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Review Author
Rob Booth
Published on
Company
PJ Production
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$8.50

PJ Production is a Belgian firm that specializes in the creation and production of resin scale models and accessories aimed at modelers of military aircraft kits and aviation-related dioramas in 1/72nd, 1/48th and 1/32nd scale. Their lines include fine and accurately detailed cast resin replacement and supplemental parts for model kits in the most commonly produced scales.

PJ Productions has produced a resin PM 3 Bomb Launcher for use with aircraft armed with such types. An out-of-box evaluation (see photos) indicates a reproduction of the French manufactured pylon that provides a realistic scale-detailed assembly with the appropriate 2 bomb attachment supports. The panel detailing is extremely fine.

Review Author
Mike Lamm
Published on
Company
Dragon Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$24.50

The Churchill Mk. IV infantry tank was the most produced version of the Churchill. It was used as a basis for a number of special models including the Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE), a combat engineer vehicle designed for destroying enemy fortifications. After the failure of the Dieppe landings, it was realized that there needed to be a way to effectively handle enemy defensive fortifications during an amphibious landing. The AVRE was developed by the Canadians and saw its first action supporting the landings on D-Day. The normal gun on the Mk. IV was replaced with a Petard 290mm spigot mortar that fired a 40lb round. A team of five combat engineers crewed the vehicle with a driver selected from the Armoured corps. The vehicle was very successful and was used until the end of the war.

Review Author
Paul R. Brown
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$7.95

This set is another of Eduard’s new “Steel” seatbelt line. The set is intended for early WWII RAF aircraft and includes three sets of shoulder harnesses and four sets of lap-belts. There is no explanation for the extra lap-belt set, as the instructions only show installation of the full set of belts.

Each harness set includes just four parts, a left lap-belt, a right lap-belt and two part shoulder straps. As I had one of the new Airfix Hurricane Mk. I kits in my to-do pile, I decided to try out the set on it. The Airfix cockpit is really well designed and looks great. I used a micro drill to open up the slot in the seatback and at the top of the armor back plate. Some photographs of Hurricane seats show the “y” portion of the shoulder harness going through the slot in the back of seat. I elected not to do this as the Eduard parts are only painted on one side, so the unpainted steel would have shown had I routed the belt through the back of the seat.

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Master Model
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$7.50

Product provided by: Piotr, of Master details

To the Master Model metalworker of Poland, Piotr; Thanks again for sending IPMS USA another of your line of turned metal Pitot tubes, and thanks also to IPMS USA leadership for sending it on to me to review.

This is a much improved upgrade to the kit plastic. Consisting of 2 metal parts directly replacing the kit pitot probe, this is an easy addition to improve the longevity of your kits’ appearance, and it has a GREAT instruction sheet!

Review Author
Damon Blair
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$10.95

Some of the hardest details to make realistically in modern jet fighters (or any aircraft) are the molded – in seatbelts, especially those on ejection seats. Using strips of masking tape leaves a bit to be desired. Eduard has come to the rescue with sets of photo-etched seatbelts for different aircraft.

The Eduard steel photo-etched set for the F-4 in 1/48 scale is a very impressive set of pre-painted photo etched parts that are intended as replacements to kit parts. While the set is simply marked as F-4 Seatbelts, Grey, the aircraft kit that I used this example was the Monogram F-4C/D kit.

This photoetched set requires some work to use it in previous manufacturer’s F-4 kits. All the molded-in detail for the seatbelts had to be filed and ground off the seats. Specific to Monogram’s F-4, the seat bottoms are molded as part of the cockpit floor.