Victor K2 Tanker

Published: February 3, 2020
Company: Revell

This kit traces its lineage to the now-defunct “Matchbox/Lesney” company in the UK. It was one of their last kits before going into receivership in the early 1980’s… Revell bought the molds, and fortunately this kit is available again.

This Victor was heralded by all Anglophiles as a great thing, who had endured the occasional vacuform Victor or the odd-scale kits from other companies to scratch one arm of the three British “V” bombers itch. Never mind that it was molded in bright green and pale gray plastic, had huge raised panel lines, and fit that was a bit dodgy… it was a Victor!

… This kit has been re-released several times, most notably with an improved decal sheet spanning the mid-1980’s green/gray over gray scheme, and the later desert-storm “Hemp” gray over… more

Fabric Seat Harness for Spitfire Mk 1

Published: August 3, 2015
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 my way.

This harness set is takes advantage of one of the new technology opportunities provided by our ever-expanding aftermarket companies… micro fabric.

The harness appears to be laser cut on material with a white paper backing. Detail is there; in this scale, it was hard to see sometimes, but more on that anon…

I followed the instructions on the back of the sheet, which have you cut out the harness, ball them up and then remove the backing. I did this on the shoulder harness, and this is where I was challenged (and ultimately failed). The material took on a permanent curl and would not lay out so I could thread buckles. I… more

Color PE Interior for Spitfire Mk 1

Published: August 3, 2015
Company: Eduard

Thanks to Eduard for providing more of their excellent aftermarket parts sets for IPMS USA to review, and to IPMS leadership for the chance to review this item.

First: this is a basic upgrade to the kit items. It works very well, providing a serious improvement in kit fidelity with just a little work… read on!

This kit contains everything you would expect in an Eduard PE upgrade; the instrument panel is the now-standard “sandwich” of several panels, which results in a high-fidelity instrument panel, to which you add details such as levers, switches, etc.

One important addition is the compass and mount, which are fitted at the lower portion of the panel behind the control column. Once folded and in place, it really adds to the visual effect.

Rudder… more

Exhaust Stacks Spitfire Mk 1

Published: August 3, 2015
Company: Eduard

Thanks to Eduard/Brassin for providing more of their excellent aftermarket parts for IPMS USA to review, and to IPMS leadership for sending it my way.

Not much to say on this one; a pair of early Spitfire Mk 1 “kidney”-shaped merlin exhausts with the straight tube exhaust port at the ends of them already hollow-cast. The pour stub is at the base of the exhausts, so these become convenient handles for painting and handling.

Designed for the Airfix new-mold Spitfire Mk 1, these are simple to use (as usual). Primer then paint while on the pour stub, carefully remove with a sharp knife, install with superglue. The kit items are acceptable, but these Eduard items are a real timesaver.

A fantastic-looking upgrade… Thanks to Eduard/Brassin for this set!

Spitfire Mk 1 Wheels

Published: August 3, 2015
Company: Eduard

Thanks to Eduard/Brassin for providing more of their excellent aftermarket parts for IPMS USA to review, and to IPMS leadership for sending it my way.

This is another simple upgrade to the Eduard “brassin” line… Wheels and tires for the Airfix new-mold spitfire Mk 1.

Why new wheels and tires? The wheels have deeper, more defined detail than the kit items, and the tires have the manufacturer’s name and the rib around the smooth treat circumference. On with the review..

First: Primer the parts. I use duplicolor flat black for this; (it’s a tire, huh?) once cured and dry, masked the back side of the tires with the excellent kabuki paper masks… and a bit of tape around the rest of the tire so I wouldn’t have to paint the whole thing over again. Leaving the brake… more

Spitfire Mk. I Exterior Details

Published: August 1, 2015
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 my way.

This set improves on the fine detail of several exterior areas: the radiator and oil cooler; the landing gear; the wheel wells; the gun doors; and the rudder actuator arm.

Begin with the Radiator and oil cooler. This modification requires you to sand off the detail on the intake and outlet bulkheads on the radiator and the oil cooler, and then you can attach the Eduard parts. These fit perfectly. Then you install a 1/32” wide mount plate and probe for the temperature sensor for the radiator. This change will try your patience, but I did it, so you should be able to as well. Then put the radiator and oil cooler… more

Spitfire Mk 1 Landing Flaps

Published: July 31, 2015
Company: Eduard

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

Here we go. According to the flight manual, the average Spitfire pilot will retract the flaps as soon as he/she is on the ground because the flap interferes with cooling air exhaust from the radiator, which leads to overheating on the ground. BUT, sometimes flaps must be down for maintenance, which is how Eduard approaches the situation.

This set is not for the faint of heart. it requires patience, dexterity, skill, and a lot of luck to pull off a successful installation. I get four of 10 on this one for my lack of the above.

HOWEVER, many will do just fine with it. Remember rule 1: Metal work hardens every time you bend it… more

Spitfire Mk.I, Mk.Vb Landing Gear (AX)

Published: July 18, 2015
Company: Scale Aircraft Conversions

Thanks again to our prolific IPMS supporter, Ross at SAC, and to IPMS leadership for providing this set for review.

This set simply replaces the main and tail gear on the Airfix 1/48 new release (2014) Spitfire Mk I and Mk V.

BUT wait, there’s more! Included in this set are two different versions of the spine-mounted Radio aerial post, and the underwing Pitot tube. Very nice, and good use of a small set’s versatility, particularly since there is not much to this set as far as metal volume. Might as well amortize costs, and this does it.

Notice on the stock kit that the main gear is in two parts; the upper strut and pivot assembly, along with the uplock arm, which attaches to the trunnion pivot points, and then later in the build, the lower shock strut. Why was… more

Halifax B III

Published: January 23, 2021
Company: Airfix

Thanks to Airfix for providing an excellent “blast from the past” for IPMS USA to review, and to IPMS leadership for providing it to me to review.

This kit first saw the light of day back in 1961; I remember seeing the advertisements in “Flying Review International”… Yes, that pretty well dates me as a ‘60’s child. So, now that you know the heritage, what can you learn from this review?

This kit is old technology. OK… The fit is not exemplary; in particular, the nacelles for inboard engines do not fit up to the wing. Same for just about all the clear parts; there were plenty of issues with the fit of them. But it’s a 1/72 Halifax BIII.

The rivets are not huge, but they are all over the model. If you want to remove them, be prepared to spend a lot of time sanding… more

"Blue Devil" Fletcher-class Destroyer

Published: June 29, 2015
Company: Round 2 Models

Thanks to Round 2 models for sending us this “blast from the past” kit, and leadership for generously firing it my way to relive what could have been for a very young modeller…

First, this is a BIG model. A yard’s worth…(36 inches)… Suitable for R/C (Many have tried and succeeded), display (with work) or free-running (for those with big enough pools… it’s too easy to lose a non-controlled ship in a local pond).

The box art is an attention-getter: using the original 1964 box art is a great idea; nostalgia sells. (Yep, I was six at the time when I first saw this kit). It was what got my “COOL MODEL” factor spun up. (For those interested, I saw this kit at “Who hobbies” in Rapid City, South Dakota, where my father was stationed at the time as a missile support helicopter… more