We've all heard that beauty's in the eye of the beholder. For modelbuilders, that's especially true when it comes to weathering. While we all strive for maximum realism on any model we build…or should…, keep in mind that the end result is subjective.

There are as many ways to weather as there are modelers. Suppose you build a model that's perfectly done, literally looking like the subject was just towed out the factory door. It's absolutely perfect, with nary a single flaw on it's pristine surface. To you, it's the epitome of a realistic representation. Then you show it to a fellow modeler who has a totally different philosophy. He takes one look at it, snorts derisively and dismisses your effort with the comment "Huh! It looks like a pretty, painted plastic model!".

His models, on the other hand, are weathered to a fairtheewell…or overweathered, depending on your point of view. Not only does the paint look old, abraded and, in some cases, nonexistent…there's no doubt that the subject has been in use or combat. When properly done, it looks real to the point that you'd swear you could crawl in, crank up the engine and fly or drive into combat.

Realism is…or should…be our goal. Whether you produce a perfectly finished model that's supposed to look that way because it will spend it's life as a desk model or museum display…or build a Yak-1 that looks like it has spent six months under siege on the Russian front, if visitors take one look at it and say "That's not a bad looking model.", then you've done something wrong. But if they say "..I can't believe that's a model..", you know that you've reached your goal.

REVELL (www.Revell-Monogram.com) has repopped their 1/48 F-5E Tiger II. Originally produced by MONOGRAM quite a number of years ago, it carries it's age well. An excellent kit when it was first released, it's still worth having today.

All parts, except for the clear canopy, are molded in a medium gray styrene. Everything's in a single bag, including the canopy. As you would expect, surface detail is of the raised variety, but lightly done. The one piece cockpit tub/seat combines with a nicely done instrument panel to create a very creditable cockpit interior. And the canopy is positionable.

You have a choice of nose cones, along with a centerline tank, rotary cannon pods, a pair of smart bombs and two Aim-9J Sidewinders. Finally, for those of you who would like to use this F-5E as the basis of a vignette or diorama, there's a standing pilot figure and boarding ladder.

Decals are very well done and offer you markings for either a Navy or Air Force aircraft from the Top Gun school. Instructions are the typical international style. Price? $11.00.

REVELL-MONOGRAM has begun releasing a line called Monogram Classics. These are repops of the better known MONOGRAM kits. Some you may turn your nose up at when you consider what's available today. Others? Simply put, you won't have to pay collector prices anymore.

Those of us who remember those kits will welcome with open arms the 1/40 Wright Brothers Kitty Hawk. Complete with two figures of the Wright brothers, a launching rail, carrier dolly and assorted historical accessories, this is one you'll want.

Parts are contained in two bags and the box replicates the original, complete with original boxart…even to the point of highlighting other kits on the side panel that were available at the time. Anyone remember the Snark missile and Indianapolis Racer? And if you look close enough, you'll find a 1958 copyright notice and an address of Chicago 32 (this was way before zip codes).

Molded in cream and tan styrene (originally done so you wouldn't have to paint it) and with rigging holes pre-drilled, it's a very nice effort. Being a biplane, things can be a bit tricky if you've never built one. But the way MONOGRAM designed the kit, all you need is an extra dose of patience to keep you out of trouble. However, I would suggest that you opt for lightweight monofilament (Davis invisible thread, for example) to rig your Flyer, instead of the recommended household thread.

1/48 devotees will be crying over the fact that it's not their scale. True enough, but it's close and considering the importance of the Wright Flyer to aviation history, you can certainly justify making an exception. Besides, it's the only game in town. And the $12.25 price isn't bad either.

Harking back to the days of box scale models, another Monogram Classic release is the fondly remembered Lockheed Super G Constellation. Scaling out to 1/131, it included fore and aft passenger loading stairs and a battery truck.

The repop is exactly as you remember it. Molded in white and silver styrene, each color has it's own bag while the clear parts are left loose, as are the decals and instructions. Surface detail is raised, as just about everything was in those days, but very lightly done. Markings are for a TWA aircraft and the instructions are the original style. Combining a lot of text with near-photo-quality illustrations, even an exploded view of all parts, they make for a pleasant journey down memory lane. And, at $12.25, the price of the journey is most reasonable.

REVELL, as most of you are aware, has added a slew of car kits to their line in the last few months and continues to do so. If you have an interest in road racing in general and the Le Mans in particular, this release should get your attention.

To 1/25 scale and offered as a level 3 kit, this representation of the Porsche GT-1 EVO (for Evolution) is a real beaut. If you have a liking for Gran Prix vehicles, this one is a must for your collection.

With 131 parts, most of them in white styrene, you'll have no problem producing a highly detailed model. As a matter of fact, you could build it straight from the box and wind up with a Gran Prix competitor to be proud of…even if you knew nothing about cars.

Anyway, parts are contained within five bags…and four of them being a bag within a bag situation. The high quality decal sheet, along with instructions, is loose in the clamshell box. Molding of the parts is very high quality, with little if any flash or parting lines to cause you a problem.

Literally half of the instructions are devoted to construction of the engine, chassis and suspension. There are constant notes throughout the instructions that identify the parts by their proper name. Correct color for each part is also noted on a continuing basis. And an entire page is devoted to correct decal positioning.

Considering what you get in the box, the $14.50 price is a bargain.

