Rod Lees
Reviews By Author
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Boeing B-47 Landing GearPublished:
Heavy, appreciative thanks to Ross at SAC for providing IPMS USA this review set. And to think I volunteer to do these reviews… what a cool way to practice the hobby! This set is one of SAC’s more simple upgrades. The Hasegawa B-47 is at least 45 years old as a kit (I believe 1968), and is still the only game in town if you want to build one in 1/72nd scale. Shape is spot-on, the wheel wells and bomb bay are potential superdetail areas (as the basic structure is there), and the overall presence is almost perfect. Recent upgrades from a certain Polish resin maker include new engine nacelles, a new, more detailed cockpit, and a new canopy (which is too flat and thick on the original model). A LOT of weight! This means one heavy bird for the landing gear to handle. The mains… more |
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A-1D Skyraider Landing GearPublished:
Thanks again to Ross at SAC for providing IPMS USA this review set. As usual, we are more than grateful for your support. And thanks to IPMS USA for providing it to me. This set is one which fits a real need for a kit upgrade. First, the Trumpeter Skyraider is an excellent kit for an early SPAD…the requirement to remove the later-in-life” armor plating on the external forward skin is not there, so if it is an early blue Skyraider you want to build, here’ s your starting point. The one thing that needs to be replaced in this otherwise excellent, well-fitting kit is the main landing gear. Some odd shortcuts have been used, and the SAC gear addresses those. As you can see, the follow-up struts on the upper portion of the gear are molded as a solid item on the kit gear. SAC… more |
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T-38A Landing GearPublished:
First, the usual “THANK YOU!” to Ross at SAC for providing IPMS USA this review set. Said it before and will again, it’s companies like SAC supporting us that keep the hobby interesting and viable. And thanks to the leadership at IPMS USA from me for allowing an old guy, once again, to babble on about a great product, which was graciously provided for my use… Steve, Dick, Paul, and the rest, you are doing a great job. SAC metal gear – what can you say? Perfection is a good starting point. This set is intended to be a total, drop-in replacement for the kit plastic. You get all three main gear, nose and wing mounted, and associated actuating cylinders. The detail is as good as the real thing, and the strength of the new gear is truly appreciated. Bear with me; the Wolfpack… more |
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Sopwith Camel F.1Published:
Our usual “THANK YOU!” goes out to our friends at Hasegawa USA, which provided IPMS USA with yet another of the prolific output from Hasegawa. We sincerely appreciate and value your continuing support! First off, this is a very unusual kit. Back in the 1980’s, Hasegawa released a Wright flier, a Fokker DR-1, and a Sopwith camel in 1/8th scale. These were wood and plastic kits, requiring a lot of building skill and time, and resulted in a large, functional model. They currently sell for over $1000 U.S. on our local internet sales sites. This new Hasegawa Sopwith Camel, however, is not that kit. Enter the new contender. If you have ever built a model “tall rigging” sailing ship, this would be about the equivalent. Be mentally prepared to work on your patience, small knot-… more |
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P-61B Cockpit and Gunner Station Detail SetPublished:
Squadron is one of the mainstay companies in the United States for our hobby, and they have been making great strides in providing customers great items at reasonable prices. In this case, their release of the Avionix-range of resin accessories is proving quite valuable. We cannot thank Squadron enough for their support of the hobby, and IPMS USA in particular by providing us new releases. On to the subject of this review: The Avionix front cockpit for Hobby Boss’ 1/32 P-61! I’m a bit tardy on this review; I received the Avionix review item a month or so ago, but the reason is I needed to purchase a kit to use it on, (I thought the backorder would arrive before the review item) and they keep selling out! Once I had it, I could use it to review the upgrade while meeting the… more |
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Ar-234C-3 with BT700 Anti-Shipping TorpedoPublished:
The usual sincere appreciation goes out to our friends at Hobbico (Hasegawa USA) for supplying IPMS USA yet another sample of their manufacturer’s prolific output. I am constantly amazed at what they deliver! I really like the Arado series of aircraft, so when the opportunity to build this one came up, I raised my hand. Having built a few of these in the past, I must comment on the condition of the kit. I did NOT notice any creeping mold-failures, excess flash, or other blemishes that identify what used to be known as an “old” model (anything over 10 years). The kit looked as if it were a brand-new design. Fit and construction confirmed the same. The basic model from Hasegawa is now a decade old, and what is in the box hides its age well. Engineering at its finest, ‘tis true.… more |
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Sea King HAR. Mk 5 “Ark Royal”Published:
The usual sincere “thank you and appreciate your providing us cool stuff!!!!” goes out to Hobbico for their continued, unflinching support of IPMS USA. I also am more than pleased to send out appreciation to our team leading the Reviewer Corps – Steve and Dick, glad you stick with us! A re-release of the venerable Sea King from the Hasegawa stable, this kit provides the additional details to make an HAR. Mk. 5 in the form of the radome on the aft fuselage spine, the ice/sand filter in front of the engine intakes, a six-bladed rotor, and several cast metal parts such as a water-rescue stand for the lower right side under the door, a metal rod next to it (probably a grab-bar for the spec-ops types to hold onto), and metal spike antennas under the lower front fuselage area. There… more |
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Merlin HC-3 Landing GearPublished:
Yet one more “You really should buy this or have your plastic gear fail in a year” set for a heavy model. Thanks as usual to our friend Ross at SAC for providing IPMS USA this set, and IPMS for sending it to me for review! This gear serves as an excellent example of why metal is a perfect medium for plastic model gear. First, the new Airfix plastic is a bit soft (NOT COMPLAINING, but it is not optimal for landing gear), and the SAC gear is yet again a “drop fit replacement” set. Second; on this model you HAVE to install the gear during construction, early on. There is no way to do it otherwise; on the main sponson gear in particular, the parts are sandwiched into the gear mount for structural integrity. It’s the only way to do it, as the gear goes all the way through the top… more |
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Sea Harrier Outrigger Wheels and Weapon PylonsPublished:
We continue to express sincere appreciation to our friends at Quickboost for providing us more of the prolific output of their company; I buy a lot of their items and hope others do as well. Without their expertise, we would be the poorer! Not much I can say for these additions...the new Airfix kits are a boon to the modeling community, addressing the need for simple yet detailed kits for the newcomers and also us old guys. But sometimes the details cry out for more. As usual, Quickboost steps up to the plate! What we have here are upgrades for the outrigger wheels; in the photo below, the… more |
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Spitfire Mk IXc (late) and Detail SetsPublished:
Detail sets for Edward Spitfires:
Every time I use superlatives to comment on a build, another one comes along to prove there is a LOT of great plastic, resin, and brass out there. This was the case with Eduard’s Spitfire! We at IPMS USA are truly fortunate to have Jan Zdiarsky and the team at Eduard supporting us by providing these most excellent kits and details to review. Right off the bat, I had the kit on the build table; the sheer number of resin and PE parts… more |