Halifax B Mk. III canopy masks

Published: October 11, 2016
Company: Eduard

Thanks to Eduard for providing more of their excellent aftermarket parts for IPMS USA to review, and to IPMS leadership for sending it to me!

This set is simple to use; Kabuki tape masks for all the clear bits! Included are masks for all the windows, canopy parts, and gun turrets, and wheels. One benefit of these sets is the ability to mask off VERY tiny windows; in this case, all the 1/8” round porthole windows, and some of the intersecting canopy window bits. These can be less than 1/16” across, and are VERY difficult to mask; same with the turret frames, because of the complex curves. Eduard utilizes multiple small tape masks to make sure you cover all the areas without wrinkling, which leads to paint creep under the tape.

After you have installed the canopies and… more

Halifax B Mk. III Exterior

Published: October 9, 2016
Company: Eduard

Thanks to Eduard for providing more of their excellent aftermarket parts for IPMS USA to review, and to IPMS leadership for sending it to me!

This set seriously improves the appearance and detail of Revell’s 1/72 halifax B III; consisting of all the requisite improvements for the landing gear bays, and a few sundry other bits and pieces like the aft fuselage between the tail turret and mainframe, plus details for the landing gear frames.

This set is simple to use and improves the kit exterior. Main gear bays are improved with front and aft bulhead details, stringers, and detailed sidewalls. The gear doors have interior lamentaitons added for detail, as well as positive-attachment hinges. I used thick superglue to attach everything on this set.

Using a curved #11… more

Halifax B Mk. I/Mk. II Main Bomb Bay

Published: October 8, 2016
Company: Eduard

Thanks to Eduard for providing more of their excellent aftermarket parts for IPMS USA to review, and to IPMS leadership for sending it to me!

This set vastly improves the appearance and detail of Revell’s 1/72 Halifax II and III; consisting of a ceiling section, individual frame elements and door inserts, with relief detail etched in place, it is well worth acquiring if you intend to build your Halifax with the bomb bay open.

Like many Eduard sets, This main fuselage bomb bay is not for the faint of heart; it requires patience, dexterity, skill, and a lot of luck to pull off a successful installation. Only the hard-core need apply; it is not a beginner set, but in the hands of practiced modelers, makes a huge impact on the final product.

Remember rule 1: Metal… more

Halifax B Mk. III Wing Bomb Bays

Published: October 7, 2016
Company: Eduard

Thanks to Eduard for providing more of their excellent aftermarket parts for IPMS USA to review, and to IPMS leadership for sending it to me!

Early British bombers were designed with wing bomb bays; these have been overlooked in the past, but this set brings the mystery of this equipment out of the darkness and improves the appearance and detail of Revell’s 1/72 Halifax B III; Consisting of all the requisite improvements for the wing bomb bays, including bomb racks, doors, and mounting hardware.

This set is simple to use; Revell provides convenient guides on the inside of the lower wing sections to make it easy to remove the closed kit doors; use a straight edge and #11 blade to do so. I used thick superglue to attach everything on this set.

A bit of simple… more

Halifax B Mk. III interior

Published: October 7, 2016
Company: Eduard

Thanks to Eduard for providing more of their excellent aftermarket parts for IPMS USA to review, and to IPMS leadership for sending it to me!

This set vastly improves the appearance and detail of Revell’s 1/72 halifax B III. The kit consists of all the requisite improvements for the forward crew section on the Halifax: a new pilot seat, seat harnesses, instrument/control panels, engine throttles and control levers, radio and bulkhead details, and sidewall details.

This set is simple to use and improves the kit cockpit with little fuss. The parts are not self-adhesive, so there is a need to use your favorite cement/glue to attach things. I use Gator Loups’ polyurethane “Gator glue” for the instrument lamentations, and superglue to attach everything else.