A constant problem with modelbuilding, especially if you don't have the room or money to handle a legitimate display case, is where do you put the finished model. Sure, you can put'em on a bookshelf or top of the tv, but there's a downside to that. Dust, for one, and the very real probability of it being accidentally knocked off or otherwise damaged. And, of course, the perpetual problem of everyone wanting to pick it up.

REVELL, as part of their ProFinish line, has come up with a solution…at least where the car modelers are concerned. They now offer a pair of display base/cases, designed for 1/24 - 1/25 scale cars, that are really pretty interesting.

The Street Scene gives you a pre-decorated base depicting a city street, part of a sidewalk/curb and a gas-type street light. A cardstock insert with a printed street scene is designed to be mounted to the back wall of the dust cover with doubleback tape.

Both the base and cover are molded from injection styrene. The dust cover itself is a one-piece molding with a wall thickness of .080. That's enough to make the case good and sturdy. Good thing, too, since it's designed to be stackable if you wish.

Their second base/case is identical in every way except for the scene. This one's intended for an Off-Road setting. The base has rough terrain, rutted tracks and the skeleton of some poor creature (horse? deer?) that has shuffled off this mortal coil. Background scene is hills and mountains.

In both instances, you can improve their appearance with a little judicious weathering and application of some flat coat. Ergo, they're a good way to protect all that work you just put into your latest effort. $10.00 each.

Latest in the Airliner Tech Series from SPECIALTY PRESS is Volume 5, Lockheed L-188 Electra by Jim Upton.

In typical Airliner Tech fashion, you get a semi-stiff cover, 8 ½ x 11 inch format, 100 pages, including 4 pages of color, along with some 160 B&W photos and illustrations. Jim Upton follows the Electra from it's inception as an innovative turboprop airliner that helped transition the flying public from props to jets, through it's service as a cargo plane and it's ultimate development, the P-3 Orion.

Fair warning, you won't find much on the Orion, just enough to whet your appetite. And that's as it should be, since the Orion was virtually a different aircraft that had the Electra as it's progenitor. Fortunately, the P-3 text indicates that a Warbird Tech volume devoted to the P-3 is being planned.

The Electra book will keep you busy for a while. There's 3-views, cutaways, interior layouts, production line photos, clear cockpit interior shots, photos of the various commercial livery it served, Canadian military service, FAA, NOAA, NASA , fire bombers, ad infinitum. Appendices give you a page of specifications, a 4-page annotated production list and a page of significant dates. Incidentally, the Electra engines were used on the C-130 by rotating them 180 degrees. If you have a thing for the Lockheed L-188 Electra, this is your book.

Available from Specialty Press, 11605 Kost Dam Road, North Branch, MN 55056 (ph. 800-895-4585). $16.95 plus $4.50 per order for shipping if you order direct from Specialty Press.

SPAD (Skyraider) lovers need to check out this latest effort from The Crowood Press. Douglas AD Skyraider by Peter C. Smith is a superb treatise on the Skyraider. Hardcover w/dust jacket, 8 ½ x 11 inch format, with 200 pages -including 8 pages of color- and 200 B&W photos, this is one to take a look at. Granted, it's a bit pricey at $52.95 (29.95 Pound Sterling), you don't have to spend much time inside it's pages to find out that it's worth it.

The book starts with a poem titled "Launch A Skyraider". From there, it moves to a discussion of divebomber developments during WW-II. Before getting to the AD, several pages are given to the false start of the Douglas Destroyer (the BTD).

By the third chapter, focus is on the AD. One thing I found particularly interesting is the patent application, complete with five sketches of the proposed design, that was filed with the U.S. Patent Office. The rest of the book follows the AD's life, including foreign service, her days as a target tug and, of course, Viet Nam.

Appendices include performance data for AD-1 BuNo 09155 (two pages) and a one page transcript of much of the radio transmissions during Bernie Fisher's rescue of Meyers at A Shau Valley in March of 1966. A third appendix runs for four pages and details the activity of VA(AW)-33 between 1958 and 1963. Then you have two pages of notes and a three page index.

There is one thing you have to be aware of. Most of the ADs are identified by their original nomenclature (AD-4B, AD-6, etc.). On occasion, you'll find later designations, such as A-1E mixed in. This makes for a little confusion when trying to find photos of a particular sub-type, but it's certainly not enough of a problem to avoid this book.

SPAD lovers, this one's for you. Available from ZENITH BOOKS (www.motorbooks.com) , (ph.800-826-6600). There's a $4.95 shipping charge per order.

Finally, we have a new release from POLAR LIGHTS (http://www.polarlights.com) that is proving to be very popular. Any of you who have ever seen the movie Forbidden Planet know exactly what I'm talking about…Robby The Robot.

The kit, approximately 1/8 scale, is an original effort. As you've come to expect from POLAR LIGHTS, they've produced it in such a manner that it fits perfectly with their line of Aurora repops. All of the light tan styrene parts, which are flash free, are contained in a single bag. A second bag holds the chrome and clear. Instructions have the retro look of original Aurora sheets.

I haven't built mine yet, mainly because I want to track down a copy of Forbidden Planet first for use as a reference source, but from what dryfitting I've done, Robby's going to build into an excellent figure. You'll love it. MSRP is $18.99.

For a more detailed look at Robby, take a look at the First Look in this issue of Internet Modeler.

See you next month.