Rod Lees
Reviews By Author
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Soviet Air Force Colonel, Korean War, 1951Published:
First: Thanks to Aires for providing IPMS USA this figure to review! One of six in this review series, each shows a passion and dedication Aires have to providing the finest resin products. We appreciate your support, with the usual nod to IPMS USA leadership for allowing me to review these figures. Included with each set are painting instructions in color! Produced under the Aerobonus branch of Aires, this particular figure, a Russian Colonel from the Korean War era, 1951, has outstanding detail and fidelity; consisting of three resin parts (main body, left and right arm). The figure is wearing standard pants, shirt, and coat for the period. The head and shirt collar with tie are separate, wearing a standard Wheel cap. The left arm is casually in the left pants pocket… more |
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Soviet Air Force Colonel, Korean War, 1951Published:
First: Thanks to Aires for providing IPMS USA this figure to review! One of six in this review series, each shows a passion and dedication Aires have to providing the finest resin products. We appreciate your support, with the usual nod to IPMS USA leadership for allowing me to review these figures. Included with each set are painting instructions in color! Produced under the Aerobonus branch of Aires, this particular figure, a Russian Colonel from the Korean War era, 1951, has outstanding detail and fidelity; consisting of three resin parts (main body, left and right arm). The figure is wearing standard pants, shirt, and coat for the period. The head and shirt collar with tie are separate, wearing a standard Wheel cap. The left arm is casually in the left pants pocket… more |
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The Red Baron, Manfred von RichthofenPublished:
First off, thanks to MRC for providing us this review item… we in IPMS USA appreciate and value your support! This review was a bit different for me; I tend toward aviation and naval subjects, and this particular series keeps cranking out interesting figures. I have a DR-1 that could use some company, so here we are… Comprised of 30 parts in gray plastic, with a red circular display stand, I dove in and had everything together in quick order. My preferred method of figure construction is to assemble everything that can be painted or needs filling ahead of time. This kit is broken down into right and left leg halves, upper torso halves, and lower mid-rise coat tails. The arms are single-piece items, as is the head and boots. The left arm is displayed with the… more |
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20MM Cannon Barrels for Zoukei-Mura 1/32 J2M3 RaidenPublished:
The continuing line of people who would say “thanks!” goes around the building, down the street, and across town to Quickboost for providing yet one more of their fast-assembly improvements for AMS modeling… also, thanks go to our tireless IPMS reviewer corps leaders for sending this item my way! This is a simple, four-barrel set. You may well ask, “So, they have hollow ends… and the Zoukei-Mura (ZM) kit has slide molded barrels that are already hollow”. Or you could say “spend 20 minutes with a #11 knife and thin the walls yourself”. (It’s also a great way to do a blood glucose test on your fingertips…) Well, that’s what I was thinking until I held these up to the kit items. The kit barrels ARE hollow, but the flash supressors are a bit thicker than the Quickboost… more |
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Metal Landing Gear for Airfix Sea Harrier FRS-1, FA-2, GR-3 HarrierPublished:
Thanks to Ross at SAC for yet another outstanding metal gear set; IPMS USA are pleased to receive the support from your contributions! This set is, the usual, a simple drop-in replacement for the kit items. The set contains a compressed oleo main gear strut, a two-part nose gear, and the retraction strut for the nose gear. Not much to say; use superglue to assemble; they fit perfectly, and impress with strength and “peace of mind” with attaching wheels/tires to the axles. As usual, SAC landing gear are an excellent investment. The Harrier, in particular, is noteworthy for having the fragile plastic gear on most kits breaking off during handling; not so with SAC gear! Thanks again to Ross and SAC for continuing their line of strong metal gear! |
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Kfir C2/C7 Antennas and Air ScoopsPublished:
THANK YOU to our friends and suppliers at Quickboost for these excellent antenna and air scoop details, which are for use on the Kinetic and Wingman KFIR C2/C7 kits. The link to the scoops is http://www.quickboost.net/Obrazky/48578.jpg Not much to say here; no seam on the air scoops, delicate details, and antennas that look better than the kit items… and no filling of the air scoop seams Highly recommended for improved detail on either kit version,Thanks again to Quickboost and IPMS USA for providing these items… |
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F-105G AntennasPublished:
THANK YOU to our friends and suppliers at Quickboost for these excellent antenna details, which are for use on the Hobbyboss F-105G kits. Not much to say here; other than these are far better than the kit items…buy them! Usually the last thing "stuck on", antennas are the delicate exterior details of our aircraft, and add immeasurably to the kit. Highly recommended for improved detail! Thanks again to Quickboost and IPMS USA for providing these items… |
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Metal Landing Gear for 1/32 Italeri F-104G/SPublished:
Thanks to Ross at SAC for yet another outstanding metal gear set; IPMS USA continues to appreciate the support from your contributions! This set is, again, a simple drop-in replacement gear the new 1/32 Italeri F-104G/S. The set contains the entire main gear beam as one casting, with a nose gear; both are perfectly cast and directly upgrades the kit parts. Installation is super easy; use superglue and press the SAC gear in; they fit perfectly, and impress with strength and “peace of mind” with attaching wheels/tires to the axles. As usual, SAC landing gear are an excellent investment. As the kit plastic is a bit soft, the F-104 nose gear, being of the offset fork variety, will over time flex and you will have the toy-tricycle look to the nose. The main gear… more |
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BAC Lightning Pitot TubePublished:
Another excellent turned metal (aluminum this time) pitot assembly from Master Model; IPMS USA sincerely appreciates the support of Master Model, who continue to provide first-class products to improve our kits! Another in a long line of simple upgrades; you can see in the photos the kit item is thicker and “chunky” compared to Master Model’s replacement. You will need to remove the kit tube from the mounting boss, drill a hole, and install. It can’t be easier than that! Use superglue or epoxy to attach; the fit is perfect and doesn’t need anything else. And there is the excellent instruction sheet with actual drill dimensions and “how to put this on” for those who have never used aftermarket like this… a quality addition all around, and the cost is reasonable for the strength… more |
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Jaguar A Avionics Air Scoop and AntennasPublished:
The usual “Thanks very much” goes out to our friends and suppliers at Quickboost for an excellent detail set, for use on the new Jaguar kits out there. Face it, trying to drill out intakes on air scoops, and fabricating delicate antennas is out of the realm of most of our abilities. Let the experts in resin at Quickboost take care of your needs! This set addresses both areas for your Jaguar A… The avionics air scoop is delicate yet strong; same for the antennas. These are simple cut/fit items, replacing the chunky kit items. And no having to clean up the inner seam on the air scoop! Full marks for detail, appearance, and simplicity of use! Thanks again to Quickboost, Aires and IPMS USA for providing these items… |
