MiG-23 MF ML Correct Tail Fin

Published: January 24, 2016
Company: Aires Hobby Models

Aires has come out with a nice upgrade for the Trumpeter MiG-23 MF / ML kits with their Correct Tail Fin set. This set is specific to early MF / ML variants that did not have the leading edge extension (LEX) added to the front of the ventral fin. There are two parts in all, cast in a durable resin material. The Aires parts provide improved ventral fin detail especially for the pivot point that is exposed when the ventral fin is folded (landing gear extended) There are no supplied instructions; you simply swap out the kit provided plastic parts with the new Aires replacements. I’ve included photos of both the Trumpeter and the Aires ventral fin inserted in the Trumpeter fuselage.

Aires has molded the stabilizer and elevator perfectly in light tan resin with no apparent bubbles.… more

Su-9 Fishpot Air Scoops

Published: January 24, 2016
Company: Quickboost

Quickboost provides Su-9 air scoops consisting of eight parts. Of note is the re-sealable packaging that Quickboost uses making the parts easy to review and then stuff securely back into the package. The supplied instructions address the replacement of the corresponding Trumpeter parts.

Quickboost has molded the air scoops perfectly in tan resin with no apparent bubbles. The Quickboost air scoops provide no mold seams to sand off on these tiny parts along with the superior detail.

Although most paints will adhere to resin alone, I would recommend that you wash the parts to remove any remaining mold release and prime them first. They will need to be installed with your favorite CA (super glue) or epoxy, as the normal plastic glues or solvents will not react with the… more

Bf 108B Control Surfaces

Published: January 24, 2016
Company: Aires Hobby Models

Aires has come out with a nice upgrade for the Eduard Bf 108 series of kits with their horizontal control surfaces set. There are four parts in all, cast in a durable resin material. The Aires parts allow you to alter the position of the elevators and provide improved stabilizer to elevator detail. There are no supplied instructions; you simply swap out the kit provided plastic parts with the new Aires replacements. I’ve included photos of both the Eduard and the Aires horizontal surfaces inserted in the Eduard fuselage.

Aires has molded the stabilizer and elevator perfectly in light grey resin with no apparent bubbles. The Aires stabilizer and elevator are supplied on a single resin sprue with thin resin attachments to the parts that should minimize any cleanup.

… more

MiG-23 MF/ML Flogger Correct Air Intakes

Published: January 19, 2016
Company: Aires Hobby Models

Aires Hobby Models has come out with an excellent upgrade for the Trumpeter MiG-23 MF / ML kits with their Correct Air Intakes set. There are six parts cast in a durable resin material along with four resin clear parts. The Aires parts provide improved air intake detail. The instructions show where the additional parts go and then its simply a swap out for the Trumpeter intakes.

Aires has molded the air intakes perfectly in tan resin with no apparent bubbles. The Aires air intakes are supplied on a four resin sprue with thin resin attachments to the parts that should minimize any cleanup.

Although most paints will adhere to resin alone, I would recommend that washing the parts to remove any remaining mold release and prime them first. They will need to be installed with… more

Sukhoi Su-9 Fishpot Antennas

Published: January 17, 2016
Company: Aires Hobby Models

Quickboost provides you with Su-9 Fishpot antennas consisting of four parts. Of note is the re-sealable packaging that Quickboost uses that makes the parts easy to review and then stuff back into the package securely. The supplied instructions address the replacement of the corresponding Trumpeter parts.

Quickboost has molded the antennas perfectly in tan resin with no apparent bubbles. The Quickboost antennas provide you with no mold seams to sand off on these tiny parts along with the superior detail.

