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One of the latest releases from the photo etch masters at Eduard is a BIG ED set meant for use with the Kinetic release of the Grumman A-6E TRAM Intruder. The set consists of seven different Eduard offerings that include the following:
Military Miniatures in Review is an armor-based magazine that has been around for many years. While this is not the first issue that I have been exposed to, it has been a while since I had picked up a copy.
One of the first things that I noticed about this magazine is its construction. It has very thick front and back covers with the pages being bound together with glue. All of the photographs are in color and very sharp and clear. One note of interest is they way that the articles are written. They are written as if the person writing them is talking to you, a somewhat different approach from many of the magazines that I read.
This update set is typical Aires, coming in a sturdy plastic package with foam backing and instructions tucked between the cardboard back and plastic. First impression – how crisp the detail is on the electronics bay as well as the access doors. Mold release is non-existent; however, I still recommend washing the resin before use.
Compared to the Kitty Hawk kit parts, the Aires bay is much deeper than the kit bay, which is very shallow. The kit part features are very crude while the Aires set has far more detail and is very sharp. The kit’s access doors exteriors do not look much different from Aires’ except for the air inlet scoop. The inside of the doors is where the update really shines. There is no detail in the Kitty Hawk parts, while the Aires doors have very fine detail showing structural ribs and insulation blanket detail.
Quickboost’s replacement pitot for Kitty Hawk’s Jaguar A come packaged in a thin plastic sleeve, protected by additional reinforcement ribs. You get three pitot tubes which should last you for a few kits unless you lose one of these little gems.
Compared to the Kitty Hawk kit parts, the Quickboost replacement has a slight improvement on detail, and there is not a seam or ejector pin marks that exists anywhere on the Kitty Hawk part. The most noticeable difference is the base of the tube where it flares into the radome. The Kitty Hawk part is oddly shaped, where the Quickboost part is more symmetrical and slightly longer.
Quickboost is known for exquisite detail on all of their update sets and this review sample is no exception. I would like to thank both Quickboost and IPMS/USA for this review sample.
First, the usual “THANK YOU!” to Ross at SAC for providing IPMS USA this review set. Said it before and will again, it’s companies like SAC supporting us that keep the hobby interesting and viable. And thanks to the leadership at IPMS USA from me for allowing an old guy, once again, to babble on about a great product, which was graciously provided for my use… Steve, Dick, Paul, and the rest, you are doing a great job.
SAC metal gear – what can you say? Perfection is a good starting point. This set is intended to be a total, drop-in replacement for the kit plastic. You get all three main gear, nose and wing mounted, and associated actuating cylinders. The detail is as good as the real thing, and the strength of the new gear is truly appreciated.
