Chris Smith
Reviews By Author
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A-10 ACES II Ejection Seat with Belts and Lambs Wool Seat CoversPublished:
Phase Hangar brings us a resin cast replacement ejection seat for most 1/48 A-10 kits. You get a cast seat and canopy breakers with a printed seat rail. This version replicates the lamb's wool cushions seen in some Hogs. Compared to the Hobby Boss and Tamiya kit seats, this set provides a replacement with substantial improvements in detail. If you want to use this with Hobby Boss kit cockpit tub, you will have to alter the bottom to fit the width. There is minor prep work in the form of sanding the bottom of the seat flat and removal of printing frame from seat rails. The canopy breakers are very scale delicate. Most impressive is the fact that the seat slides down into the seat rails just like the real thing. For those who want to add their own harnesses, Phase Hangar… more |
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A-10A/A+/C Warthog Wheel SetPublished:
This set consists of resin 3D printed main wheels and a cast nose wheel. As the product description implies, these wheels are universal for all versions and kits of the A-10 in this scale. In the attached photos, I compared these parts with the Hobby Boss kit (in grey plastic) and the older Tamiya kit (in green plastic). The main wheels require minor clean up once the printing sprues are cut away. The nose wheel sample I received had a casting flaw in the hub area that is easily fixed with some putty. Overall, these wheels are a vast improvement over the rubber wheels in the Hobby Boss and Tamiya kits. The 3D parts have a texture, but no ridge pattern sometimes exhibited in 3D printed parts. Of note is the mounting hole in the hub of all three parts needs to be drilled to the correct… more |
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A-10A/A+/C Warthog Exterior Update set 1 w/Wingtip Covered Chaff/ Flare Dispensers for Hobby BossPublished:
Among the numerous update sets Phase Hangar has produced for the Hobby Boss kit comes this exterior upgrade that includes replacement wing tips and tail cone. Covered chaff dispensers are featured under these wing tips as well as missile launch detectors. These parts also spare you the chore of closing the joint in the curved underside of the wing present on the kit molding. In addition, this set includes a replacement tail cone with updated detectors in place. Both parts require plastic removal from the base kit. Both fall on panel lines so you have a guide for cutting. The only caution I would note is squaring up the wing end on the kit part to make sure the new wing tip is positioned correctly. There is also a second exterior upgrade set (#48110) that includes… more |
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A-10A/A+/C Warthog Engine Inlet/Update Set for Hobby BossPublished:
Phase Hangar provides a nice upgrade of the engine inlet for all A-10 variants. Before we get deeper into using this set, the inlet parts Hobby Boss provides are impressively thin and detailed for injection molded parts. However, A-10 builders always encounter the same issue, how to mask and paint the inlet interiors, fan blades and center cones. Phase Hangar has solved those issues by separating these parts making access and painting a lot easier. That’s not the only advantage of this set. The fan blades are scale thin with gaps that allow a view of the structures behind. As with other complex Phase Hangar sets, the instructions are provided on their website and include detailed descriptions and photos to modify the kit parts for a realistic view behind those beautiful fans.… more |
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A-10A/A+/C Warthog Exhaust cone/Turbine update Set for Hobby BossPublished:
The Hobby Boss 1/48 A-10 kit can make up into an impressive kit right out of the box. As with another production kits however, it has some areas that need detail upgrades to represent the aircraft in scale. One of those areas in this kit are the engine exhausts. The Hobby Boss parts C8 & C9 make up the turbine section of the engine. There is no internal detail so you end up with a black hole inside the exhaust. Luckily, Phase Hangar has developed a solution. This detail set includes one piece -3D printed exhaust cones with amazing surface detail inside and outside. Two other parts create the internal turbine details one would see if looking into the exhaust of the real thing. Phase Hangar provides detailed instructions online that take the builder through the steps to… more |
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A-10C Weapons Pylon Set for Hobby BossPublished:
A focal point of any A-10 build is all of the ordinance hanging from eleven hardpoints across its wingspan. While the Hobby Boss A-10 has a lot of strong points, the kit provided weapon pylons are not one of them. The surface details consist of dimpled rivets and some raised boxy panels. Phase Hangar corrects that for us with this set of replacement pylons with separate bomb rack inserts. Each pylon includes a raised station reference on the casting block that corresponds to the weapon station diagram in the kit instructions. As with the other parts Phase Hangar produces for the Hobby Boss kit, these have fine surface details. There are no instructions on the Phase Hangar site for this but you don’t need them. Identify the weapons station, remove the casting block and drop into the… more |
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A-10C Cockpit Upgrade Set for Hobby BossPublished:
As the product description says, this is an upgrade set to convert the Hobby Boss A-10A to an A-10C cockpit. The base kit comes configured as an A model and the analog instrument panel provided reflects that. In the late 1990s A-10s were upgraded with GPS navigation and other capabilities that required multi-function displays in a reconfigured instrument panel. For that reason, the kit finishing schemes may not be accurate so check your references. This set reflects those changes but the “upgrade’ doesn't stop there. Taking full advantage of 3D printing technology, in addition to the cast cockpit tub, the set includes 3D printed interior frames for the canopy and windscreen, the HUD frame, rear deck and canopy actuator and integral instrument panel and shroud. The detail of these parts… more |
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Volvo 240 Turbo 1986 ETCC Hockenheim Winner - Detail Up PartsPublished:
In 1982 the Federation International de ’L’Automobile (FIA) developed Group A requirements to allow manufactures and individuals to race production model cars. In order to qualify, a process called “homologation”, the manufactures had to build 2500 or 5000 cars or under “evolution” rules 500 cars which after inspection and approval qualified the cars to race. The subject of this review qualified under the Evolution, Group A rules by building 500 Volvo 240Ts. An interesting note is that 477 of those cars were stripped of competition equipment and sold as standard Volvo 240 turbos. In order to requalify, Volvo had to identify those 500 owners! Drama aside, the Volvo 240T turned out be a winning platform. Powered by a 340hp, 2.1-liter, intercooled turbo with water injection and weighing… more |
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Mirage III EZPublished:
A type well known to anyone with even a casual interest in aviation history, the Dassault Mirage III is one of the classic early supersonic fighter jets. First flown in 1956, it has served in 14 countries and accrued an impressive combat record most notably with the Israeli Air Forces. Another export customer was the South African Air Force. Two examples of the countries Mirages III EZs are represented in this kit. Seventeen examples of the EZ variant were purchased by South Africa and used between 1965 and 1972. They were used during the African Border War but as an interceptor, the radar system was found wanting. These aircraft are all retired from service today. This is the second build of a Mirage from PJ I’ve done for this site. I previously built a Swiss two seat example… more |
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MiG-25 PDPublished:
Seldom does a military aircraft gain a reputation the way the MiG 25, NATO codename “Foxbat”, did. When it entered service in 1970, little was known in the west other than grainy satellite photos and radar tracks that showed impressive speeds at high altitude. It was originally developed as a counter to the American XB-70 Valkyrie bomber, Western analysts believed the MiG 25 was a highly maneuverable, high-tech fighter based on the limited intelligence they could gather. Fast forward to September 6, 1976 when Lieutenant Victor Belenko took a MiG 25 from Russia and navigated his way to Japan landing at the civilian airport in Hakodate. Belenko was granted US citizenship by then President Jimmie Carter and the MiG was dismantled and studied by US intelligence officials. Some of the… more |