Rotol Propeller for Spitfire Mk 1

Published: May 13, 2015
Company: Quickboost

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.

The new Airfix Mark 1 1/48 Spitfire is, by all accounts, an excellent kit. Detail is on par with 1/32 kits… and will make a show-stopper if built to the max.

One area which can, however, be improved on,is the Rotol Propeller. The kit items are slightly heavy; a resin replacement is definitely in order!

The Quickboost item addresses two areas; the thickness of the propeller blades themselves, and the spinner itself. The kit item has a baseplate, to which a propeller assembly is attached (it is keyed, so you can’t really mess it up), after which you install the spinner itself.

The kit spinner is not as… more

Lancaster B.II Gun Barrels (Round Perforation)

Published: May 13, 2015
Company: Quickboost

Thanks to Aires/Quickboost for providing more of their prolific output for us to review, and to IPMS leadership for sending it my way.

Once more, a quick review for a quick upgrade; Quickboost have provided 12 miniscule Resin gun barrels with round cooling vents for use with the Airfix Lancaster B II. This is the Hercules radial-engined Lancaster release, but the gun barrels will work on this kit and their recent other Lancaster B I and III Merlin engine released kits as well. As noted in my other review of the .303 barrels with oval holes, these should work on just about any aircraft requiring .303 gun barrels.

The muzzles are hollow, and the simulation of the round perforations is well done. In my case, Painting them black, then using the side of a #2 pencil then (… more

Lancaster B.II Gun Barrels (Oval Perforation)

Published: May 13, 2015
Company: Quickboost

Once more, a quick review for a quick upgrade; Quickboost has provided 12 miniscule Resin gun barrels with oval cooling vents for use with the Airfix Lancaster B II. This is the Hercules radial-engined Lancaster release, but the gun barrels will work on this kit and their recent other Lancaster B I and III Merlin engine released kits as well. As noted in my other review of the .303 barrels with round holes, these should work on just about any aircraft requiring .303 gun barrels. As a note, the oval perforation gun barrels are slightly shorter than the round perforation barrels.

The muzzles are hollow, and the simulation of the oval perforations is well done. In my case, painting them black then using the side of a #2 pencil and (GENTLY) polishing with a soft cloth, I was able… more

Panavia Tornado Landing Gear

Published: May 2, 2015
Company: Scale Aircraft Conversions

Thanks again to a great IPMS supporter, Ross at SAC… and to IPMS leadership for providing it to me for review. Metal gear rule!

This set provides 15 metal parts to replace the main and nose gear for the new Revell 1/48 Panavia Tornado. Besides the three struts, retraction arms, torque links, and associated extension and compression arms, there are also the torsion arms which fit at the top of the main struts which twist the gear as it retracts. Continuing their recent business model, Revell’s kit is a superior, cost-effective alternative to past 1/48 Tornado kits; detail is there, and out of the box you will have a show-stopper. Adding the metal SAC gear is, however, an excellent option.

One thing to note up front: the kit gear has two-sided struts; the SAC gear is one-… more

PV-1 Ventura Propellers w/Tool

Published: April 18, 2015
Company: Quickboost

Thanks to Aires for this excellent upgrade to the great Revell PV-1 Ventura model, and to IPMS leadership for providing it to me for review.

This set replaces the incorrectly shaped propellers with new, accurate paddle bladed Ventura props.

Step 1: Remove the prop hub and boss from the pour stub. Carefully mark the base of the hub, then use a razor saw or (better yet) a photoetch saw to cut through the pour base. Lightly sand to bring it all flush and even, and then on to the jig!

This set has a jig to allow you to drill out the prop hub to accept a shaft. There are two holes in the jig; the first has a raised circle of resin around it, into which you place the prop hub. Be CAREFUL, as the hub details are fragile. Then, using a 5/32” drill bit, carefully drill… more

PV-1 Ventura Correct Cowlings

Published: April 18, 2015
Company: Quickboost

Thanks to Aires for this excellent upgrade to the great Revell PV-1 Ventura model, and to IPMS leadership for providing it to me for review.

This set simply replaces the three-part kit cowling with a more detailed, one-piece cowling. Read on.

All you have to do is use a sharp knife, some quality CAREUL cutting time, and possibly a razor saw to remove the pour block from the back of the cowing. It uses gravity to ensure a full pour, and the resulting pour block might have utility in other places. I just used the multiple-cut pass method on the extreme-aft recessed panel line. A light draw of a sanding board on the back of the cowl when released, and I was done.

The kit cowlings require you to assemble two cowl halves, and a forward intake and cowl ring section.… more

M65 "Atomic Annie" Gun with Transporters

Published: April 18, 2015
Company: Dragon Models

Thanks up front to Dragon USA and to IPMS leadership for providing this kit to me for review.

This kit is an answer to an oft-repeated wish of the post-WWII armor crowd: A new-tool 1/72 scale atomic cannon. Why 1/72? Because even in transporting position, it is only 1 ½ feet long. The existing, much older and less accurate 1/32 kit from another age, at almost two and a half feet long when in transport position, was just too big to display for many. It had a lot of operating features, and looked like the actual item, but in reality is better served by a 1/72 scale model in my opinion. That said, if Dragon ever scales this thing up. who knows how it will sell?

The Black Label series is Dragon’s effort at competing in the challenging and changing field of armor models. The… more

P-40 Warhawk Landing Gear (Has)

Published: April 7, 2015
Company: Scale Aircraft Conversions

Continual thanks to one of our steadfast IPMS supporters, Ross at SAC, and to IPMS leadership for providing the set to me for review. Yes, it’s metal gear time again!

This set is the usual drop-in replacement for the Hasegawa series 1/48 P-40 warhawks. Parts include two main gear struts with torque links integrated, two side braces, retraction arms, and a tail gear. The tail gear is particularly welcome, as it is a typical offset one-arm tail gear, prone to damage from shelf abuse, moving models while dusting, or the occasional home pet attack.

Not much to say: Build the kit, then install the gear when you want. In this case, I assembled the airframe, and installed the gear so the kit would have something to stand on while I painted it. The pictures speak for themselves… more

Folland Gnat T.1 Landing Gear (AX)

Published: April 4, 2015
Company: Scale Aircraft Conversions

Thanks again to our steadfast IPMS supporter, Ross at SAC… and to IPMS leadership for providing it to me for review. Metal gear rule!

This set simply replaces the main and nose gear for the new Airfix 1/48 Folland Gnat. This is an excellent little kit, and the kit gear will serve the purpose out of the box, but the simplicity of installing metal gear on the assembled airframe is too good to pass up.

Parts include two main gear struts with extension and drag arms incorporated, and a nose gear. All three parts are one-piece castings, which justifies their use in my mind. Airfix is on a roll, and their kits just slide together with little fuss. The only complaint I personally have is the plastic is a bit soft, so small things like landing gear, pitot tubes, etc., tend to… more

Phantom P-51D Mustang

Published: February 3, 2020
Company: Revell

Thanks to one of our steadfast supporters, Revell, for providing us a copy of this vintage kit… and to IPMS leadership for providing it to me for review. Talk about a time capsule…

This kit was first released by Monogram models back in 1961. A groundbreaking effort at the time, it was the best of all modeling worlds; an accurately shaped P-51D in clear plastic, with plenty of detail and operating features. Retractable landing gear, spinning propeller, sliding canopy, bombs which could be dropped… what else could one ask for? All at the princely sum of $4.98! This model has stood the test of time; the molds have a little bit of flash, but the parts pretty well fit together as designed.

Released several times since then, this model epitomizes what can be done with… more