P-40N "Natural Metal"

Published: April 14, 2011
Company: Hasegawa

Editor's note: The kit's title is "Natural Metal"; however the author opted to use a different scheme for reasons explained in his text.

History

The P-40 history is covered in plenty of detail. The P-40N was the last and most produced version of this iconic fighter. In 1943 the 49^th Fighter Group was stationed in the Southwest Pacific. They had been flying the P-40E, but they were getting very war weary. Enter the P-40N. The N model was assigned to the flight leads. One of those was Lt. Sammy Pierce. At that time he had three kills from flying the P-40Es. In keeping with his practice of naming his aircraft after a feature film, the P-40N was emblazoned with “Kay The Strawberry Blonde”. The crew chief side had “The Hialeah Wolf” on the… more

Scale Aircraft Wheel Sander

Published: March 19, 2011
Company: CB Model Products

I love tools. I don’t think you can have too many. Occasionally I come across one that I say "how did I live without that?" That is what this tool is. More than a simple jig, this machined metal tool allows you to flat sand the bottom of the wheels evenly and consistently. Let’s face it a perfectly round wheel is not realistic nor are the flat wheels that are common on aftermarket wheels. That is where this tool comes in, the perfect balance of weight without being flat.

How do you use it? Simple get your tire from the kit, clean up the seam lines, set the angle, clamp the wheel between the flat spots on the tool and leave about 1/8 inch out the bottom. Then simply sand with 320 sandpaper while applying pressure to the base plate. It is that simple, but does it work?

I… more

Focke Wulf 190 Wheels and Tires

Published: March 2, 2011
Company: Ultracast

Editor's note: This review is for four related products: Spoked Wheels 700 x 175 Smooth Tires, Stock #- 48228; Spoked Wheels 700 x 175 Smooth Tires, Stock #- 48228; Spoked Wheels 700 x 175 Smooth Tires, Stock #- 48228; Late Style Wheels 700 x 175 Treaded Tires, Stock #- 48231. Price is in Canadian Dollars which at current writing is almost par with U.S. Dollar.

The Focke Wulf 190 has been kitted by every major kit manufacturer. Often times the kit wheels leave a bit to be desired, whether they were anemic or lack detail on either the hub, tread or brake side. Ultracast has provided an answer for both early and late model FW-190s. Molded in light cream colored resin the wheels are perfectly molded with no blemishes or imperfections. This is the typical quality that I’ve… more

SS Tiger Tank Commander 1944-45

Published: March 2, 2011
Company: Ultracast

With the new Dragon Tiger tanks on the market, more people than ever are building tanks. I’m one of them. Armor, more so than aircraft, lends itself to figures. Enter Ultracast with their line of resin figures.

Molded in light cream bubble free resin, this figure features two heads, one with a headset and one without. The headset head has a nice action pose of the commander yelling. The neck is nicely rounded so you can articulate the head as you want, up, down, and left or right, excellent flexibility.

You also get two left and three right arms so you can pick and choose how you want your figure to look. The arms are keyed with square pegs so you can alter the look of the parts easily. Amazingly the thumbs are not grouped with the others and articulated and perfectly… more

Messerschmitt Bf-110C/D Engine Bulkhead

Published: February 3, 2011
Company: Quickboost

The new Cyberhobby Bf-110s are some of the finest versions of this famous aircraft but even they could use some resin to make them even better.

These little gems are molded in light grey resin without a bubble anywhere. The level of detail far exceeds what is in the kit. These parts are easy enough to add. Simply remove them and substitute them for parts K12 and K13. The only thing these need to make them outstanding is a good paint job. Granted they will be mostly hidden but I think that they add to the look of the finished model.

I like to upgrade cockpits and wheel wells so this set is perfect for me. So if you are like me you will ‘need’ these.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the review copy

You can obtain your copy from… more

Arado AR 196A Armament

Published: February 3, 2011
Company: Quickboost

Quickboost has taken a shine to the Italeri Ar-196 kit. This makes either the fourth or fifth upgrade set for it. This time the emphasis is on the armament. Molded in light grey resin the parts feature great detail. This set has seven resin pieces with everything from the guns and barrels themselves to the mounts and ammo drums. The cooling fins on the gun barrels are especially nicely done. The ends are hollow and look great. The detail is much finer than that included in the kit and requires significantly less clean up than the plastic parts.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the review copy

You can obtain your copy from your local hobby shop or by contacting Quickboost at www.quickboost.net.

Mc.200 Saetta Exhaust

Published: February 3, 2011
Company: Quickboost

The exhausts on the Italeri Mc.200 are solid piece of plastic with little detail. Quickboost’s offering features deep hollowed exhaust stacks which only need to be removed and painted to bring them to life. The exhausts are direct replacements for the kit items.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the review copy

You can obtain your copy from your local hobby shop or by contacting Quickboost at www.quickboost.net.

Messerschmitt Bf-109G-14 Exhaust

Published: February 3, 2011
Company: Quickboost

The Academy kit is a nice kit but could benefit from some resin upgrades. Quickboost offers an easy way to upgrade the exhausts with this little set. The set is molded in light grey resin and contains two exhaust stubs. The ends are hollowed out and include the molded on weld seems. These are drop in replacements for the kit parts so adding them is easy.

Because of the size of the parts these will not fit the Hasegawa kit without some modification, but on the Academy kit they will fit perfectly. Just some paint and these will be ready to go.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the review copy

You can obtain your copy from your local hobby shop or by contacting Quickboost at www.quickboost.net.

Henschel Hs-126 Exhaust

Published: February 3, 2011
Company: Quickboost

The ICM Hs-126 is a nice kit. The exhausts on the kit are just solid pieces of plastic. These little gems, molded perfectly in light grey resin, feature hollowed out ends that I would not be able to do on my own. There is no doubt these will add to the look. Simply remove them from the pour blocks and paint. A simple, yet effective, upgrade set for the Hs-126.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the review copy

You can obtain your copy from your local hobby shop or by contacting Quickboost at www.quickboost.net.

SBD Dauntless Life Raft Container

Published: February 3, 2011
Company: Quickboost

Now here is something you don’t see everyday, a life raft for an aircraft. Designed for the Hasegawa SBD you have to open up a hole in the side of the kit. This should be fairly straight forward as it is a round access panel. This set is ideal for a diorama idea.

The set contains three pieces of light grey resin. One is the life raft itself, the receptacle in the fuselage and the access panel. Drill the hole and a quick paint job later and your SBD will stand apart from the others. I’m sure you could add this to the Accurate Miniatures kit as well.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the review copy

You can obtain your copy from your local hobby shop or by contacting Quickboost at www.quickboost.… more