I always look forward to the latest edition of R/T and the Winter edition arrived just a few days before winter started so that was great. It wasn't long before the edition was out of its brown paper wrapper (undoubtedly packaged like that to keep the postman from reading it first), and being perused.

This edition has a nice selection of articles, especially if you are an airplane modeler. The editor rightly bemoans the lack of other subjects, though I have to say there have been issues were the armor folks take top billing. However, it is the bane of most editors that they don't feel they have enough input. I know.

Though not the cover model, the first article is a car model. In this case, Evan Jones builds a very nice 2003 Dodge Viper convertible from the Revell kit. He also notes that the Viper hood logo if turned upside down looks like Daffy Duck. Undoubtedly a secret society item of some sort. Evan also manages to get one of those super glossy finishes that are the envy of most non-car modelers who cannot duplicate it no matter how much we try.

Next Wayne Beatty builds a Classic Airframes 1/48 TA-4J Skyhawk. Considering the lack of fussing about the fit that your editor found to be such a major issue, I can only assume that Wayne is a much better modeler than I or decided not to pass along his full trials and tribulations. The result is superb, of course.

Next we have a scratch-built  1/48 Swordfish. This is an airplane from a French graphic novel and Louis Roy not only does a great job building it from sheet metal (!), but also portrays it as an RCAF version.

Bernie Hengst, whose work is frequently featured in R/T produces a CT-134 in 1/72 scale from the Aero Model resin kit. This one is nicely done and Bernie shows us a rather neat way of making clear bits from scratch that I'll have to try one of these days.

Finally, we have the cover aircraft, a 1/144 LS CP-140 Aurora by Frank Cudden, another frequent contributor to R/T. Frank painted his in the early scheme carried by these planes until they went to the two grey's scheme in the late 1980s. Frank also adds quite a few bits that the kit was lacking. The end result is a very nice looking model.

Also included are the usual columns that are typical of R/T. As with all RT articles, these are well written, in full color and with lots of photographs. How do you get these great editions? Simply join IPMS Canada and trade money for magazines. It is well worth it. As a bonus, you also get their e-mail editions of Beaver Tails, which is separate from the magazine.

December 2015

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