Rod Lees
Reviews By Author
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Spoked Wheels and Block Tread Tires for MosquitoPublished:
Ultracast is based in Canada, and have been around quite a while, providing excellent resin cast items for the AMS modelers among us… With that, extreme thanks to our friends at Ultracast for providing these excellent castings to us, and thanks to the IPMS leadership for sending them to me for review! These are simple replacement items for the Tamiya wheel and tire sets in their Mosquito kits. I have assembled one of each, one from the Ultracast range, and the Tamiya kit items side by side. What first strikes me are the small details; the air inflation stem on the outer portion of the wheel, the increased depth of the Spoke area, and the excellent tread pattern that makes up the tire. And no seam filling! The tire tread in particular is better defined than the kit… more |
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B-17G Navigator and Bombardier Compartment Detail SetPublished:
This is part 3 of the continuing review of Eduard’s interior parts for the HK B-17 kit. The usual thanks to Eduard for providing us these sets is again stated! This installment covers the very visible nose interior section of the aircraft. I have noted several reviewers take Eduard to task for daring to try to include details that are (1) actually there on the aircraft and (2) are considered redundant since you “can’t see them.” Not so; they will be tough to see, but the Eduard updates certainly add a lot of visual interest to the kit. Having built more than my share of Monogram B-17G’s over the years, that kit has better basic interior detail in many ways than the HK kit, and Eduard is addressing those points. This much detail is, of course, a matter of personal taste… more |
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B-17 Seatbelt SetPublished:
Part 2: Continuing the saga of the new Eduard parts for the HK B-17; again, extreme thanks to Eduard for providing these sets for IPMS USA to review! This set is a basic but necessary item to complete the HK Models B-17G. This set contains one color fret of PE to cover the requirements for seven separate seat arrangements within the kit: the pilot and co-pilot seatbelts, the bombardier and navigator seats, and the seats in the radio operator’s compartment. As you can see by the set, when used on the pilot and co-pilot seat, the “almost operational” level of detail is there. I will note the appearance on the other seats when I get to those particular parts of the aircraft. These harnesses have stitching, male and female buckle components, release levers, leather pads,… more |
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B-17 Cockpit SetPublished:
We at IPMS USA are truly blessed to have the passionate detail experts at Eduard providing us their latest releases. We appreciate your support, and thanks also to the IPMS reviewer corps leadership, (Steve, Dick, and Dave) for having confidence in my abilities to deliver the goods on this most daunting task! Over the next few weeks, I will be reviewing some of the primary Eduard sets for HK (Hong Kong) Models’ 1/32 B-17G. I refer to this effort as a “metal storm” because there are at least a thousand little bits and pieces in these sets that I will attempt to do justice to without making a “dog’s breakfast” of the parts. I think I’m up to it, so let’s move on. With the release of the HK Models B-17G kit, Eduard has once again stepped up to fill the detail niche for… more |
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Me-410 Radio RackPublished:
The usual “Thanks very much” goes out to our friends and suppliers at Quickboost for an excellent detail item, in this case an upgraded, simple radio rack drop-in for the Meng kit item. Almost the same as the Aires radio rack, the difference is in the mounting. Check out the photos – on the side-by-side, the right is the Quickboost item, the left is the Meng item, and the manufacturer picture shows the Quickboost item. The QB item facilitates use with the already stellar Meng basic cockpit interior; this alone makes the upgrade worth the cash! Again, a 10 for detail and appearance. Thanks again to Quickboost and IPMS USA for providing these items for review. |
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Me-410 50cm Cannon Barrel and MG BarrelsPublished:
The usual “Thanks very much” goes out to our friends and suppliers at Quickboost for more superdetailed bits…in this case, the “big gun” for Meng’s Me-410 and barrels for the side turrets. In this case, a simple side-by-side review of the gun barrels is in order. Notice that the Quickboost cannon is larger than the kit item, and the gun barrels are better defined. Paint and install…simple and detailed, far better than the kit item. Again, a10 for detail and appearance; the muzzle brake alone makes this a “10” item! Thanks again to Quickboost and IPMS USA for providing these items. |
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Me-410B-2/U-4 Cockpit SetPublished:
Another interesting, timely upgraded cockpit from Aires – thanks from IPMS USA for providing us this excellent upgrade! If you have not built an Aires cockpit before, have a light read here. They are worth the time and cash, but require a bit more work than just a paint and “drop in” session. The Meng Me-410 cockpit is an excellent item as it is; the Aires replacement provides fineness and detail which is lacking in the basic injected kit item. The assembly process is as follows: CAREFULLY remove the excess resin from the bottom and back of the cockpit tubs. I use a small Delta belt sander for this; it’s a great way to destroy small parts, so be careful. You can also put some really cool debridement of your skin and knuckles on the list. The other cleanup option… more |
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Mk. 46 TorpedoesPublished:
The usual “Thanks very much” goes out to our friends and suppliers at Aires for providing us a brace of detailed, upgraded Mark 46 torpedoes – excellent parts as usual! These torpedoes only took about 10 minutes to assemble; careful removal of the parts is called for, as the aft fairing and torpedo fins and propellers are extremely fragile, but they look great once assembled. There was no filler required on this set; the keyed front body fits tightly into a socket on the aft section with the fins, making them a perfect fit. NO PE FINS OR PROPS! I was so pumped over this… The instructions include a full-color painting diagram of various Mk 46 torpedoes in use; you just need to figure out which you are using. In my case, simple bare metal with a bit of Titanium… more |
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Kfir C2/C7/F-21 Exhaust NozzlesPublished:
The usual "Thanks very much" goes out to our friends and suppliers at Aires for providing us this marvelous exhaust nozzle; you have made quite a niche in the market, and IPMS USA is pleased to review your products! This is an upgrade to the existing kit exhaust nozzle. As it is, there are only two parts to the Kinetic kit afterburner/reheat section; with a bit of paint and drybrush, an acceptable exhaust can be obtained. With the Aires upgrade, not only do you get a much more detailed hot section and fairing, you get a photo etch flameholder, a detailed augmenter tube, and a super-detailed exhaust nozzle and external aerodynamic fairing petals. The only difficulty I had was attaching the exhaust nozzle assembly to the augmenter tube, but a bit of light grinding of the… more |
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F4U Corsair Landing GearPublished:
Thanks to Ross at SAC for providing IPMS USA this review set. Keep on producin’, amigo! We need these! Although the Tamiya landing gear for its new “wunderkit”, the F4U, is just fine as is, there is always the opportunity for improvement. Enter SAC full-metal landing gear! This upgrade is one that fits well with the new kit. Here’s why… The Tamiya gear incorporates two plastic strut halves with a metal rod in the center. This does two things: (1) provides detail; and (2) provides the necessary (but basic) strength for a large kit. The difficulty is, you still need to clean up the seam line, and the actual wheel and axle assembly can be a bit weak in full plastic. The SAC gear, being one-piece full metal, fixes both issues nicely. Strong, and just as detailed… more |