Rod Lees
Reviews By Author
|
Mig 21 in Czechoslovak Service Dual ComboPublished:
As usual, IPMS USA are eternally grateful to Eduard for kindly providing yet another magnificent example of their new items to review, and to the IPMS USA reviewer corps leaders for sending it to me. Eduard are rightfully proud of their Mig 21 series; the 1/48 kits are the best in the market, and cover the majority of the available Migs in service. This particular boxing is of their new 1/144 dual kit featuring eight Czech-marked examples with nose art, display schemes, etc. Bare metal, brown and green over gray, winter camo, all are there. The whole kit exudes quality and value. All through the build I was thinking “This is fun and I don’t want to screw it up!” Contest models coming out of this region contain some of the finest details out there in my opinion, and I… more |
|
Metal Landing GearPublished:
Thanks to Ross at SAC for sending us improved metal landing gear for the massive Boeing 777, and thanks also to IPMS USA leadership for sending it to me…. This is ‘du rigeur’ SAC white metal upgrade to the basic kit plastic! The set consists of 9 parts: Two main struts, two strut retraction cylinders, the nose gear, retraction arm, and a drag brace, and two centering and leveling cylinder assemblies for the main trucks. The landing gear on the 777 is a monster in real life; it has six wheel/tire assemblies on each wing, and is quite a piece of kit for supporting this highly-successful airliner and cargo hauler. On the kit, it makes sense to have similar strength. For 1/144 scale, it’s a big model. Zvezda’s plastic is pretty strong, but the SAC gear makes it better…… more |
|
A-37B Dragonfly AntennasPublished:
THANK YOU to our friends and suppliers at Aires/Quickboost for another improvement set, in this case for the Trumpeter A-37 Dragonfly. And thanks also to the reviewer corps leaders for making them available for my review. This set takes the kit components and improves them by directly replacing the kit parts with fine, pressure-molded resin parts. These are very thin and fragile! Included are six antennas; two VHF blades, two Glideslope blades, one UHF blade, and one Omnidirectional antenna blister. Remove the parts from their pour stub, and superglue in place. These fit in place of the kit items, no additional sanding or kit plastic removal required. Quick and improved kit appearance with scale size and thickness. The kit parts are good; the Aires parts are… more |
|
A-37B Dragonfly Control LeverPublished:
THANK YOU to our friends and suppliers at Aires/Quickboost for another improvement set, in this case for the Trumpeter A-37 Dragonfly. And thanks also to the reviewer corps leaders for making them available for my review. This set takes the kit components and improves them by directly replacing the kit parts with fine, pressure-molded resin parts. These are very thin and fragile! Included are four control columns with much refined, thin columns, better boots at the bottom, and the control grip actually looks like the real thing, fantastic! The kit items are REALLY clunky and don’t look like they should. QUICKBOOST fixes that as shown in the side by side photos. Remove the parts from their pour stub, and superglue in place. These fit in place of the kit items, no… more |
|
L-19/0-1 "Bird Dog"Published:
Roden’s 0-1 was developed “Under the radar” for many of us; we learned in early announcements of its forthcoming release, and due to world events were concerned that we might never see the kit released. However, the kit has finally appeared, and we now have a large-scale bird dog in hand. Roden has reputation for developing kits that others won’t… and this kit is one of them. For all of us who clamor for “our favorite” or “why don’t they just make” in conversation, remember hundreds more will not be interested. In the case of the bird dog, is there a market base supporting the expense of the mold making and sheer monumental effort involved? Hopefully, the answer is yes, because Roden is on a streak. Their 1/144 C-141B answered the call from modelers on a manageable scale, and… more |
|
L-19/O-1 Bird Dog Landing Gear and Engine Supports for RodenPublished:
Product provided by: Ross, CEO of SAC Thanks to Ross at SAC for sending us another of your expansive line of metal landing gear (with extra bits for the engine mounts, nice!). Thanks also to IPMS USA leadership for sending it to me. Once again, a SAC upgrade to the basic kit plastic! The set consists of 5 parts: Two main struts, one tailwheel leaf-spring strut with tail wheel fork, and two engine mounts. Roden kits suffer from one problem; the soft plastic used is just not up to the task of holding up a model. In this kit’s case, it is worse because the gear is already spread at an angle like the majority of Cessna products, which means the real thing is a shock absorber (try landing on one with too high a sink rate and be bounced back in the air, experience… more |
|
DOGS OF WAR (1) US Army/USAF O-1 Bird Dogs in the Vietnam WarPublished:
AoA (Angle of Attack) decals: Been around about a year, and now we know they are focusing on Vietnam War subjects … We sincerely appreciate this new decal manufacturer sending IPMS/USA their latest releases for review! (…and the usual thanks also to IPMS USA Reviewer corps leadership for sending these my way...) This set is extremely useful in that it includes a bunch of USAF and US Army stencil and non-stencil markings, in both blue and black, in this case sized for the Roden 1/32 O-1/L-19. You have many options for use, and these are well researched and provide (1) different choices for YOUR model, and (2) provide an alternative to the (frequently) not-so-good kit decal performance. A set of airframe stencils in included for one model, along with national insignia.… more |
Jet Fighter Pilot with BA-22 ParachutePublished:
Product provided by: Master Details via the reviewer’s wallet Master details produces and distributes an expanding range of pilot figures and details for 1/32 scale projects; for now their focus is on the HK B-17, but they have other items in their lineup including an HE-111 Cockpit for the massive Revell kit. In this case, the pilot figure is an early Vietnam-era U.S. pilot with four different heads cast in metal (One with just the helmet and chin strap, one with the visor up and oxygen mask in place, and one with the visor down and oxygen mask in place, and one with visor down and no oxygen mask), an oxygen hose for the mask in metal, and seven resin body parts including two legs, and four separate arms, with a torso. The kit also includes a unit… more |
|
|
H-21C Shawnee "Flying Banana"Published:
This kit has been long in coming; a 1/48 scale H-21 appears to be a popular seller; first in the 1950’s with “Helicopters for Industry” corporation having tooled a rudimentary but well-done for the time model of the H-21A; released approximately in 1956, the molds of this kit (along with that company’s Hiller “ramjet” powered flying jeep helicopter with it’s rotor tip ramjet engines, and the H-19A), were then sold and marketed to Aurora around 1958. This kit was available through the 1960’s, and is still a classic and much-sought collectors’s item, fetching up to $175 on the market. Fondarie Miniatures developed their own new kit of the H-21 helicopter in the late 1990’s, which was released with vacform canopy and cabin windows, metal parts, and the usual short-run struggle to… more |
|
U.S. Aircraft Drop Tank CapsPublished:
THANK YOU to our friends and suppliers at Brengun for this sending us review items like this fuel tank cap set! And thanks also to the reviewer corps leaders for making them available to me to review…. This set takes the kit components and improves them by providing a more 3-d effect after installation. This simple set has different fuel caps for use on aircraft and, most assuredly, on other items in 1/48 scale. Included are 50 caps of various designs, sufficient for several WWII fighters To use this set is actually simple; prepare the kit fuel cap area by removing any detail, and use a spot of gel or thick superglue (a VERY SMALL SPOT or you will have ooze) to hold the part in place. I never would have thought a set like this would have utility, but when… more |