Using a… more

Trainers No More: Trojans at War: T-28B/C/D Trojans in the Vietnam War

Published: October 3, 2016
Company: AOA Decals

AoA (Angle of Attack) decals: Initially focusing on Marine Air, AoA now branches out to other services and nationalities, in this case the T-28B/C/D, armed COIN (COunter INsurgency) ground attack aircraft…We sincerely appreciate their sending IPMS/USA their latest releases for review! (…and the usual thanks also to IPMS USA Reviewer corps leadership for providing me them to review)

This sheet Follows AoA’s standard of releasing several interesting subjects with ability to model at least two aircraft; in this case, decals for 18 different aircraft are provided. Printed by Microscale, the colors were aligned and spot-on; density was not a problem, and unlike other aftermarket decals, were very flexible. As much as I like a certain other company’s products, they… more

Dassault Mirage III - Pitot Tube (with adapter for Italeri kit)

Published: October 2, 2016
Company: Master Model

The master metalworker of Poland, Piotr, just keeps cranking these things out… THANKS VERY MUCH for sending IPMS USA another of your growing line of turned metal Pitot tubes, and thanks also to IPMS USA leadership for sending it on to me to review….

This is the now-expected, much improved upgrade to the kit plastic. Consisting of 1 metal pitot tube and a radome adaptor directly replacing the kit pitot probe, this is an easy addition to improve the longevity of your kits’ appearance… The usual warning about being careful with the needle-like probe applies.

The Mirage III pitot tube is a multiple- angle, different diameter item; look at the finished product to get what I am saying. There is just no way for us mortals to turn a needle into a tube looking like this with the… more

Harrier GR Mk.7/9 Exhaust Nozzles

Published: September 28, 2016
Company: Eduard

THANKS VERY MUCH to our friends at Eduard for providing IPMS USA another of your huge line of resin aftermarket kit improvements, and thanks also to IPMS USA leadership for sending it on to me to review….

This is a simple upgrade to the kit plastic that makes a HUGE difference in the blood pressure of the builder. The Hasegaga GR7 and 9 kits’ Harrier hot and cool air exhaust duct nozzles are molded in halves, with an almost-impossible-to-fill centerline assembly seam. These Brassin nozzles come complete as single-cast, seamless ducts with all the appropriate depth and detail we have come to expect from Brassin. The nozzle vanes themselves are EXTREMELY thin and look like the real thing.

I mounted the nozzles’ by their pour stubs to a stick with superglue to my… more

Sniper ATP for Harrier GR.9

Published: September 26, 2016
Company: Eduard

THANKS VERY MUCH to our friends at Eduard for sending IPMS USA another of your huge line of resin aftermarket kit improvements, and thanks also to IPMS USA leadership for sending it on to me to review….

This is a specialized iteration of the Sniper targeting pod as carried by the Harrier Mk 9. Included in the set are the pod body, forward sensor section, three clear resin parts ( three protective glass fairing covers), and a photoetch set with four brackets and two different end plates. Also included are two separate resin sets of delicate but strong sway braces, and a separate block resin bracket for a different lot number of pod. There is also a decal sheet to finish off!

Detail is fantastic; the avionics cooling scoop is hollow, and the pod fore/aft… more

AIM-9B Sidewinder

Published: September 8, 2016
Company: Eduard

Sincere appreciation to Eduard for providing IPMS USA yet another review item, and to the IPMS reviewer corps leaders for sending it to me!

This set is part of Eduard’s expanding range of aftermarket accessories to use on various aircraft. In this case, you receive four missile bodies with aft fins already cast in place, a set of forward fins (16 total), and four clear resin seeker heads. Also included is a set of resin ground-protective end caps which can be placed over the seeker heads, and a decal sheet to handle all four missiles. There is also a brass etched set of missile nozzles.

A word on the detail: FANTASTIC! These are the first AIM-9’s I’ve noted that have all three rail mounts in place between the fins; the rollerons are extremely well done, and the rest of… more