Frank Landrus
Reviews By Author
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Polish Wings 18: Breguet 19, Farman F68, Amiot 123 Goliath Book ReviewPublished:
Bartlomiej Belcarz authors the latest in the series of aircraft used in the Polish Air Force. This volume’s primary focus is the Breguet 19 (p3-53), but also provides 13 pages on the Farman F.68 Goliath and 6 pages on the Amiot 123. The Breguet section features 28 full page length color profiles along with 8 top and bottom color profiles where appropriate. The color profiles are accompanied by photos of the actual aircraft in the profiles. The Farman F.68 Goliath section features 6 full page length color profiles along with a top and bottom color profile and a scrap color detail of typical rudder markings. The Amiot 123 section on the only two aircraft procured, features 2 full page length color profiles along with a top and bottom color profile. The Table of Contents focuses… more |
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U.S.A.F. Fighter Pilot, Pressure Suit, 1960-1975Published:
A perfect addition to your diorama or display base is this Aires Aerobonus figure. This figure is designed to be ascending a ladder to a 1960-1975 USAF Fighter. Aires Aerobonus provides you with a resin figure with separate arms on one pour stub with side bars to protect the figure. 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 provide color drawings for painting. Aires Aerobonus has molded the figure in light grey resin with no bubbles that I could find. There are no mold seams to sand off and the resin plug is easily removed from the bottom with a razor saw or Dremel. Clean up was quite easy and the arms attached with superglue. I added a just a bit of… more |
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Dornier Do 217 Exhaust stubsPublished:
Quickboost provides one set of Dornier Do 217 exhaust stubs. 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 are no supplied instructions; you simply swap out the kit provided plastic parts with the new Quickboost replacements. These Quickboost parts are specific replacements for the kit parts found in the Monogram Pro Modeler’s Do 217E-5 (85-5954), Revell’s Do 217E-4 kit (85-5526), and Revell’s Do 217E-5 (04557) Quickboost has molded the exhaust stubs perfectly in light grey resin with no apparent bubbles. The Quickboost exhaust stubs have no mold seams to sand off along with the superior detail for the exhausts. Be very careful removing the parts from the resin block. I used a… more |
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Fire DrumsPublished:
A perfect addition to your diorama or display base is this Aires Aerobonus fire drum set. Aires Aerobonus provides two resin fire drums and a set of decals: “ For Fire Only”. Of note is the Quickboost re-sealable packaging making the parts easy to review and stuff back into the package securely. The supplied instructions provide color and decal placement drawings. Aires Aerobonus has molded the fire drums in light grey resin with only a few bubbles that are easily filled. There are no mold seams to sand off and the resin plug is easily removed from the bottom with a razor saw or Dremel. The inside rim had a small resin protrusion, but that was easily removed with a swipe of a scalpel blade. Although most paints will adhere to resin alone, I would recommend that you… more |
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Fire BucketsPublished:
A perfect addition to your diorama or display base is this Aires Aerobonus fire bucket set. Aires Aerobonus provides you with four resin fire buckets and a set of decals: “Fire”. 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 provide color and decal placement drawings. Aires Aerobonus has molded the fire buckets in light grey resin with no bubbles that I could find. There are no mold seams to sand off and the resin plug is easily removed from the bottom with a razor saw or Dremel. Use care in removing the plug resin plug though as the bucket bottom is quite thin (ask me how I know). Also be very careful with the handle tabs. They are quite thin as well and… more |
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Po-2 Landing Light and Venturi TubesPublished:
Quickboost provides one landing light assembly, three large venturi tubes, and two small venturi tubes. Of note is the re-sealable packaging that Quickboost uses that makes the parts easy to review and then stuff securely back into the package. There are no supplied instructions; you simply swap out the kit provided plastic parts with the new Quickboost replacements. These Quickboost parts are specific replacements for the kit parts found in the ICM kits 48251 and ICM 48252, but for comparisons the photos also show the AZ Model kit parts, left to right respectively. Quickboost has molded the venturi tubes perfectly in light grey resin with no apparent bubbles. The Quickboost venturi tubes provide no mold seams to sand off on these tiny parts, along with the superior detail for… more |
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Lavochkin La-5 Landing GearPublished:
Scale Aircraft Conversions has released replacement gear for the Eduard 1/48 Lavochkin La-5. Of course this set will also work with the Zvezda kit since that is what the Eduard kit is based on. The supplied items include two main gear legs, two main gear retraction struts, and one tail gear. (Photos 1016, 1005, 1018, 1020) This replacement set will provide stronger landing gear that won’t sag over time, and is somewhat adjustable if necessary to obtain proper alignment. Even with zero previous experience in using white metal parts, this set will provide an upgrade that most modelers will have no problem installing. Scale Aircraft Conversions does not use lead in their white metal mix, so the builder does not have to be concerned with that perceived hazard. There are no… more |
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Mezek a Turbina: Messerschmitts in CzechoslovakiaPublished:
Bohumir Kudlicka follows the transition of Czechoslovakian production of the Messerschmitt Bf 109G “Mezek” and the Messerschmitt Me 262 “Turbina” from underground facilities for the Luftwaffe to production by Avia for the Czechoslovakian Air Force. Mr. Kudlicka weaves an interesting tale of how and why the Czechoslovakian Air Force came to use the ‘hated’ German designed aircraft in lieu of English and Russian aircraft that their returning pilots had been flying during the war. There are many unpublished photos that describe in detail the selection, modification and production of these two aircraft. The text and photos are complemented with color profiles, 3-D plan views, 1/48 scale plans, and period scrap illustrations. The Table of Contents focuses on three major… more |
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YF-23 Landing GearPublished:
Scale Aircraft Conversions has released replacement gear for the Hobby Boss 1/48 Northrop YF-23. The supplied items include two main gear legs, two main gear retraction struts, one nose gear leg and one nose gear retraction strut. This replacement set will provide stronger landing gear that won’t sag over time, and is somewhat adjustable if necessary to obtain proper alignment. Even with zero previous experience in using white metal parts, this set will provide an upgrade that most modelers will have no problem installing. Scale Aircraft Conversions does not use lead in their white metal mix, so the builder does not have to be concerned with that perceived hazard. There are no supplied instructions; you simply swap out the kit provided plastic parts with the new white… more |
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A6M Zero (2008 Tooling) Landing GearPublished:
Scale Aircraft Conversions has released replacement gear for the Tamiya 1/48 scale A6M Zero kits that were tooled in 2008. The supplied items include two main gear struts, and one tail gear strut with integrally molded wheel. (Photos 1004, 1005, 1009) This replacement set will provide stronger landing gear that won’t sag over time, and is somewhat adjustable if necessary to obtain proper alignment. Indeed, make sure that you adjust the gear parts to align with the Tamiya parts before using as they can be slightly bent in their packaging. Even with zero previous experience in using white metal parts, this set will provide an upgrade that most modelers will have no problem installing. Scale Aircraft Conversions does not use lead in their white metal mix, so the builder does not… more |