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This TreadHead was recently persuaded to volunteer to review a Sci-Fi project and an Airplane! Not just any airplane mind you, but a 1/72 airplane… way outside my comfort zone! However, in every cloud there is always a silver lining, and that statement could not be truer than with this Meng F-102A.
I flew the AH-1 Cobra for 15 years, and to say that I’m intimately familiar with it would be an understatement. I love this helicopter and flew it in combat and as a maintenance test pilot. If the Army still had it in the inventory, I would still be in.
Aires has added the Type A wheels and masks for the F6F Hellcat to their line of resin aircraft accessories. This latest addition is molded in a grey resin, is smooth, seamless and bubble free. When I compared the type A tire to the type B tire I found that the type A had a diamond tread look to it, while the type B had smooth sides and a few lines that circled the tire. That’s all I could find about the different types except that they were used as a “that’s what we have at the moment” type of application.
For comparison I pulled out a Heller Hellcat from my stash. There really is no comparison. The Heller tires are molded as separate halves that have to be glued together while the Aires parts are solid with no seam to sand down and the paint masks are a very welcome addition to assist in painting.
Aires has added the wheels and masks for the SU-27 Flanker to their line of resin aircraft accessories. This latest addition is molded in a grey resin; it’s smooth, seamless and bubble free.
For comparison I pulled out an Italeri Sea Flanker from my stash but found out that the Sea Flanker had 2 wheels up front. I called a friend of mine and he had the right kit so I compared it to the Encore SU-27. The Aires parts seem to be a little more detailed than the Encore wheels and the Aires paint masks are a very welcome addition to assist in painting.
I very highly recommend this product if you want a nice set of tires for your SU-27 model. I’d like to thank Aires Hobby Models and IPMS USA for the chance to do this review.
The usual “Heavy Appreciation” goes out to Hasegawa USA for providing IPMS USA yet another fantastic re-release of one of Hasegawa’s catalog for review.
This kit is a re-release of Hasegawa’s mid-1980’s F-1 models. The molds have endured the test of time, and no flash is present on this kit. Engraved panels, accurate details, tight construction, and a change in pace for F-1 lovers in the form of a new decal sheet. Although I like the standard F-1 Japanese three-color scheme, this was just, well, different!