Although most paints will adhere to resin alone, I would recommend that you wash the parts to remove any remaining mold release and prime them first. They will need to be installed with your favorite CA (super glue) or epoxy, as the normal plastic glues or solvents will… more

Sukhoi Su-9 Fishpot Pitot Tubes

Published: January 17, 2016
Company: Quickboost

Quickboost provides you with a Su-9 Fishpot nose mounted data probe and a wing mounted pitot tube consisting of two parts. Of note is the re-sealable packaging that Quickboost uses that makes the parts easy to review and then stuff back into the package securely. There supplied two-step instructions address the installation of the wing pitot tube mount.

Quickboost has molded the pitot tubes perfectly in light grey resin with no apparent bubbles. The Quickboost pitot tube provide you with no mold seams to sand off on these tiny parts along with the superior detail. You may note that both Quickboost parts are longer then their corresponding Trumpeter parts. They look fine to me, but you may wish to check them against photos.

Although most paints will… more

AH-1Z Turret

Published: January 6, 2016
Company: Werners Wings

Floyd Werner has come to the rescue with a correction to the Kitty Hawk 1/48 AH-1Z Viper kit by issuing a resin bottom-less turret assembly. Floyd Werner provides great instructions showing exactly what to modify on the kit along with color photos of the turret assembly being installed in an AH-1Z. A re-sealable zip lock bag holds the part and the instructions. This part can also be used in any AH-1J, AH-1T, or AH-1W kit as well since many Cobras have been retrofitted with this turret assembly. Werner’s Wings turret assembly is designed to be used with the Kitty Hawk barrel assembly, but can also be used with the Master AM48056 turned metal barrels with minor modification.

Werner’s Wings has molded the turret assembly perfectly in dark grey resin with no apparent bubbles. The… more

AH-1 / UH-1 External Aux Tank

Published: January 6, 2016
Company: Werners Wings

The latest from Werner’s Wings provides an external auxiliary fuel tank for any 1/48 USMC AH-1W, AH-1Z, UH-1N, or UH-1Y kit. Floyd Werner provides great instructions showing exactly how to assemble the three parts along with color photos of various options for installation. A re-sealable zip lock bag holds the parts and the instructions.

Werner’s Wings has molded the external auxiliary fuel tank in grey resin with only a few minor bubbles. According to his website, the external auxiliary fuel tank is designed to be supplied on a resin sprue, but the kit as received has had the sprue already removed from the tank. The two other parts are supplied on a short resin sprue and will need to be detached with a photo-etch razor saw. I used a #73 drill bit to open up the mounting holes… more

Fw 190A Control Surfaces

Published: January 5, 2016
Company: Aires Hobby Models

Aires has come out with a nice upgrade for the Eduard Fw 190A series of kits with their horizontal control surfaces set. The Aires parts allow you to alter the position of the elevators and provide improved stabilizer to elevator detail. There are no supplied instructions; you simply swap out the kit provided plastic parts with the new Aires replacements. I’ve included photos of both the Eduard and the Aires horizontal surfaces inserted in the Eduard fuselage. The gap on the bottom view is artificial as both the Eduard and the Aires parts are leaning up.

Aires has molded the stabilizer and elevator perfectly in light grey resin with no apparent bubbles. The Aires stabilizer and elevator are supplied on a single resin sprue with thin resin attachments to the parts that should… more

Douglas F3D-2 Skynight Landing Gear

Published: January 3, 2016
Company: Scale Aircraft Conversions

Scale Aircraft Conversions has released replacement landing gear for the Czech Model 4814 / Encore EC48004 Douglas F3D-2 Skynight. The 17 parts supplied include the nose gear bay, nose gear, main gear, and additional retraction arms and braces. One of Ross MacMillan’s passions is the Douglas Skynight, and he spent several hours taking photos underneath one to get this set right.

A side by side evaluation of all the SAC parts shows the initial similarity with the kit parts. The nose gear bay, in addition to helping keep the Skynight on its nose gear, has been modified by including mounting points for the nose gear strut and the nose gear retraction arm. The nose gear torque link, missing in the kit, has been provided. The nose gear strut has been lengthened. The nose gear… more