392 cubic inch Chrysler Hemi engine. The engine sits prominently ahead of the driver compartment and features a variety of details. The chrome crankshaft can be seen through the smokey clear oil pan. And, the engine can be displayed as installed in the vehicle or separately from that vehicle as if being overhauled between races. The kit comes with illustrated instructions and a decal placement guide, as well as an extensive sheet of graphics and sponsor decals.

Revell 1/24 1976 Chevy Sport Stepside Pickup 4X4Revell has released its 1/24 1976 Chevy Sport Stepside Pickup 4X4 kit. The third generation of Chevrolet pickup trucks was offered from 1973 to 1987. With an entirely new look, the body style was called the “Rounded Line.” The cabs and beds were larger and wider and featured improved aerodynamics and safety features. These trucks incorporated rounded corners at the wheel wells and door frames as well as a more raked and rounded windshield. Safety improvements included a collapsible steering column and lap and shoulder belt passenger restraints. The Sport Package was initially offered only on the Stepside body but was eventually added to the Fleetside line. The Sport model came standard with custom striping, rally wheels, chrome

bumper, brushed aluminum trim around the cab, and raised white-letter tires. The truck was available in either two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive and featured a variety of engine choices from the 250 cubic inch six-cylinder to the small block V8 and all the way up to the big-block 454-cubic-inch V8.

The kit contains 98 parts molded in white, clear and chrome-plated plastic, along with four vinyl off-road tires. The kit includes a detailed 350-cubic-inch small-block V8 with optional stock or chrome valve cov-ers. The kit builds up from a detailed frame with separate suspension and drivetrain components to a single part cab and multipart bed with movable tailgate. Several options are offered in the form of a sunroof, front brush guard, a bed-mounted roll bar with lights and antenna, a tailgate-mounted spare tire and extra fuel can. The kit comes with illus-trated instructions with painting and decal placement guides, as well as a decal sheet that includes the wooden planks for bed floor, seatbelts and instrumentation and dash features.

RPG Model 1/35 USN MK-15 Mod.31 SeaRAM Close-In Weapon SystemRPG Model has released its 1/35 USN MK-15 Mod.31 SeaRAM Close-In Weapon System kit. The SeaRAM is a combination of two weapons developed for the U.S. Navy and still in use independently on various

ships. One weapon system was the Phalanx CIWS 20mm, rotary can-on, a stand-alone system designed to defend against threats within two miles of the vessel. The other was the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) housed in and launched by the Mk 49 Guided Missile Launch System, which is integrated into the ship’s combat system to defend against anti-ship missiles, drones, aircraft and similar threats within 5.5 miles of the vessel. The Navy combined an 11-cell RAM launcher with the radar and electro-optical system of the Phalanx to create the stand-alone SeaRAM CIWS that could be fitted to any ship.

The kit consists of five sprues of parts molded in gray plastic, one sprue of parts molded in black vinyl and two frets of photo-etched metal details. The kit builds into a base and a missile-firing system and also includes cabinetry and the computer systems housing. Surface detail is engraved and raised such as crisply molded bolt heads. The photo-etched metal parts accurately represent a variety of structur-al details including brackets, supports, handholds and steps, radar cover plate and more. The large rubber seals around the base and external cabinetry are made from vinyl for more realism on the model. The finished SeaRAM model rotates and elevates like the real system. The kit comes with an illustrated color instruction booklet with painting and decal placement guides, as well as decals and markings for four different systems. HM

The Chevy Stepside was a style revolution in the 70s, and the Sport package added details that were simply groovy.

It’s unusual for a weapons system to have its own model kit, but the SeaRAM occupies a unique niche in the Navy’s arsenal.

Don Garlits’ Wynn’s Jammer was the first 200 mph dragster, and the box includes reproduction vintage graphics.