Rob Benson
Reviews By Author
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Modern Jets Cockpit Instrument DecalsPublished:
Thank you Airscale Model Aircraft Enhancements for sending these excellent decals for review. Thank you to the IPMS Reviewer Corps for letting me review them! I am honored to contribute back to the scale-modeling community. Airscale Model Aircraft Enhancements’ tagline is “High resolution cockpit detailing for aircraft modelers” and this decal sheet is an excellent example of their philosophy. A compact 3 1/16 x 2 3/8 inch (60 x 80 mm) sheet is richly populated with a wide variety of high-resolution modern jet aircraft instrument gauges and screens. All decals have minimal carrier film. A thin transparent acetate sheet, about 2 inches square, is included for adding instrument cover glass. All decals are in triplicate or duplicate. In addition to the gauges, the multi-… more |
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OS2U Kingfisher BuildPublished:
Thank you to the great folks at Kitty Hawk Models for bringing a welcome new large-scale kit to U. S. Navy propeller aficionados. Kitty Hawk subjects are starting to fill out my collection more and more! Thank you also to the IPMS Reviewer Corps staff members who do the hard work in getting us kits to review. This new release from Kitty Hawk fills a long-standing gap in 1:32 scale early USN aircraft. The Kingfisher is represented in the scale modeling world by very old but generally still available smaller scale 1:48 and 1:72 kits, which can be upgraded and corrected by a wide variety of after-market components. However, I am unaware of any injection-molded Kingfisher kits in 1:32 scale, let alone a modern release. Thank you Kitty Hawk! This build review follows on an… more |
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WW2 USN Pilot, Seated in AircraftPublished:
Thank you PJ Production for providing this elegant aircraft accessory pilot figure, and thank you to the IPM Reviewer Corps for letting me review it! I am very appreciative of all you do for the scale modeling community. The pilot arrived in a small blue cardboard box, with a small plastic bag inside holding both the pilot figure and a casting plug with arms. The light tan resin showed no sign of mold release and the minimal flash was easily removed without compromising the fine surface details. The separate arms allow custom positioning to suit the application, and the arm-torso join surfaces are flat, easily allowing drilling or flexible wire or pin to reinforce the joint. The resin is not too brittle or too soft. Many detail surfaces, such as harnesses and straps are slightly… more |
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OS2U KingfisherPublished:
Thank you to the great folks at Kitty Hawk Models for bringing a welcome new large-scale kit to U. S. Navy propeller aficionados. Kitty Hawk subjects are starting to fill out my collection more and more! Thank you also to the IPMS Reviewer Corps staff members who do the hard work in getting us kits to review. This new release from Kitty Hawk fills a long-standing gap in 1:32 scale early USN aircraft. The Kingfisher is represented in the scale modeling world by very old but generally still available smaller scale 1:48 and 1:72 kits, which can be upgraded and corrected by a wide variety of after-market components. However, I am unaware of any injection-molded Kingfisher kits in 1:32 scale, let alone a modern release. Bravo Kitty Hawk! This review is a pre-build review or… more |
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AF-2 Guardian Landing Gear (SH)Published:
Many thanks to Mr. Ross MacMillan of Scale Aircraft Conversions and the IPMS Reviewer Corps for allowing me to try this neat substitute and replacement set for the Special Hobby AF-2 Guardian. I am pleased to report on another sweet add-on and upgrade. The Guardian has a somewhat spindly appearance and having skinny but strong metal “legs” really helps! The white-metal parts arrived in a blister pack, backed by the distinctive SAC company logo. The weight of the parts is very noticeable. All parts are free of sprues with the exception of two retractor struts. The parts require very little buffing, cleanup and polishing. I did use a Dremel tool to buff some of the parts and brought a very nice natural metal tone to them. But blue paint covers all of that shine. The SAC… more |
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Engine Cooling Gills for the ICM C-45Published:
Thank you to Aires-Quickboost and the IPMS Reviewer Corps for the privilege of reviewing this excellent aftermarket resin details set. The ICM C-45 kit is very nice in its own right, but the replacement engine cooling gills add an eye-catching detail in a highly visible part of the kit. A single casting plug with 4 replacement engine gills is in the package, molded in medium brownish-gray color polyurethane resin. The application is very simple; use the appropriate Quick Boost engine gills to replace kit parts D35/36 and D24/43. This is nearly a direct drop-in replacement; all you need to do is carefully remove the gills from the casting plug. The gill have very thin edges, warranting special care when removing them from the casting plug. No directions are provided and none are… more |
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Exhausts for the ICM C-45Published:
Thank you to Aires-Quickboost and the IPMS Reviewer Corps for the privilege of reviewing this excellent aftermarket resin details set. The ICM C-45 kit is very nice in its own right, but the Quick Boost exhaust pipes add an eye-catching detail in a highly visible part of the kit. A single casting plug with 2 replacement engine exhaust pipes is in the package, molded in medium brownish-gray color polyurethane resin. The application is very simple; use the appropriate Quick Boost exhausts to replace kit parts D65 and D66. These replacement parts are not a direct drop-in replacement; the pipes require modification. The kit parts are comparatively small in cross-section compared to the beefier-looking resin parts. You will need to either drill out the nacelle opening, or file down… more |
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P-51 Mustang, Parts 1 & 2Published:
Thank you very much to the generous folks at SAM Publications for providing these titles for review. Thanks are also due to the IPMS Reviewer Corps for allowing me the opportunity to research and learn more about the iconic P-51 Mustang, a pivotal aircraft from World War II forward. These books are outstanding in quality and value. I highly recommend them, not just for the model builder, but anyone with an interest in aviation history. In typical SAM style, you will find an excellent balance of detail, data, and superb photographs in a large package that allows for a true appreciation of the subject material. Part 1 covers the Allison engine Mustangs, and Part 2 details the Merlin power plant versions. Both are rich in development and operational histories of both versions,… more |
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C-45 Propellers w/ToolPublished:
Thank you to Aires-Quickboost and the IPMS Reviewer Corps for the privilege of reviewing this excellent aftermarket resin detail set. The ICM C-45 kit is very nice in its own right, but replacement propellers add sharp detail in a highly visible part of the kit. A single casting plug with four propeller blades, individually cast prop hubs, and a blade alignment tool/assembly jig are included in the package, molded in medium brownish-gray color polyurethane resin. The application is very simple; use the appropriate Quick Boost parts to replace the kit propellers. These replacement parts are not a direct drop-in replacement; the propellers must be assembled and the prop hubs require drilling to accept the molded-in prop shafts on the kit engines, parts D26 and D27. But this… more |
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Interactive Mitsubishi A6M Zero, an iPad Reference BookPublished:
Thank you to Mushroom Publications for bringing a tremendous digital resource for the modeler. Thank you to the IPMS Reviewer Corps for allowing me to test out this new and exciting method of researching model subjects. This digital publication is nearly identical in content to the paperback version review. OverviewI am very pleased with the increasing availability of research material in the tablet world. Interactive Mitsubishi A6M Zero allows an interesting reference experience for the Japanese Zero aircraft modeler. Cockpit and many other detail views are in a readily searchable and accessible with… more |