Rod Lees
Reviews By Author
|
Bf-109K Landing Gear (Kotare)Published:
Once again, IPMS/USA expresses our thanks to Ross at Scale Aircraft Conversions for providing one of his metal gear sets to use and review! This is a basic metal upgrade for Kotare’s magnificent Bf-109K. What does the SAC gear bring to the fight? Two main gears with the torque links installed, and the extended stroke tail wheel assembly. Three parts guaranteed to take care of your investment in Kotare’s excellent work. The Kotare design allows you to install the gear at the end of your build, which is a perfect solution, and the metal gear will add resilience in case of shelf rash. This set is well worth the extra bit of cash to enhance your model! I recommend that you install the gear on the door and paint it separately before installation as this makes for a sturdier glue… more |
|
Landing Gear for Jaguar GR-1 (Airfix 1/48)Published:
This set provides a sound basis for replacing the more delicate parts of the complex Jaguar’s landing gear. Designed for the newly-released Airfix kit, it addresses an area on the model where a bit more strength is appropriate. Made up of nine cast metal parts, these bits are flexible enough for initial installation, while work-hardening if required for additional stiffness, such as the offset nose strut axle and bow. Brass is nice, but I find it rather unforgiving where alignment is concerned… to each his/her own. Using CA for assembly on this set is a bit difficult, due to the design of the kit’s gear installation. I had a fun time getting the main mounting tabs to slot into the kit wheel wells, but after a bit of file work and moving the mounting tabs around slightly… more |
|
FW 190A-5/6/7/8, D-9 Landing GearPublished:
This is a simple metal upgrade for Hasegawa’s early 1980’s/90’s release 1/32 radial-engine FW-190 kits, and their “Dora FW-190 kit." Out of the box, it’s a great and easy kit for almost anyone to make a decent Wulf… but this SAC gear adds the additional “peace of mind” when dealing with the long legs and (as on many plastic kits) “always waiting to be broken off” tail gear. It’s an easy one-for-one replacement to install this gear, and the cool part is it can all be installed at the end of the build if desired. I show the model with the gear in place before painting the project, as this gear lends itself to such shenanigans…. Just like an Armor kit! What’s in the package? Two main gear legs with on-ground strut extension, two retraction arms with hydraulic pistons for the… more |
|
UH-1B Metal Replacement Landing GearPublished:
Once again IPMS USA provides our thanks to Ross at SAC for providing us one of his gear sets to use and review! In this case, it is a skid set for the New(er) Trumpeter UH-1B This new Huey from Trumpeter kit is a mixed bag; Glad to have it but it needs work. The eagle-eyed among us will note the underside of my first one is being heavily redacted/sanded. That’s because the company appears to have researched the kit using a combat veteran complete with a bunch of battle-damage repair patches. They all need to go for a new bird. I mentioned this a while back online and someone obviously within the company pretty strongly gave a “nuh-uh” answer and pointed to their photo references, a Huey from a museum, (I’ll bet somewhere in Vietnam) who made the assertion the panels were… more |
|
Metal Landing Gear for Tamiya 1/48 F35CPublished:
Once again IPMS/USA provides our thanks to Ross at SAC for providing us one of his gear sets to use and review! This set provides the usual flexibility of softer metal that can be work-hardened if needed for a strong, reliable (and repairable) option for the kit plastic gear. Consisting of 11 white metal parts, this gear provides strength where it is needed in holding up the model over time. Additional benefit: the builder can (carefully) bend the gear into position if there are issues with installation, (such as alignment of wheel axles for toe-in/camber), and repair (more on this later. Each item contributes much to the build: for one, the Tamiya plastic parts are larger in number, breaking down parts the gear into modular bits for a final product. SAC have… more |
|
References for Modelers #12 Dornier Do 17ZPublished:
If you have never opened a Kagero Book, be advised they are some of the most informative out there. In many cases, a decal of the subject aircraft is included as a “bonus” within the pages… A truly worthwhile investment if your subject matter is covered. For Kagero’s staff, IPMS is grateful for your contribution and fully appreciate your support! Kagero addresses more than a few subjects in their voluminous catalog… one can browse them for a long time and wish for all the time and funds to build models their titles address. I have used some of their specialist titles (such as the P-38 in Pacific Service) to great effect; the profile artwork provides ample impetus to build the subject, and Kagero’s decals ensure a subject out of the mainstream will be the result. In this… more |
|
F-100 Metal Landing GearPublished:
First, the usual “thank you greatly” to SAC for providing this set to IPMS USA. We appreciate the continual, long-term support from this manufacturer, and it’s always a good day when a package arrives from SAC HQ. This metal gear is exactly what SAC says it is; an improved version of the kit gear. From their website: “The Trumpeter main gear is too long. Our set corrects this problem. Also, we recommend the modeler purchase a set of ResKit wheels because they have much better detail and they lower the model by an additional 1 mm”. Out of the box, the kit has two different landing gear options; Plastic gear parts for a standard build, incorporating brake lines and other details, (which will begin to fail over time), and a cast- steel copy of the… more |
|
DO-217N-1 Instrument PanelPublished:
I wish to express extreme gratitude to Yahu models for providing IPMS/USA with this release. Yahu has a history (since 2013!) of providing exceptional aftermarket Instrument panels at a reasonable price, and we appreciate their support! Designed for ICM’s 1/48 DO-217N-1 model, Yahu’s instrument panel and associated radio tuning faces make an excellent upgrade for a world-class model. I had not built any of ICM’s Dorniers until this set showed up, and the fact everything was a perfect fit into the existing kit parts made the experience even more pleasurable. Yahu’s set adds the additional bits required for an excellent upgrade out of the package. Yahu, unlike other companies, assembles their instrument panels for the modeler. Not that I don’t mind modeling using PE, but Yahu… more |
|
Warpaint Series No. 143, "Boeing B-29 and B-50 Superfortress"Published:
A big “thanks” to the distributors at Guideline Publications for providing IPMS USA with this excellent book on the B-29/B-50 series aircraft. We fully appreciate your support! Written in the now-familiar Warpaint series format, this 115-page book contains a wealth of information. Comprised of 13 chapters with 12 tables of data and myriad photos, this is a considerable effort with much reading in store. That’s a personal affection of mine, where the written word adds much to the copious colour and black and white images contained therein. Using words enforces and supports the images, providing history and education for someone who may not be familiar with Boeing’s Superfortress family. I am not a fan of two-page pictures and lots of white space with few type space descriptions, a… more |
|
F-100 Units of USAFEPublished:
A big “thanks” to the distributors Casemate Publishing for providing IPMS USA this compact encyclopedia of the first fully-supersonic fighter in Europe with the United States Air Force. We fully appreciate your support! This book is not to be overlooked by anyone who has even a fleeting interest in “Hun” operations in Europe. It is a definitive work in that the time period addressed was one of Cold war operations before USAFE congealed into the large force on the continent and UK most of those associate with the 1970-90 time period. Libya was a major training location for F-100 operations, and as the aircraft were phased out to be replaced with more modern tools of aerial warfare, so too were the continually changing political fields of potential conflict. Composed of 12… more |