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Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
December 17, 2016
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$7.00

THANK YOU to our friends and suppliers at Aires/Quickboost for this excellent improvement set for the new Revell 1/48 tornado! And thanks also to the reviewer corps leaders for making the set available to me to review….

This six-part resin upgrade replaces the kit air data probes, the pitot tubes, and the Comm blade antennas. Once again Aires does the hard part; Basically you remove the parts from the pour stub with a sharp blade, clean up, and install them in place of the kit items. Be careful, because they are HYPER fragile and prone to destruction. That makes the scale fidelity worthwhile, but if you play sky-pilot with your models, well…expect them to disappear or just break off. Forewarned!

The pictures tell the story. I did not get the blade antenna seated well enough, so that’s a re-do for later.

This set is highly recommended for improved detail;. Thanks again to Quickboost and IPMS USA for providing these items…

Review Author
Gino Dykstra
Published on
December 17, 2016
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$9.39

I love figures, and as a fan of aircraft models, I naturally like figures to go with my aircraft. Figures help provide scale and a “human factor” to any build.

Aires is working hard to provide a range of figures for aircraft modelers, and the Soviet Pilot with life jacket is a good example. Looking over the raw figure, it includes a torso with relatively simple outfit, two arms, two different heads with different helmets, and a very nice oxygen mask with attached hose.

Review Author
Gino Dykstra
Published on
December 17, 2016
Company
Res-Im
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$8.95

Russian aerial rockets have a fascinating history, and this little creature is very much a part of that history. Design work on this range of weapons began in the 1930s, and they were first deployed operationally during the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, part of the early war animosity between the Soviet Union and the expanding Japanese empire. During this engagement, RS-82 rockets were fired against Japanese aircraft from I-16 fighters, bringing down 16 fighters and 3 bombers – certainly one of the earliest instances of successful air-to-air missile attacks. Later, these same weapons were used in Air-to-ground attacks against hardened targets, such as armor. Investigating further, I’ve found pictorial instances of these being mounted on the I-16 Polikarpov, the Il-2 Sturmovik, as well as Lend-Lease aircraft such as the P-40 Warhawk and Hawker Hurricane. In fact, these little stingers were mounted on virtually every Russian aircraft used during the Great Patriotic War.

Review Author
Gino Dykstra
Published on
December 16, 2016
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$4.99

My, but I do love a good Stuka. I’ve been playing with 1/32nd scale Stukas ever since Revell first released their kit back in the 1970’s. I’ve built theirs dozens of times, then the 21st Century version, and now finally Trumpeter’s kits, which have filled in important gaps in the history of this fascinating aircraft.

One slight problem with the Trumpeter kit, however is the exhausts, which are molded as a solid piece. The exhaust outlets are tiny indeed, and having frustrated myself with trying to ream these out with miniature drill bits, I must admit I was quite pleased to receive the Quickboost replacement parts.

As simple, drop-in resin replacements, these really can’t be beat. They feature the relatively miniscule exhausts and are beautifully molded with excellent resolution and no molding flaws which I could detect. No modifications to the kit parts need to be made – just slap them in place when you’re ready for them.

Review Author
Allan Murrell
Published on
December 16, 2016
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$9.99

Aerobonus has provided a great figure accessory for the Airfix Bedford MWD, although I think it could be used with other 1/48 RAF vehicles.

The detail quality is extremely high; there was no flash or other imperfection. The parts once removed from the mold base are ready to assembly.

The Assembly is quick and easy. They will look great as an addition to the Airfix Bedford MWD.

Thanks go to Aires for providing this kit to review and IPMS USA for allowing me to review it for them