Rod Lees
Reviews By Author
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Buccaneer Pitot Boom and A/R Probe NozzlePublished:
Another in a long line of excellent turned metal (aluminum in this case) items from Master Model; IPMS USA sincerely appreciates Master’s support of our reviewer corps! Once more Master provides a turned-metal pitot probe and Air-Refueling nozzle to replace the kit items; these are destined to satisfy our requirements for strength and accuracy. This package contains two metal parts in a double-bag system; first, the outer protective card with details on the contents, then an internal “small” bag with the scale, strong pitot tube and Air refueling probe nozzle. As you can see by the pictures, these metal parts have far better detail than the kit items. This particular set requires a bit more finesse to integrate into the kit, as the 1993-era Buccaneer model is… more |
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Arado 234bPublished:
First, welcome to FLY models and thanks very much for sending us this great kit to review… and to the IPMS USA review corps leadership for sending this kit and the landing gear accessory to the crazy builder in Oklahoma… I purposely did not open any other review commentary on the new Fly Arado 234B-2/B-2N kit… my impression was to be that of someone who just invested in a new company and wondered how it was going to come out. To the people at FLY… You need not worry; this is one magnificent effort and I’m VERY impressed! The box belies the size of the aircraft; the Arado is about the size of a B-26, and therefore has a commanding presence in this scale. As I removed the kit items from the box, the initial impression was one of high quality for a “limited run”… more |
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Metal Landing Gear for C-123Published:
Thanks yet again to Ross and his team at SAC for passing on this set to IPMS USA and to our leadership for sending it my way!!! This set is an almost mandatory upgrade (as they all are), targeted for the new Roden C-123 kit. I have been waiting for someone to do this model for a long time; there are several interesting paint schemes and variants, and I remember these crawling around the sky when I was much younger. A “RANCH HAND” spray bar added to this basic kit would make an interesting yet controversial “Agent Orange” display... Roden makes excellent kits, and have really improved recently; the only drawback I have ever experienced is the softer plastic used for these models tends to bow or flex over time on major structural parts like landing gear. And, as I have said… more |
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Metal Landing Gear for Hasegawa F-35Published:
The usual thanks to Ross and his team at SAC for passing on this set to IPMS USA and to our leadership for sending it my way!!! This set is, as usual, a simple SAC upgrade (as they all are), targeted for the new Hasegawa F-35A kit. Among the big three 1/72 F-35 kits that I have now constructed, (Academy, Italeri, and Hasegawa), the Hasegawa kit is by far the simplest. In many ways I like the detail better, particularly the use of decals for the external RAM panels. No external stores or open weapon bays… this one is the clean, closed up and stealthy model. The cockpit itself contains an excellent crewmember figure if you choose to use it (I did). The SAC set contains two main gear struts, four actuators, a nose gear strut, and the forward actuating arm and torque link… more |
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Me 163B Seat with Safety BeltsPublished:
Quickboost’s latest item is a detailed seat, with the harness installed, for the Meng 1/32 Scale Me 163B. All you need to do to use this seat is paint to it, remove it from the pour stub, and install it. This seat is well worth the investment, as it will save you the time of building a seat with harness. In person, it looks a lot better than under a digital camera’s lens. This item is, like all Quickboost parts, worth every penny! Thanks to Aires for providing IPMS/USA with this review set and to the IPMS/USA leadership for passing it my way! |
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Cockpit Set for ME 163BPublished:
Thanks first to Aires/Quickboost for providing IPMS USA this review set and IPMS leadership for passing it my way! OK, here we go. The Meng ME163B is a very nice kit; the addition of a bit of resin is applied in this case to the cockpit. I believe this set could also work in the 40-year old Hasegawa powered-egg… have not tried it yet. The overall presentation is excellent. The tub itself is well detailed as is. Mounting straps for the “S” stoff tanks on either side of the pilot are there; the back bulkhead has rivet and seat mounting details. A yoke for the rudder pedals mounts in the forward tub, to which are attached massive foot pedals with standard boot harnesses. I recommend you remove about ¼” of the lower cheeks off the forward cockpit tub, because it will not… more |
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USAF / US Coast Guard SA-16A Albatross DecalPublished:
Thanks very much to our friends at Caracal decals for providing us this sheet and to the reviewer corps leadership and team who continue to keep me straight on my review efforts! DECALS! One of the reasons I really enjoy plastic modeling. The decals usually mean “We’re almost done”; the final markings are what I look forward to in the build. (anyone out there willing to confess to really enjoying filling and sanding seams?). Caracal are a relatively new company; they jumped in early, knew the market, and are delivering in a big way. The vast majority of their sheets sell out fast; if you want them, you need to preorder. On their website you can see what is coming, and plan accordingly. On to their new 1/48 SU-16A sheet. The subject decal sheet has markings for… more |
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Dornier Do 215 Main Landing GearPublished:
I’ll start by continuing my line of thanks to Ross at SAC for providing one more set of his gear and to the IPMS/USA leadership for shipping the item to review! This will be a really simple review; the SAC set for the excellent new ICM 1/48 Dornier series provides an equally excellent upgrade to the kit’s landing gear. Consisting of four parts, this set is, as usual, an attractive and worthwhile acquisition to use on the kit. The set is useful, if for no other reason, in that the kit items require extraordinary care in removal from the parts tree. See the pictures for an example of the kit items still attached to the injection runner: the broken kit arm is an example of the scale (but delicate) nature of these items. In this case, the complex retraction and extension… more |
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British FA 2 Sea HarrierPublished:
First: Sincere thanks to Lucky Model for sending us this most excellent kit, and thanks also to IPMS USA leadership for once again believing in my ability to deliver within a deadline…. The FRS 2, (later changed to FA 2) Sea Harrier was a logical 1990’s upgrade to the combat-proven FRS 1 SHAR (Sea Harrier). An improved SEA VIXEN Doppler radar was installed, pilot-friendly cockpit displays, and changes to avionics and defensive systems were integrated. As this is not a political forum, let’s just say governments decided to use defense funds for other things, and the SHAR fleet is no longer… I also confess to being a fan of the SHAR; it acquitted itself well over 30 years ago in the Falklands conflict, and the FA 2 was a logical follow on… the testament is how the British Defense… more |
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Sea Harrier Landing Gear (Kin)Published:
Once again, thanks up front to Ross at SAC for sending us another of your expanding line of metal landing gear, and thanks also to IPMS USA leadership for sending it on. This is (once again) a basic upgrade to the kit plastic. The kit landing gear consists of two halves for the forward gear, a one-part aft main gear, and two outriggers with actuators and doors integrated as one item. As usual, SAC gear replaced these. The kit nose gear requires taking care of a seam, after the nose wheel and tire is inserted. The kit wheels should be inserted carefully into the tire, but the plastic could possibly break or deform permanently. The SAC solution is more elegant. Superglue the upper strut and lower fork together, let it cure, then spray with metal primer. Paint gloss white… more |