Chris Smith
Reviews By Author
Defiant Mk. I Fishtail ExhaustPublished:
This is direct replacement for the Airfix part. Like their rounded exhaust (part 72 482 see my other review) this is also a direct replacement for the kit parts. This detail set has the exhaust ends drilled out to save you the trouble of doing so. That’s especially helpful given the oval shape of the exhaust ends. The parts are easy to get off the casting block and a perfect match for the mounting holes on the base kit. Thanks to Aires-Quickboost for giving improved options for both exhausts provided in the base kit. |
|
|
Boulton Paul Defiant Control SurfacesPublished:
This set replaces the horizontal stabilizers and elevators of the base kit. While the Airfix parts are certainly nice in their own right, this set allows the control surfaces to be posed and have slightly thinner trailing edges for a more scale appearance. Be very careful trimming the resin away from the mounting tabs and test fit to ensure as close a fit as the kit parts provide. The elevators fit very well into a recess molded into the stabilizers. If you want to have the rear control surfaces offset this is the way to achieve that. Thanks to Aires for the sample of a well done set. |
|
Defiant Mk. I De Havilland Prop w/ToolPublished:
Aires-Quick boost has solved a few issues with the base kit in this set. The De Havilland prop is the one included in the Airfix kit. A comparison of the kit part to this one shows several advantages going to Aires. First, the spinner is cast as a single part with very fine lines representing the breaks in the real aircraft’s spinner. Next, there is a hole cast in the front that’s not on the kit part. The tool (jig) allows accurate placement of the blade angle. It also provides a hole that centers the spinner hole (you have to drill out) when you set it into the round recess provided. Be very careful to cut the blades off the casting block in a way to leave the maximum length to inset into the spinner. If you cut them short, you will have difficulty maintaining the 120 degree spread… more |
|
Defiant Mk. I Rotol Prop w/ToolPublished:
This prop is not included in the Airfix kit. The Rotol prop sports a different blade shape with a wider chord. The spinner is the same as provided in the Aires replacement for the kit part QB72 491 reviewed elsewhere on this site. The spinner puts the joints lines in the right place and in the right scale. Be sure to cut the blades off the casting block to allow the maximum shaft length. The spinner holes go through the part and the long blade shafts help with the alignment of the blades. Check the blades carefully because the leading and trailing edges are slightly different shapes and I managed to put one in backwards. The tool also has a hole to center your drill so you can drill out the spinner for a prop shaft. This part is a welcome addition to an already cool little kit. … more |
|
F-104G Fabric SeatbeltsPublished:
This set provides belts for the F-104G using the Mk. GQ7A ejection seat. The F-104 also used a C2 ejection seat and one is provided in the Hasegawa kit I used (stock #PT 20) but the seats are very different designs and this set won’t work on the C2 seat. In general, the export versions of the F-104 used the Mk. GQ7A seat. I would consider this a “must have” since the base kit doesn’t provide any kind of harness for the GQ7A seat. Eduard makes two harness sets for this kit, the FABRIC set reviewed here and SUPERFABRIC (Eduard #49 073) set that I’ll share with you in separate review. The FABRIC set is a little more difficult because you have small PE buckles and restrainers to thread the tiny belts through. This was my first exposure to this type of belts from Eduard. The details… more |
|
F-104G Seatbelts SUPERFABRICPublished:
This set provides belts for the F-104G using the Mk. GQ7A ejection seat. The F-104 also used a C2 ejection seat, and one is provided in the Hasegawa kit I used (stock #PT 20), but the seats are very different designs, and this set won’t work on the C2 seat. In general, the export versions of the F-104 used the Mk. GQ7A seat. I would consider this a “must have” since the base kit doesn’t provide any kind of harness for the GQ7A seat. Eduard makes two harness sets for this kit, the SUPERFABRIC set reviewed here, and FABRIC (Eduard #49 072) set that I’ll share with you in separate review. I have used SUPERFABRIC belts before and found them very easy to use. Once the part is peeled off the paper backing they are very flexible and easy to shape to the seat contours. The… more |
|
F-104 Undercarriage Wheels LatePublished:
This set is part of the Brassin line and provides an upgrade for the wheels on the Hasegawa/Eduard F-104G kits. I used it on the Hasegawa F-104 Starfighter “Nato Fighter” stock # PT20 boxing. This set replaces parts R15,U10,11,12 in the original kit. You get one style of main wheels and two types of nose wheels having different hubs. All are single part castings except the main wheels, having a separate hub on the backside of the wheel. Pre-cut masks are included in the set, however, because this set had been returned to the review corps before I got it, they weren’t included. It wasn’t an issue since the detail was distinct enough that it was easy to overlay the part with tape and cut a mask following the rim through the tape. The parts themselves are very nice. The tires have… more |
|
F-104 Exhaust Nozzle LatePublished:
This set is part of the Brassin line and provides an impressive upgrade for the exhaust can, burner ring and nozzle of the J79-GE-19 powered F-104G. The set is intended for the Hasegawa/Eduard kit. I used it on the Hasegawa F-104 Starfighter “Nato Fighter” stock # PT20 boxing. This set replaces parts U6, R26, R27 and L8 in the original kit. Photo etch parts are included to represent the burner ring(s). The exhaust tube is a seamless part which has very well done interior detail. In fact, every part in this set is a refined replacement of the plastic parts in the base kit. The exhaust nozzle is much thinner and has more surface detail than the kit part. The resin used is easy to remove from the parts where that is needed. As for mounting I had a small glitch to resolve… more |
|
Battle of Britain 75th AnniversaryPublished:
“Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duty, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth lasts for a thousand years, men will still say, this was their finest hour”. These words, spoken by Winston Churchill on June 18, 1940, braced his island nation for the German aerial onslaught awaiting them just a few short miles across the English Channel. The outcome is, of course, well known as the Royal Air Force repelled the Luftwaffe, but at a terrible cost in lives, mainly from the German bombing campaign that the battle turned into. This same island would become the launching point for the allied bombing raids and the D-day invasion across that same channel four years later. 2015 marks the 75th anniversary of this epic battle and Airfix has… more |
|
JASDF F-15JPublished:
BackgroundThe F-15 emerged from a design study started in the early 1960s called the FX program. When the missile centered American designs of the late 1940s and 50s proved vulnerable to seemingly less advanced Soviet Migs over Vietnam, and after the unveiling of the Mig 25, the U.S. started a concentrated effort to build the next generation of fighters. Centered around the energy maneuverability theory the new designs would have very high thrust to weight ratios. That’s what the F-15 (and F-14, F-16 and F-18) would eventually achieve. Built around two Pratt and Whitney F-100 engines that allow the aircraft to accelerate in the vertical, the F-15 and associated new generation U.S. fighters outclassed any opposition at the time. In 1976 a specially prepared F-15 called the… more |