Chris Smith
Reviews By Author
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Sabre F.4 Landing GearPublished:
This set from SAC is a drop-in replacement for the relatively new Airfix Sabre kit. You get two main gear legs and a nose gear strut with a separate retraction arm. Casting quality is excellent and these parts won't require any more effort than kit parts to install. Recommended for those who want added strength and ability to polish real metal for those shiny oleos. Thank you to SAC for the sample package and IPMS for sending them to me. |
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Piaggio Avanti, Hammerhead Landing GearPublished:
Everything about the Avanti defies conventional logic in aircraft design. The main wing is set far back on the fuselage and a canard is mounted on the nose. The twin turboprop engines are mounted on the rear of the wings and drive the propellers in a pusher configuration. It's easy to recognize in the air long before you see it due to the distinctive sound of its engine/ propeller combination. Like everything else on this aircraft, the main landing gear is a complex group of parts that accommodate its retraction into the fuselage. SAC has reproduced the kit parts in white metal. For the main gear, which is made up of three parts, you will need references beyond the kit instructions to figure out how these parts relate to each other. The nose gear is a single strut. The main… more |
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Extra EA 300L Vacu CanopyPublished:
The Extra 300L in this scale has a large canopy covering a tandem seat cockpit. If you want it closed, this is the only option you have a chance of doing that since the kits injected part doesn’t fit closed. Even if you elect to open it, when the inside and outside are painted, it creates a nice scale thickness canopy. The material used is about .55 mm thick so it's stiff enough to hold it shape. That also makes it easy to cut and sand to size. I’ve used a lot of vacuform canopies over the years and this is one of nicest I've worked with. Brengun also makes a masking set for this (item BRL48157). This is a good addition to the Brengun kit and I highly recommend it if you want the canopy closed. Thanks to Brengun for sending this sample and as always, to IPMS for allowing me to tell you… more |
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Extra EA 300L PE SetPublished:
This is a companion detail set for the Brengun Extra 330L kit#BRP48007. A full review of that kit is posted elsewhere on this site. The base kit will build up into a nice model but I can't imagine building it without this set. There are so many details included such as seat belts, instrument panels, aileron assist paddles and aerobatic sight frames that the model doesn’t look complete without them. In addition to the PE parts, there is a small acetate sheet that includes instruments that get trapped behind the PE parts and an inspection window that goes over a cutout under the horizontal stabilizer. Simply put, if you want to build this model, order this set at the same time. Thank you to Brengun for the sample of another unique subject and to IPMS for sending… more |
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Extra EA 300L Canopy MaskPublished:
This masking set is useful for either the kits injected canopy or the optional vacuform part (item #BRL48157). It consists of four sections that go on easily and fit as expected. A simple, cheap time saver. Thank you Brengun for this sample and IPMS for sending it to me. |
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Extra EA 300L/330LCPublished:
Designed by German aerobatic pilot Walter Extra in 1988, the Extra 300 started life as an unlimited aerobatic platform with a shoulder mounted wing that made landing interesting because the runway wasn’t visible during touch down. In 1995 the Extra 300L was introduced and has become the most numerous of the Extras manufactured to date. Learning lessons from previous versions the L (for low wing), mounted the wing lower on the fuselage to improve the view for both pilot and student. This is a purpose-built machine that is capable of exceeding the average pilot’s physical abilities. Designed to withstand the stress of 10 positive and 10 negative Gs and roll up to 400 degrees per second, the Extra is right at home in the worlds of unlimited aerobatics. They can be seen in airshows,… more |
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Tiger Moth Landing GearPublished:
The SAC website says they replicate plastic kit parts in white metal and correct inaccurate or missing details if needed. That is the case in this set for the 1/48 Airfix Tiger Moth kit. The main landing gear on the Moth has two forward facing struts connecting the main gear to the fuselage. Airfix does provide those in the kit. They are not part of this set. It also has two smaller struts facing rearward. Airfix didn’t include those in the kit but SAC has. A tail skid replacement rounds out this offering. I recommend this set for anyone wishing to build an accurate Tiger Moth. Thank you to SAC for the offering the sample for review and to IPMS for sharing that sample with me. |
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Airbus A321 Neo Landing Gear for Revell KitPublished:
With the success of its A320/321 Airbus has proven a worthy competitor to the Boeing 737. This set replaces the gear parts in the Revell A321 New Engine Option (NEO) kit. Six parts are provided and the casting is directly from the kit parts including runners with kit part numbers on them. No doubt, there are advantages to metal parts supporting a model of this size but there are some issues. Removing the parts from the sprues was difficult to do without distorting the parts. The metal used is very pliable so they can be straightened out. In this scale, I don't know how precise the parts prep would have to be but the sample had some offsets in casting that needed a lot of material removal to make level joints. Once the struts are glued to the main gear, it makes a pretty stout assembly… more |
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Seversky P-35A Landing GearPublished:
This set is a metal replacement for landing gear in three kits of this aircraft currently on the market. Two main gear legs and a tail wheel are provided. The P-35 main gear has two retraction struts mounted on each side of the main gear. These are cast in the same soft white metal SAC is known for. The challenge of this set will be making those long thin struts straight. That said, this is a detailed replacement for the older kits of this aircraft. Thank you to SAC for the sample set and to IPMS for allowing me to take look at them for you. |
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Modelbuilding Guide #12, Lockheed F-4/F-5 LightingPublished:
This book was compiled by Richard Marmo, a long time IPMS/USA member. It consists of a collection of 60 images of the photo reconnaissance version of the P-38, both the F-4 and F-5. The “Marmo Method” refers to other books in this series that take you step by step through the techniques used to complete a specific project. As the title says, this is a photo reference gallery of a specific squadron, the 128th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron during a specific time frame, July 1944 to September 1945. This unit sent aircraft where needed and as a result conducted operations over an extensive area of pacific operations. Quality of the images range from fair to very good. A lot of these, as the author points out, are photos taken in operational environments that didn’t have composition… more |