Rod Lees
Reviews By Author
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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 |
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P-61 Black Widow and True Details WheelsPublished:
A sincere “THANK YOU” goes to our friends at MMD for providing this most excellent combination for IPMS to review… This was the build of the year for me. This was a truly pleasurable effort on many levels. First, the size is agreeable… I’m getting older and if a kit is larger it’s easier to work with. The only drawback is where to put it! (The office wins again; most of my IPMS builds are given to the folks there… Most are VERY appreciative, as they can’t do it themselves). Second, I have not built a 1/32 kit like this in quite a while. I never worried about breaking the basic kit because of my ham-fists… Engineering is first rate! The kit has over 400 parts; if the number excites you like a jigsaw puzzle, buy the kit, because you’ll be busy. If you want a 1/32 spider,… more |
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F-4B Replacement Landing GearPublished:
SAC continues its prolific output of gear to handle the loads on our models. This is yet another drop-fit set designed for an aircraft which can put it to good use, particularly if you load it down with resin aftermarket ordnance (guilty, Your Honor) like an F-4. Everything was a perfect fit. Main gear legs fit nicely in the resin gear wells (toldja I was guilty). The nose gear slid into place just as easily; the actuating ram also went right into place. And as usual, my favorite, most-best part…now I don’t have the concern of collapsing gear within a year after I finish the model. Highly recommended and well done to SAC for yet another winner! Thanks as usual to our friend Russ at SAC for providing IPMS USA this set, and IPMS for sending it to me for review. |
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A-10 Replacement Landing GearPublished:
Once again, SAC continues its prolific output of gear to handle the loads on our models. This set is perfectly suited for an aircraft like the A-10, particularly with its offset nose gear leg and one-sided wheel yoke. The plastic version will fold or break over time; you may be fortunate enough not to have this happen, but why chance it? Everything is a perfect fit. Main gear legs and the nose gear are duplicates (with crisp detail and more durable brake hoses – as you can see, the kit parts have a lot of flash on them). Note: This particular A-10 molding dates back to 1987; I first picked up one of these kits at the now-defunct downtown hobby shop in Montgomery, Alabama, while attending Squadron Officer School. That’s how I remember when it came out, as I walked from the base… more |