Reviews

Review Author
Timothy Gidcumb
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$16.95

Recently I was given the opportunity by IPMS USA to review Scale Aircraft Conversions adaption of the Roland C.II landing gear in white metal for the 1/32 Wingnut Wings kit. The set contains left and right landing gear legs, a center axle and airfoil section, plus a replacement tail skid. These are direct replacements for the ones found supplied with the kit with just a little more detail. Overall this is highly recommended for stronger landing gear with added detail and is a great addition to the Wingnut Wings kit.

I would like to thank Scale Aircraft Conversions for another great offering in metal landing gear and IPMS USA for the opportunity to review this item.

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$16.95

Product provided by: Ross, CEO of SAC

Thanks to Ross at SAC for sending us another of your expansive line of metal landing gear (with extra bits for the engine mounts, nice!). Thanks also to IPMS USA leadership for sending it to me.

Once again, a SAC upgrade to the basic kit plastic! The set consists of 5 parts: Two main struts, one tailwheel leaf-spring strut with tail wheel fork, and two engine mounts.

Roden kits suffer from one problem; the soft plastic used is just not up to the task of holding up a model. In this kit’s case, it is worse because the gear is already spread at an angle like the majority of Cessna products, which means the real thing is a shock absorber (try landing on one with too high a sink rate and be bounced back in the air, experience here).

Review Author
Gino Dykstra
Published on
Company
MiniArt
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$17.98

MiniArt has been moving full steam ahead on providing diorama modelers with the kind of details that simply weren’t available some years ago without resorting to expensive resin short runs. This set of household crockery and glass is an excellent example.

What you get in the box is a tiny clump of REALLY small sprues, which sort of niggled me at first until I actually started working on it. These tiny sprues offer a LOT of final product.

Prepping these items was much easier than their small size would lead you to believe. First off, there’s very little painting required. Even the opaque items are cast in a while plastic that looks remarkably like ceramic.

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
AOA Decals
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$18.00

AoA (Angle of Attack) decals: Been around about a year, and now we know they are focusing on Vietnam War subjects … We sincerely appreciate this new decal manufacturer sending IPMS/USA their latest releases for review! (…and the usual thanks also to IPMS USA Reviewer corps leadership for sending these my way...)

This set is extremely useful in that it includes a bunch of USAF and US Army stencil and non-stencil markings, in both blue and black, in this case sized for the Roden 1/32 O-1/L-19. You have many options for use, and these are well researched and provide (1) different choices for YOUR model, and (2) provide an alternative to the (frequently) not-so-good kit decal performance.

A set of airframe stencils in included for one model, along with national insignia. When done, you’ll have a lot of numbers and USAF/US ARMY notations for use on your 1/32 snakes and Hueys… at least that’s my plan, as the old Revell kit decals are looking a bit worn in the box.

Review Author
Timothy Gidcumb
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$14.95

Recently I was given the opportunity by IPMS USA to review Scale Aircraft Conversions

adaption of the Mirage F.1 landing gear in white metal for the 1/72 Special Hobby kit. The set contains two main landing gear legs, a nose gear leg and two additional struts. Overall this is highly recommended for stronger landing gear, ability to adjust the white metal to where you need it, and added detail. This is a great addition to the Special Hobby kit. I would like to thank Scale Aircraft Conversions for another great offering in metal landing gear and IPMS USA for the opportunity to review this item.

Review Author
Gino Dykstra
Published on
Company
MiniArt
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$22.98

MiniArt seems to have its collective ear to the ground in terms of what they’re bringing to the modeling world, and this kit is no exception. Having dealt with dioramas with interiors, I know the frustration of rooms with little to no furniture. This lovely set is most welcome for that alone.

So what do you get for your money? The box comes with a number of opaque and clear sprues, all with some of the most delicate castings you’re ever likely to see (the phone cradle alone is most impressive), all of which make up into:

Review Author
Rob Booth
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$6.38

Quickboost has produced a replacement prop for the Trumpeter and ICM 1/48 scale Mig-3 kits. The resin replacement is a simple drop-in for the kit’s plastic parts. The supplied items include a separately cast spinner, post and blades with a cast resin assembly tool for inserting the blades at a consistent pitch. There is no modification required to the kit to use this prop assembly.

A side by side evaluation (see photos) and shots of my completed Trumpeter Mig-3 “Early” indicates a replacement of superior detail that will provide a more accurate and “crisp” blade representation of a Mig-3 propeller. The kit parts have the brown spinner cap, and the Quickboost prop assembly spinner is gray. Note, however that using the tool will cause the prop blades to be installed at the incorrect rotation pitch. My web research found that Mig-3 props rotated clockwise (when viewed from the front of the aircraft), as depicted in the kit’s propeller assembly.

Book Author(s)
Steve J. Zaloga
Review Author
Tim Wilding
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$20.00

Osprey has released number 22 in their Combat series. This series deal with two adversaries, mainly infantry, from throughout history by comparing and contrasting them. Battles these two fought against each other are examined from both perspectives with split-screen artwork. This book deals with the German and American armored infantry that fought with armor units between July and Dec 1944.

Here is the summary from the back of the book:

Review Author
Phillip Cavender
Published on
Company
Tiger Model
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$99.95

Introduction

The Nagmachon was developed from the Nagmashot which was based upon the British Centurion hull. Initially this APC was used as a counter-insurgency platform and for urban warfare. The Nagmachon is a heavily armed fighting vehicle fielded by the IDF. It contains three armoured shields on the roof containing vision blocks of armoured glass to protect the soldiers firing 7.62 mm machine guns. Additionally, the Nagmachon carries heavily armored belly protection as well as being equipped with ER armour. The Nagmachon weighs in at 52 tons and carries a crew of up to 10 including driver and commander.

This kit by Tiger Model is a release of the early version of the Nagmachon following the release of their “Doghouse” Late APC version in 2015. The “Doghouse” version, kit number 4616, has the distinctive raised superstructure intended to protect the soldiers. The model measures 225mm (8.9”) long x 115mm (4.5”) wide x 100mm (3.9”) high when completed.

Review Author
Timothy Gidcumb
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$16.95

Recently I was given the opportunity by IPMS USA to review Scale Aircraft Conversions adaptation of the F-16 Light landing gear in white metal for the 1/48 Kinetic kit.

The set contains the aft gear bulkhead along with the retraction struts. The nose gear includes a separate nose gear and its retraction strut and oleo scissor.

This set is for the light versions of the F-16 (-1 to -20 versions or the F-16A/B variants).

Also included in this set is a nose gear door landing light, and an altered main gear bulkhead, which makes the installation of the main gear easier.

These are a direct replacements for the ones found supplied with the kit with just a little more detail.

Overall this is highly recommended for stronger landing gear and added detail and is a great addition to the Kinetic kit.