Rod Lees
Reviews By Author
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Seat Harnesses for Mossie Mk IVPublished:
Sincere appreciation to Eduard for providing yet another review item, and to the IPMS USA reviewer corps leaders for sending it to me! This set is a basic replacement of the Tamiya kit Seat harness with a better item. The Tamiya seat belts are steel, and a bit difficult to bend into position. You also have to paint them; not so with the Eduard set! Pre-painted, easy to install, and looks fantastic in the end. Careful installation paid off; I just followed the kit instructions, painted the plastic, and then installed the Eduard harnesses. Nothing difficult; just take your time and they fit great. See the pictures! The usual 10 of 10 for subject and performance on this simple set, well done Eduard! |
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MERPublished:
Sincere appreciation to Eduard for providing yet another review item, and to the IPMS USA reviewer corps leaders for sending it to me! This set continues Eduard’s effort to provide modelers with previously unavailable, well detailed resin sets. 69 parts make up this set; you can assemble three MER from it, with options for either early “unbraced” rack attachment, or later externally-upgraded braces for the rack. It’s simple to use; I removed the aft pour stub, drilled a hole in the back to use a wire to hold the rack for painting, (the actual rack has a recess, which doesn’t need filling when finished) Rattle-can for primer and final finish, and it was ready to detail up and install. The bomb mounts themselves require one to drill out the mounts for the sway… more |
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F-4J CockpitPublished:
Sincere appreciation to Eduard for providing yet another review item, and to the IPMS USA reviewer corps leaders for sending it to me! This set continues Eduard’s effort to provide modelers with previously unavailable, well detailed resin sets. Forty-one resin parts, and photoetch - both color and unpainted, make up this set. You can assemble one F-4J cockpit with late model Mark IV Martin Baker Ejection seats. F-4’s are the poverbial dog’s breakfast when it comes to cockpit configuration. All Naval aviation varieties have the provision for the aerial refueling probe taking up the upper starboard side of the radar navigator (GIB or “Guy in Back”) compartment, and therefore have lots of cobbled-together configurations as to black boxes, communication gear, controls, etc… more |
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"YOU'RE CLEARED IN HOT!" USAF OV-10A Bronco FACs in the Vietnam WarPublished:
AoA (Angle of Attack) decals: usually focusing on Marine Air, but in this case, on USAF OV-10A’s…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 sheet is a comprehensive delivery focusing on USAF Broncos from various units in country during the Vietnam war. Also included with this release is the Stencil set 32007 for the High-visibility OV-10’s flow by the USAF. Differences from others include the red turbine warning stripe on the nacelles, in addition to the prop warning stripe. That, and a lot of artwork on spinners including easter egg colors, white stars on a blue spinner, etc… From the AoA website: … more |
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Bronco Airframe Stencils (2) USAF OV-10A Broncos (High-Viz)Published:
AoA (Angle of Attack) decals: New on the block, and focusing on Marine Air … We sincerely appreciate this new decal manufacturer sending IPMS/USA their latest releases for review! (…and the usual sincere appreciation also to IPMS USA Reviewer corps leadership for sending these my way.. ) This sheet is a comprehensive delivery providing stencil markings for USAF OV-10A’s; from their website, here’s what is on the sheet:
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Mk.81 Bombs SetPublished:
Sincere appreciation to Eduard for providing yet another review item, and to the IPMS USA reviewer corps leaders for sending it to me! This set continues Eduard’s effort to provide modelers with previously unavailable, well detailed resin sets. Consisting of 36 parts, you are presented with six forward bomb casings, six sets of low-drag standard fins, six fuse extenders, six fuses, and two different sets of six forward end caps for transportation or other situations where other fusing is used. Decals round out the presentation, including yellow stripes for the bomb noses and two types of stencil, yellow and white. Assembly requires careful sanding of the pour gates after you remove the parts, particularly if you don’t want “wonky” fins. You will have to ensure… more |
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LAU-10/A Zuni Rocket Launcher SetPublished:
As usual, I am eternally grateful to Eduard for providing yet another cool review item, and to the IPMS USA reviewer corps leaders for sending it to me. This small set continues Eduard’s effort to provide modelers with previously unavailable, well detailed resin sets. Consisting of 14 parts, you are presented with two resin pods, three sets of end caps (one for the front of the pod, and options for either a loaded or transport/storage pod cap) Eight warheads are provided, and these appear to be the standard High-explosive variety. No double-ogive versions in this case. Decals round out the presentation, including yellow stripes for the warheads and stenciling for the pods. Cool details: The open end caps with the four- folding-fins represented in each tube, or… more |
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OV-10 Broncos DecalsPublished:
NOTE: This review covers two decal sheets. The stencil decal, 32005 has a MSRP of $12.50. It can be found on the AOA website at: http://www.aoadecals.com/32005/home.htm. AOA (Angle of Attack) decals: New on the block, and focusing on Marine Air … 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.. ) The two sheets being reviewed were provided in the same package; I don’t know if this is the common delivery method. This (32-004) sheet covers a total of 21 different options for the OV-10A/B as flown by Marine and Navy Air in Vietnam. Included with this sheet was the… more |
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OV-10A/B, "DA NANG WAR HORSES USAF/USMC OV-10A Broncos in the Vietnam War"Published:
AoA (Angle of Attack) decals: New on the block, and focusing on Marine Air … 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 sheet is a comprehensive delivery focusing on one Marine and one USAF Bronco with two different schemes operating out of Danang AB in South Vietnam. I utilized the Marine decals… NOTE! This sheet includes only the major airframe details for the two subject aircraft. From their website: “This small 1/32 decal sheet includes two Marine VMO-2 aircraft, one from 1969 and the other from 1970; and the USAF 20th TASS CO's "famous" shark-mouthed Lois Little, which can be depicted from different time periods in… more |
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OV-10A/CPublished:
We sincerely appreciate the manufacturer Kittyhawk for providing this kit to IPMS/USA for review! (and the usual thanks also to IPMS USA Reviewer corps leadership for sending the kit my way). Kittyhawk, as a relative newcomer to the plastic model aircraft arena, is breaking new ground with each new release. First, they are delivering kits we old timers never thought we’d see. A look at their website shows a commitment to stepping up to the plate. Right now the 1/32 kits are causing extreme excitement, and rightfully so. Read on. We customers are provided with a box espousing six marking options (one United States Air Force Gray, Two United States Marine, one Thai, and one Philippine Air Force. All are colorful options, and cover the bases for markings. By the way, the… more |