Rod Lees
Reviews By Author
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F6F-5 Hellcat Late Armament Covered .50 cal BrowningsPublished:
Thanks to Piotr at Master-models for providing these metal gun barrels to improve our Hellcats, and thanks to our IPMS leaders for sending these my way! The Eduard Hellcats have been around for a while now, and are great kits in their own right. Master details provide late-model covered .50 caliber Browning barrels to replace the kit items; these directly replace the kit plastic parts… In side-by-side comparison, Master Model’s gun barrels provide improvement on the kit items by providing depth and three-dimensional appearance over the kit parts, and improve the appearance by having finer detail than can be provided with injection molding processes. These are exactly the same as the version with the cooling jackets having holes drilled in them, without a separate barrel… more |
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F6F Hellcat Early Armament .50 cal Brownings w/ Drilled Cooling JacketsPublished:
Thanks to Piotr at Master-models for providing these metal gun barrels to improve our Hellcats, and thanks to our IPMS leaders for sending these my way! The Eduard Hellcats have been around for a while now, and are great kits in their own right. Master details provide six astoundingly detailed 1/48 gun barrels to replace the kit plastic parts… read on! Side-by-side comparison, Master Model’s gun barrels provide improvement on the kit items by providing depth and three-dimensional appearance over the kit parts. The kit guns are sufficient, but these bring the kit up that little bit… Simply replace the kit gun barrels with the metal versions; the cooling jackets slide over the barrels themselves; I recommend thin superglue and careful application to prevent… more |
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AM-48-109 F6F Hellcat Night Fighters Barrels w/ Flash HidersPublished:
Thanks to Piotr at Master-models for providing these fantastic metal flash hiders to improve our Nocturnal Hellcats, and thanks to our IPMS leaders for sending these my way! The Eduard Hellcats are still the best out there in my opinion, and Master details provide late-model covered .50 caliber gun barrel tips with flash hiders, which directly replace the kit plastic parts… As you can see on the “before” picture, the kit-provided gun barrels are a bit lacking in the flash-hider department. Adequate but not quite there… Master Model’s gun barrels tips and flash hiders provide improvement by providing depth and almost impossible three-dimensional appearance over the kit parts, and improve the appearance by having finer detail than can be provided with injection… more |
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Folland Gnat T.1 Pitot tubePublished:
Thanks to Piotr at Master models for providing one more great pitot tube to improve our models, and thanks to IPMS Reviewer Corps leaders for sending this my way! This pitot tube/air probe is a simple upgrade to Airfix’ most recent 1/48 Jet model, the Folland Gnat T1. Previously reviewed as a build kit, I figured it would only be a matter of time before Master released this for the Gnat… On side-by-side comparison, it is evident Master Model’s pitot is an improvement on the kit item. Finesse, is, as usual, the key word to describe what Master model products provide over kit injection molded pitot tubes. There is just no way plastic, (or frankly resin replacements), can compete with metal. Cleanup of the plastic version’s injection port is “dicy” at best, particularly on… more |
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F-104G/S Starfighter AirbrakesPublished:
Thanks to Aires for providing their excellent aftermarket parts for IPMS USA to review, and to IPMS leadership for providing it to me to review. Once more Aires improves an already great kit; in this case, the 1/32 Italeri F-104G receives an upgrade in the form of improved speed brakes. A grand total of eight parts are provided: two speed brakes (or speed boards, or air brakes, depending on your background), two fuselage wells to place them in, two actuating rods, and two brace frame assemblies. In the side by side comparison, Italeri has provided an acceptable speed brake well and boards. Aires has taken the kit parts, and raised the detail bar. There are rivets incorporated in the well, the frames are more delicate, and the speed brakes themselves appear to… more |
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F-104G/S Starfighter Control LeverPublished:
Thanks to Aires/Quickboost for providing more of their excellent aftermarket parts for IPMS USA to review, and to IPMS leadership for sending it my way. Quickboost has earned (rightfully) a reputation for providing just a bit more detail on a given area of a model; seats, cowlings, engines, can all be improved drastically with their parts. This is also the case with this set - control levers for the New Italeri F-104G/S. One pour stub holds six parts: three control column boots/bases, and three control columns with much improved detail on the grip assembly. Room for error or second kits. In the side by side comparison, Italeri has provided an acceptable and accurate control column. Where Quickboost has been able to improve on the kit item is incorporating a more… more |
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B-29 Antennas and AN/APQ-13 RadomesPublished:
Thanks to Brengun for providing this upgrade set for the Academy B-29; and to IPMS USA for sending it to me to review! This is a very simple set which is designed for the Academy 1/72 B-29, but could also be adapted to the Airfix B-29. Consisting of two resin Radomes, and a fret of PE antenas, this will go a long way towards improving the plastic items in the kit. First, the Radomes. The AN/APQ-13 antenna fit were used on some B-29’s early on; the later “bathtub” radome is in the kit, and you need to check your sources before you commit to installing these radomes. The resin is flawless, with easy to remove Pour stubs. The only thing you will need to do is hold a sheet of sandpaper over the assembled model fuselage, and sand the appropriate curve into the… more |
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M.B. Mk GQ-7A Ejection seatPublished:
Thanks to Aires for providing more of their excellent aftermarket parts for IPMS USA to review, and to IPMS leadership for sending it my way. This looks like a simple item to replace the kit ejection seat, and in practice it is. However, be forewarned that the harness assembly is not a “do it and done” loom job. Ejection seats tend to be cluttered affairs, and the Marin Baker series of seats are considered to be some of the more complex seats on the market. They WORK, but they are tough to buckle into. Tab “A” into slot “C”, when it is supposed to be slot “B”, can really ruin your day. So it is with this model seat. There are four extremely-detailed, hard gray resin parts, (the entire seat in one cast piece, two pull handles, an emergency oxygen bottle with fitting),… more |
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AH-1G Cobra AccessoriesPublished:
Thanks to Brengun for providing this most excellent upgrade set for the Special Hobby AH-1G cobra; and to IPMS USA for sending it to me to review! If you are interested in the “Snake”, the Special Hobby 1/72 kit is well worth acquiring. Y etc…turbine exhaust is a first in ANY scale, and two types of tail rotor mounts, one port side, one Starboard side based on the version you are building. And you get a set of not only 2.75” rocket pods, but minigun pods as well if you don’t use them. I purchased the M-35 kit, which has the externally mounted .20MM Vulcan short-barreled cannon, and the associated saddle magazine set for it. I hope they pantograph this one up to 1/48 or even 1/35, as it’s that good… and it’s appropriate for the Vietnam-era builders out there like me. The old 1/… more |
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Lancaster B.I/B.III Air IntakesPublished:
Thanks to Aires/Quickboost for providing more of their prolific output for us to review, and to IPMS leadership for sending it my way. These are ridiculously simple additions to the basic Airfix BI/III merlin engine kit; they are drop in replacements for the kit air scoops, and as such have hollowed-out intakes in place of the kit items, which have the injection point where the hollow intake should be. This is a great place to put the injection point, as it makes it blemish –free on the sides of the intakes…. If Airfix had over-engineered the intakes to have the injection points on the sides, along with two halves for the scoops, it would about be a nightmare to assemble correctly, and would have resulted in wailing and gnashing of teeth… Quickboost once again… more |