F9F Panther Antennas

Published: November 14, 2012
Company: Quickboost

Quickboost has always offered up quick and easy upgrades at a good price. The latest is designed for the Trumpeter F9F-2 Panther but could easily be used on the Monogram -5/-5P. There are three beautifully rendered antennas which do not have mold lines and are perfectly formed and round. The antennas are molded in light grey resin with very small pour blocks that will prove no problem even for a novice modeler dealing with his/her first resin pieces.

Because you don’t have to ensure the roundness of these parts, I find these antenna worth the price of admission. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the review copy.

Bf-109E Propeller with Tool

Published: November 14, 2012
Company: Quickboost

Having built the Eduard Bf-109E, I would have loved to have had the prop hub off my open-cowled model but I didn’t have the means to do it effectively. Quickboost now provides you with a five-piece prop and hub, plus an alignment tool.

Molded perfectly in light grey resin, the props are suitably thin and of the correct cross section. You will need to drill a hole for the prop shaft, but it is not a big deal. The mounting pins for the prop blades will ensure correct alignment of the blades. Then, all you have to do is leave off the prop hub and you can add a new dimension to your 109. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review this set.

Bf-109E Air Intake and Injection Cover

Published: November 14, 2012
Company: Quickboost

I’ve built two of Eduard’s beautiful Bf-109Es, and in both cases an area that I would have liked to have done better was the intake and the injection cover – the injection cover especially if the engine cover is removed. Both of these parts are folded or joined out of photo etch pieces. Well, unless you are really good with PE, the result may not be as good as you’d like. Now, Quickboost remedies that situation in resin.

Molded flawlessly out of light grey resin are three pieces of resin: the air intake and two covers for the injectors. Both of these items, especially the intake, are much easier than the PE to use and look great. I will certainly enjoy using these pieces over the PE.

If you are like me and prefer resin over PE, you will enjoy these parts as well… more

M-197 Rotary Cannon

Published: September 8, 2012
Company: Master Model

The AH-1 Cobra had various versions that used the M-197 20mm cannon: the Army AH-1E, AH-1F, and the Marine Corp AH-1J, AH-1T, and AH-1W. Until now, the kit offerings of this prominent armament feature have been poorly molded in plastic. Well, fret (no pun intended) no more – Master Model has your cannon.

You get three turned metal barrels and one end barrel nut. There is a fret that has the mid-barrel clamp and the rear barrel clamp. The barrels are perfectly formed and are literally miniature gun barrels. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are grooves in the barrels. This set is absolutely gorgeous. The hardest part of this set will be not to lose the end barrel nut. Everything about this set is perfect.

As someone who has pre-flighted, shot, and lived around these… more

F-4 Phantom II (Short Nose Version) Pitot Tube

Published: September 8, 2012
Company: Master Model

The early Phantoms had their pitot tube and ram air inlet mounted on the leading edge of the tails. It is hard not to break them off, especially when you are sanding the seam line, but now you don’t have to worry about it. Master Model provides you with three milled brass pieces: a pitot tube, a ram air inlet, and the angle of attack probe. Beautifully milled, they are flawless. You get three pieces of brass that require no cleanup. Adding them is as simple as drilling a .8mm and a 1.0mm hole and inserting the brass parts with super glue. The brass parts will provide you with plenty of strength and a realistic finish with no seam or mold lines to deal with.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Master and IPMS/USA for the review copy and review space.

F-4 Phantom II (Long Nose Version) Pitot Tube

Published: September 8, 2012
Company: Master Model

Master Model has entered the turned metal barrel scene with a flurry of excellent pitot tubes and gun barrels. Well, this latest release is no different.

As any of you who have built the F-4 Phantom know, you know that the pitot tubes on the nose and the tail ram air inlet are prone to breakage, particularly when you are handling the model. Well, now you don’t have to worry about that.

In the package you get three perfectly formed turned metal parts that include the pitot tube, ram air inlet, and angle of attack probe. These are all accurately shaped in brass with nothing to remove other than the kit parts, and then drill mounting holes. Adding the parts is done with super glue. The additional strength that the brass components as well as the to-scale appearance are… more

Fw-190A-7

Published: August 31, 2012
Company: Eduard

The FW-190A-7 was one of the last versions that Eduard had not covered directly, the other being the A-9. You could always build one from their Royal Class kits but never as a stand-alone kit. Well, Eduard has stepped up to the plate and has hit another home run.

I’ve built their A-5, F-8, A-8, and D-9, so I have some experience with this series of kits. That said, this kit is just as good as those kits and…why shouldn’t it be? It contains the same parts.

The kit contains six sprues of RLM 02 plastic with minimal flash, one sprue of clear parts, two frets of photo etch (one of those being pre-painted), and a set of masks. Of course, there are two decal sheets which contain markings for four aircraft. The instructions are printed on high quality paper stock. I found the… more

Messerschmitt Bf-109 Decals Part 5

Published: August 31, 2012
Company: Lifelike Decals

In keeping with their tradition of supplying unique-looking aircraft, Lifelike has taken on the task of another 109 sheet. There are so many unique 109s that doing so is easy for them to accomplish.

The instructions are printed on two single-sided A4 sheets in full color; one sheet includes the upper and lower plan views, the other contains the history and the reason Lifelike drew their conclusions from. That is the one thing I like about Lifelike. They aren’t afraid to offer an educated guess when some marking are in question. They let you know what is speculative and how they came to their conclusions. They leave it up to the modeler to make an informed decision. Very professional and a non-pompous way to do business. There is also a separate sheet for the stencils that… more

Messerschmitt Bf-109 Decals Part 4

Published: August 31, 2012
Company: Lifelike Decals

Lifelike Decals has presented us with another sheet on the Me-109. This sheet features some colorful aircraft of various types so you can use this sheet on numerous models.

The instructions are printed on two single-sided A4 sheets in full color. The one thing I like is that Lifelike isn’t afraid to offer an educated guess when some marking are in question. They let you know what is speculative and how they came to their conclusions. Very professional, and a non-pompous way to do business. There is a separate sheet for the stencils that cover the Emil and Gustav versions.

There are two decal sheets. The decals are in perfect register and very thin. They appear to have good color opacity as well. The larger of the two carries most of the markings, while the smaller one… more

Messerschmitt Bf-109 Decals Part 3

Published: August 31, 2012
Company: Lifelike Decals

It comes as no surprise that the 109 is my favorite airplane, and this sheet is one of the reasons why. The amount of color options for the airplane is staggering. This sheet contains markings for two G-6s, one E-1, and one F-2, so there is something there for everyone.

The instructions are printed on two single-sided full-color A4-sized sheets. You get a three-view drawing for each aircraft. The instructions are what really help set Lifelike Decals apart. They are not afraid to tell you what they know and what they don’t know. The other thing that you don’t normally get is the history of the aircraft. The reference section shows you where Lifelike got their interpretation from. There is a half A4 sheet showing you where stencils go.

The decals are printed on two small… more