Martin Baker MB Mk10 Ejection Seat

Published: February 3, 2020
Company: PJ Production

PJ Production from Belgium makes resin aftermarket accessories for aircraft, as well as some very nice resin aircraft kits. Among their many products is a series of ejection seats to replace the usually plain kit-provided examples. This particular seat is a Martin Baker Mark 10 seat. The listing isn’t more specific than that, but says it is to be used in the Mirage, Alpha Jets, Hawk, F-18, Tucano, F-5, Rafale, Tornado, Sea Harrier, Eurofighter, AMX, Gripen, Shenyang, Osprey, and MB-339. Whew. The only one I’m not sure about is the F-5, but maybe the Swiss jets or some of the other foreign sales specified the Mk 10 seat. Still, plenty of jets to use the seat in.

The package comes with two seats finely cast in a yellowish tan resin. I found no bubbles or signs of miscasting.… more

E-2C Hawkeye Landing Gear

Published: July 6, 2014
Company: Scale Aircraft Conversions

Scale Aircraft Conversions, or SAC, make replacement landing gear for a wide variety of aircraft, in all the major scales. They are cast in white metal which is stronger than the plastic used in the kit’s pieces. To quote the company’s website, “Some sets consist of the main gear only while others include the nose gear, tail gear and/or adjacent related components. Some inaccuracies in the original kit gear have been corrected but the mounting points remain identical to the factory parts.”

This set is made to replace the landing gear on Hasegawa’s relatively recent E-2C kits. With added nose weight and all the parts that make up the kit, it can be relatively heavy. The metal landing gear will much more easily support that weight. Since they’re direct replacements for the kit… more

Martin Baker MB Mk4 Ejection Seat

Published: July 9, 2022
Company: PJ Production

PJ Production from Belgium makes resin aftermarket accessories for aircraft, as well as some very nice resin aircraft kits. Among their many products is a series of ejection seats to replace the usually plain kit-provided examples.

This particular seat is a Martin Baker Mark 4 seat. The listing isn’t more specific than that, but says it is to be used in Lightnings, Alpha Jets, Canberras, Hunters, and Vampires.

Now, I’m not entirely up on the Mk 4, but I know that most of those jets used different versions of the Mk 4, along with seats other than the Mk 4, in various versions of the aircraft. For instance, the Lightning used Mk 4BSB, 4BSC, 4BST, etc., while the Canberra used the Mk 1C, 3CSB, 4Q, 4QS, and others in various versions of the aircraft. I’m pretty sure the… more

F-100C/D Super Sabre Wheel Bay

Published: July 6, 2014
Company: Aires Hobby Models

Aires has created a new wheel bay upgrade set for the Trumpeter F-100C or F-100D. The set’s parts include the main wheel bay in the fuselage, the nose wheel bay, inserts to go into the wings, the nose gear doors and various struts, hoses, and retraction arms, along with a piece of wire to be used to replicate the hydraulic hoses for the main gear struts. In my set, the smaller pieces were broken off the casting block and all but two were missing. However, I’ve seen other copies of this set and this is not typical.

In order to install this set, you are directed to remove the kit wheel bays and the detail inside the top part of the wing. An advantage of this set is that you will not have to deal with the seam down the middle of the main bay after assembly. Additionally, there is… more

Halifax B Mk.I/II Air Intakes

Published: July 6, 2014
Company: Quickboost

This is another typical Quickboost accessory set. It’s designed to be a drop fit replacement for a kit part, usually with detail enhanced in some way. For this particular set, the ends of the intakes are hollowed out for you. As you can see in the accompanying pictures, you’d have to do that for yourself with the kit parts. Mind you, there’s nothing wrong with the kit parts. This set just saves you the time it would take to add that extra level of detail and there are eight of them. The parts are nicely molded, with crisp detail and no casting flaws or bubbles. They are handed, so be careful that you put the correct one on the correct side.

Thanks go to Quickboost for providing the sample and to IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review it.

Halifax B Mk.I/II Exhaust Type B

Published: July 6, 2014
Company: Quickboost

For those of you who have acquired the Revell Halifax in 1/72, you may have noticed that it gives you lots of options, including three different types of exhausts. While they’re not at all bad as they come in the kit, you’ll need to hollow out the ends of the exhaust stacks and that can be very tedious when you’re doing stacks for four engines. Quickboost, as they usually do, have stepped in and done that for you.

This set is for the Type B exhaust and provide exhausts for all four engines. They are nicely cast, in one piece, with no bubbles and the ends already hollowed out for you. Additionally, the kit parts are in two pieces each and you’d have to remove that glue seam. As usual, they’re a drop fit replacement for the kit parts and at the price, seem well worth it. After… more

SAR Helicopter Crew

Published: July 9, 2022
Company: PJ Production

PJ Productions from Belgium makes resin aftermarket accessories for aircraft, as well as some very nice resin aircraft kits. Among their many products is a series of aircrew figures ranging from WWI pilots through sitting and standing pilots for all the major combatants in WWII to modern pilots from Vietnam era through the most modern. These cover American, British, German, French, and Russian style helmets and crew equipment molded on the figures.

This set consists of four figures to man a European Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter, two pilots and two rescuemen. Of these, one is standing with a hand up, as if he’s standing on the skid of a helicopter guiding the hoist cable. This figure was missing the ends of the fingers on one hand, apparently a minor miscast. The second in… more

Halifax B Mk.I/II Exhaust Type C

Published: July 5, 2014
Company: Quickboost

For those of you who have acquired the Revell Halifax in 1/72, you may have noticed that it gives you lots of options, including three different types of exhausts. While they’re not at all bad as they come in the kit, you’ll need to hollow out the ends of the exhaust stacks and that can be very tedious when you’re doing stacks for four engines. Quickboost, as they usually do, have stepped in and done that for you.

This set is for the Type C exhaust, one of the stranger looking types available, and provided exhausts for one engine. Quickboost has made theirs a bit different than the kit parts and I think theirs are a bit more accurate. As usual, they’re a drop fit replacement for the kit parts and at the price, seem well worth it. After all, what is your time worth? Recommended… more

Halifax B Mk.I/II Exhaust Type A

Published: July 5, 2014
Company: Quickboost

For those of you who have acquired the Revell Halifax in 1/72, you may have noticed that it gives you lots of options, including three different types of exhausts. While they’re not at all bad as they come in the kit, you’ll need to hollow out the ends of the exhaust stacks and that can be very tedious when you’re doing stacks for four engines. Quickboost, as they usually do, have stepped in and done that for you.

This set is for the Type A exhaust, one of the more normal appearing types, and provide exhausts for all four engines. They are nicely cast, with no bubble and the ends already hollowed out for you. As usual, they’re a drop fit replacement for the kit parts and at the price, seem well worth it. After all, what is your time worth? Recommended.

Thanks go to… more

SB2C Undercarriage Doors

Published: June 19, 2014
Company: Quickboost

This Quickboost set is a direct replacement for the undercarriage doors for the Academy SB2C kit. They are almost identical to the kit parts, but have the push pin marks that are present on the kit parts taken care of. Due to the framework on the inside of the doors, the pin marks can be difficult to eradicate. Quickboost has done this delicate work for you. Basically, it comes down to the question: is the time and effort it would take you to fill and sand away the push pin marks without damaging the framework worth $6.50? If it is, this set is certainly recommended!

Thanks go to Aires Hobby Models for supplying the parts and to IPMS/USA for allowing me to review them.