Rod Lees
Reviews By Author
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Douglas C-47/Dakota/DC-3 Landing GearPublished:
First, my thanks to Ross, the CEO of Scale Aircraft Conversions, for providing IPMS/USA with so many examples of his new products. I am certainly not paid to say any of this, but Ross and his crew have taken the metal landing-gear market by storm. Their cautious first releases were met with a chorus of “whys?” That was, until their metal was proven (a bad pun, but true). My personal epiphany came after building the Revell 1/32 Ju 88 kit. The owner of my local, now-defunct, hobby shop tried to convince me to use a set of SAC gear, but I passed based on the cost. Of course, the kit’s plastic gear failed after two months. I had second thoughts, but I was not convinced to try the SAC products until a similar fate befell my 1/48 Roden T-28; the kit’s gear legs were so accurately… more |
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T-2 Buckeye Metal Landing GearPublished:
Ross, you and your company do it again…. Thanks to SAC for developing a metal gear set for this new kit; and thanks to the IPMS leadership for sending it on! These stronger, metal versions of the kit’s gear, continue the “form/fit/function” replacement mantra. Short-run plastic is a bit soft, so metal gear becomes crucial with the larger kits. In the case of the buckeye, the nose gear is an offset single-arm strut, which makes the metal even more appropriate. Continuing the line of full-build reviews so we could see how the gear actually looks on a final product… As reviewed by others, the basic kit is a computer-enlarged version of Special Hobby’s 1/48 kit released a few years ago by Two-Bobs. Outline, detail, and appearance are catered for with plastic for the most… more |
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SU-27 Flanker Landing Gear (ZV)Published:
Thanks to SAC for developing a metal gear set for this new kit; and thanks to the IPMS leadership for sending it on! These SAC reviews may be the proverbial broken record; stronger, metal version of the kit’s gear, “form/fit/function” replacement. Bottom line is the SAC gear improves on the strength of the long kit legs. Continuing my line of full-build reviews so we could see how the gear actually looks on a final product. This new Zvesda SU-27M is a fantastic bit of engineering; particularly the intakes and exhaust augmentors. Attached is a photo of the turbine section and the flameholder grid - molding technology at its finest. No need for anything extra other than the metal SAC gear. Well, maybe a resin cockpit, but you get the drift. The Zvesda kit looks good out… more |
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US and German Paratroopers, South Europe 1944Published:
Thanks first to Dragon models USA for providing IPMS USA this interesting set of figures; your support is greatly appreciated…. And thanks also to IPMS USA’s leadership for the stream of things for me to work on! This set contains six figures; two U.S. GI’s in a semi-crouch, two Werhmact Fallschrimjaegers in a similar crouch, and two standing females who are the object of the military figures’ attention between the opposing forces; these are posed so one is pouring water over the other in a shower mode. A fanciful encounter, but interesting in that it could have occurred, and with what final outcome is yet to be known. The figures are all well molded, and sculpture is excellent; the facial features, in particular, are extremely well done. Each body is proportioned and… more |
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Kawanishi N1K2-J (George) Landing Gear (Has)Published:
The usual appreciation and applause to Ross at SAC for providing one more of his new metal gear for the new kits; and as usual, thanks to the IPMS leadership for sending it on! This is a stronger, metal version of the kit’s gear. It is essentially a “form/fit/function” replacement, with the exception of the fact the SAC gear improves on the strength of the long kit legs. For this build, I left the SAC items unpainted just to see how they looked. I may go back and change that later. This was a full-build review so we could see how the gear actually looks on a final product - as you can see, it looks pretty good (to my old eyes… at least)! The Hasegawa George goes together great, the interior took most of the time. I had a couple of areas requiring a bit of filler… more |
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F-14A “Danger Zone”Published:
Eduard’s “Danger Zone” release of the Hobby boss 1/48 F-14A with resin, Photoetch, and canopy mask embellishment, is a great package. Here’s why I think so:
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A3D-2 Skywarrior Big Ed Photo Etch and Mask Set - Part 3Published:
Once again, thanks up front to Eduard for sending us this set; It’s been a great upgrade, (as you will be able to see) and a worthy investment. Thanks also to IPMS USA leadership for entrusting such a massive endeavor to my feeble skills… Here’s the final two sets for the build!
The exterior detail set contains more sheet metal upgrades for the interior of the speed brakes, and the slats. Included are detail sheets for the inboard slat wells. These require annealing before you can bend them around the leading edge; I used pliers to hold the sheet, and a long-handled barbecue lighter was used to carefully heat up the sheet . Start at… more |
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A3D-2 Skywarrior Big Ed Photo Etch and Mask Set - Part 2Published:
Once again, thanks up front to Eduard for sending us this set; It’s been a great upgrade, (as you will be able to see) and a worthy investment. Thanks also to IPMS USA leadership for entrusting such a massive endeavor to my feeble skills… Here’s what’s was next in the envelope after I worked the interior sets…
The bomb bay was next; this was the most complex part of the build, but surprisingly only required a couple of days of effort. The sidewalls and end plates all fit perfectly (be careful… more |
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Blohm & Voss BV141 Landing Gear (HB)Published:
Thanks very much to Ross at SAC for providing IPMS USA this review accessory, and to the IPMS Review corps leadership for entrusting me to use it. Here is the latest in SAC’s line of gear to improve the kits we build. Consisting of two main gear, two retraction arms, two gear braces, and a replacement tail gear, it is a simple set with vastly improved strength. How do I know this? During my marathon building session over the Columbus Day holiday weekend, I was able to build the Hobbyboss BV 141 kit. And dropped it twice after installing the SAC gear. It stayed on, bent, but was bent back into shape. Resilience personified. This aircraft is an asymmetrical “odd duck” incorporating the radial engine off an FW-190, along with a side car arrangement (Observer and… more |
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Diorama: Here is Snickers, help yourself pleasePublished:
Thanks very much to Masterbox (MB) and Dragon USA for providing IPMS USA this review kit and to the IPMS Review corps leadership for sending this item my direction! OK, I’m not a figure guru. I tend to just build aircraft, but every once in a while, I get the urge to try my hand. Some day I may improve, sez I… This set is intended as a small vignette to show two allied Armor operators passing out Snickers ® candy bars to local kids, under the ever watchful eye of their mother. Hence the name of the kit… Depending on your experience if you have deployed overseas, this is either fanciful (Most of the time we were told to avoid any dealings with Middle Eastern families) or reality, depending on where you were sent. With that in mind, I take this build at face value… more |