I’d like to express my ongoing appreciation to Ross at SAC for continuing to provide us with review items; I know that everyone at IPMS/USA sincerely appreciates your contributions.

This is another in a series of “drop fit and direct replacement” metal gear for your models. In this case, the set is for the Kinetic-series of Alpha jets in 1/48. In my case, it is being used on my “Wingman” German aftermarket release of the kit, and as such, the weight of the resin cockpit, seats, and more make use of metal gear almost mandatory if you don’t want the “failed plastic gear” effect on your model. As an aside, the Wingman release is fantastic too, but that’s not the point of the review.

As you can see by the pictures, 11 parts are provided for this set, totally replacing the plastic parts in the kit. I will say that the metal parts have a bit more “crisp” look to them, and with no mold seam, you can install and paint with confidence.

Overview and History

1956 was the second year of the wildly successful Chysler 300 series and aptly named after the second letter of what became known as the Chrysler “letter” series cars. The V-8 powered series eventually went as far as the 300L of 1965, however the letter series continued one more time as the V6 powered FWD 300M model in 1999. The standard engine was a 394CID (5.8L) “Hemi” V8. The available dual 4 barrel carburated “hemi” topped out as the first American V8 to produce one horsepower per cubic inch or 394HP, a fantastic accomplishment of the day. The car was available in three colors: Regimental Red (37), Cloud White (41) and Black.

Round 2 Models continues re-releasing older kits, including this re-release of a 1975 Chevy Rescue Van. The kit is advertised as a “Dual Color Kit.” This means that the kit was released molded either in white or in red; not two colors in the same box. My review model was molded in white. There is no indication on the outside of the box as to which color the model inside is molded in. I was lucky and got the white one. I prefer this over the red molding. I feel it’s more difficult to over-paint a red molded model and get a good even base coat. Red is just too difficult to over-paint, especially if going to a lighter color. This van model has been re-released many times since the initial release in 1975. I know that the kit was used to represent the A-Team’s van, released when that TV show was popular.