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The 3 Stooges started out in Vaudeville in the 1930s as Ted Healy and his Stooges, but moved into movies, first at MGM, then to Columbia. Their short films were wildly popular, and although shorts fell out of favor in general, the Stooges kept the Columbia short film department open long after other studios had given up on them.
Roden’s AU-23A kit was a welcome addition for those who like Counterinsurgency (COIN) aircraft, and Roden has established itself with a fine line of kits. However, being a short run kit, there are areas that can be improved with the addition of resin details. Quickboost comes to the rescue, with a series of items to help overcome some of the minor shortcomings of the Roden AU-23A kit.
First in line is a single piece part to replace the nose on the kit. The resin part has a nicely molded front with deep air inlet. There is also some crisp panel lines scribed in, and at first glance this looks like a winner.
It is refreshing to see a quality publication dealing with an airplane that is little known and rarely publicized. This certainly applies to the Parnall Panther, an airplane with as obscure a service history as any I’ve heard of. Conceived during the latter stages of World War I, the Panther was produced in some numbers at the end of the war, approximately 150 being constructed by several manufacturers. In addition, the U.S. Navy procured two for flight testing, the Japanese obtained a dozen, and one was briefly on the British Civil register, flying in the 1922 Royal Aero Club’s Easter meeting.
These represent a fairly new product from Aires, long time producer of quality resin aftermarket aircraft accessories and they are absolutely GORGEOUS !!!
As image shows, all tires and hubs are cast flawlessly as separate pieces which makes making painting a breeze. The tires have raised “Goodyear” and tire info in raised letters that take a light dry brushing extremely well. Images show the difference between kit and resin parts. There is also included a length of copper wire to be used as a brake line. I truly believe that these will sell very well when the work spreads as to the quality found here. See the “Wheeliant” line on Aires website at https://www.aires.cz/en/. Many thanks to Aires for the review sample.
Please note that cost is an estimate.
The book is hardbound, measures 11-1/4 by 8-3/4 inches tall, and comprises 239 pages, divided into 6 chapters, as follows:
