Reviews

Review Author
Eric Syverson
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$17.95

This is the Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) white metal landing gear replacement option for the Special Hobby 1/32 Yak-3 kits. If you have built in 1/32 scale you have probably wondered at some point if the kit provided plastic landing gear will adequately support the model’s weight. These SAC items are primarily intended to address any strength concerns, but there are two other advantages to using white metal landing gear: You can very slightly bend the main strut into perfect alignment once installed, and the oleo can be fine sanded to a very shiny and realistic finish.

Observations

These Yak-3 SAC landing gear pieces match very closely the kit molds. The main struts are slightly but noticeably shorter when compared directly to their kit counterparts, but it seems the smaller supporting strut pieces are proportionately shorter as well - so this should not ill affect the resulting angle of the gear or final stance of the aircraft.

Review Author
Robert Head
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$7.95

About the Item

What we have here is a very detailed albeit tiny replacement propeller, hub and mechanism for the new line of Eduard 1/72nd FW-190A series Kits.

What’s in the Box?

The box comes with a total of 7 resin pieces in molded light and dark gray with the 8th piece being the prop blade alignment tool.

These propeller parts are in my opinion a quality part and what amazed me was even as small as they were the rivet detail was still evident and stood out! The Eduard kit parts are very basic and do not pack a lot of detail so this set is for sure a must for the 1/72 scale enthusiast.

The Build

This is a pain free build and hurt my eyes more than anything. I did not use any tool more than the sprue cutter and a #11 scalpel blade to clean up the parts. They are quality parts but keep in mind very brittle and prone to break just due to the small size so please exercise caution when handling them.

Review Author
Robert Head
Published on
Company
Brengun
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$8.95

Short History

As everyone to include Everyone should know the Spitfire is the MOST iconic aircraft to ever grace the skies…. that last part probably a personal opinion but it did save the British mainland and helped turn the tide of battle against the Luftwaffe during the battle of Britain.

What’s in the Box?

The Single 50 liters drop tank comes packaged insides a little plastic baggie with both resin pieces on a single pore stub and small photoetched fret. The Resin is Molded in light gray and while I am not very familiar with Brengun products the parts are flawless and not a single air bubble or flaw to be found. The photoetched is quite sturdy and shiny but nothing a little heat and sandpaper can’t fix.

Review Author
Robert Head
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$22.00

Short History

The MG 151 was a 15-mm aircraft-mounted autocannon produced by Waffenfabrik Mauser during World War II. Its 20mm variant, the 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon, was widely used on German Luftwaffe fighters, night fighters, fighter-bombers, bombers and ground-attack aircraft.

What’s in the Box?

The Aires set arrived in the standard blister pack we all have come to recognize. Secured in place with a small black foam block accompanied with the familiar blue instruction sheet that in for better or worse terms be very vague at times. The resin parts are highly detailed and somewhat delicate. My sample was flawless and bubble free however the gun barrels where a little on the brittle side. The set contains parts for both gun bays including the guns, ammo cans, feed chutes and single part cover doors

Book Author(s)
Leigh Neville
Review Author
Dick Montgomery
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$19.00

September of 1972, during the Olympics, a terrorist attack on the Olympic Village aimed at Israeli athletes was broadcast, world-wide, on television. This, certainly, was not the first use of terrorism to achieve a political goal, and it wasn’t the last, but it was the first such attack to draw the attention of the world to the crisis, and to do so "live and on TV".

The author, Leigh Neville, creates a roadmap of terror attacks and those Counter Terrorist Units that have been created and trained to stop them. With excellent, full-color illustrations of men in uniform by Adam Moore, this book provides, in clear and concise detail, the evolution of terrorist attacks from Munich, in 1972, to the current year of publication, 2017. Both attackers and defenders have evolved, changing tactics, techniques, weapons, and gear. That evolutionary process continues up to today, and will surely continue in years to follow.

Review Author
Robert Head
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$29.95

What’s in the Box?

This Eduard Brassin set is for the Eduard Fw 190A-8 kit. The set includes detail parts to add to a highly detailed engine and a nice set of MG 131 fuselage machine guns to replace the simple kit pieces while also giving you the opportunity to have as many panels as possible open

The resin and photoetch parts inside the box looked great and very well molded the photoetch parts between the 672088 and 672082 are completely identical and use the same instructions with the exceptions of the fuselage guns specific etched parts.

The 23 included items are as followed in this boxing breakdown:

Review Author
Eric Syverson
Published on
Company
Master Model
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$13.00

Master-Model released these closely related aftermarket barrel + pitot upgrade sets for the early (i.e. B/C/MkII) 1/32 P-40 tool that exists. The two upgrade sets, designated U.S. Version and British Version respectively, are so closely related that it makes sense to review them both at the same time. I have the Hobby Craft kit (Trumpeter tool re-boxed with AVG decals) and a good friend of mine has the Trumpeter kit which sports the British markings on the box top – so I had a keen interest in looking at these Master-Model offerings and comparing the components to their kit counterparts. My sincere thanks to Master-Model for providing these sets for review through the IPMS USA Reviewer Corps.

Review Author
Andrew Birkbeck
Published on
Company
MiniArt
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$79.99

Background

The T-54B variant of the T-54 range of Soviet medium tanks was the last major variant prior to the introduction of the T-55 series. Production occurred from 1957 to 1959, and saw the introduction of a rifled barrel as the main turret armament, together with a two-plane main gun stabilization system which dramatically improved the probability of hitting the target.

This is the third T-54 kit from MiniArt that I have had the great pleasure of reviewing for IPMS/USA. The first, MiniArt Kit #37003, was of the T-54-1 Model 1947, the first production variant of this important Soviet Cold War warrior. The second was Kit #37012, the T-54-2 Model 1949.

Review Author
Robert Head
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$19.95

About the Item

What we have here is a very detailed replacement propeller, hub and mechanism for the recently released Revell FW-190 F-8 Kit.

What’s in the Box?

The box comes with a total of 7 resin pieces of light and dark gray color and one photoetch template. These parts are designed to replace the Revell parts, which are nice, but not nearly as detailed as the Eduard Brassin line of resin accessories.

These propeller parts are in my opinion a must and very cheap quality add-on for modelers who would prefer a little more realism and quality in their masterpiece.

Review Author
Robert Head
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$54.95

What’s in the Box?

There are a lot of parts in this nicely packed box, about 71 pieces, with the photoetch included in the parts count sandwiched between two foam boards in a typical top-folding rectangular lid cardboard box.

The Build Interior/Exterior

Construction starts the build by separating the cylinder heads from the pour stub, the first of 22 steps covering 8 pages. Keep in mind to cut as evenly and straight as possible to help alleviate any alignment issues when it comes to attaching the heads to the radial block using the alignment tools that are part of the PE fret. I was a little paranoid so I cut them right at the base of the stub and kinda just worked my way up to make sure everything was perfect. The alignment tools were a lifesaver and made my life a lot easier. I definitely think things would have turned out much worse for me and my patience if the tools where not included.