The SAC website says they replicate plastic kit parts in white metal and correct inaccurate or missing details if needed. That is the case in this set for the 1/48 Airfix Tiger Moth kit. The main landing gear on the Moth has two forward facing struts connecting the main gear to the fuselage. Airfix does provide those in the kit. They are not part of this set. It also has two smaller struts facing rearward. Airfix didn’t include those in the kit but SAC has. A tail skid replacement rounds out this offering. I recommend this set for anyone wishing to build an accurate Tiger Moth.

Thank you to SAC for the offering the sample for review and to IPMS for sharing that sample with me.

With the success of its A320/321 Airbus has proven a worthy competitor to the Boeing 737. This set replaces the gear parts in the Revell A321 New Engine Option (NEO) kit. Six parts are provided and the casting is directly from the kit parts including runners with kit part numbers on them. No doubt, there are advantages to metal parts supporting a model of this size but there are some issues. Removing the parts from the sprues was difficult to do without distorting the parts. The metal used is very pliable so they can be straightened out. In this scale, I don't know how precise the parts prep would have to be but the sample had some offsets in casting that needed a lot of material removal to make level joints. Once the struts are glued to the main gear, it makes a pretty stout assembly. I did not have the kit to compare too but photos references do match the parts fairly well.

Scale Aircraft Conversions, located in Texas, is well known to be a source of high-quality white metal landing gear sets for aircraft. Visiting the SAC Home Page on the internet, SAC states that,

“We manufacture a line of white metal landing gear for 1/18 to 1/144 scale aircraft. 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. With numerous sets we have not sought to duplicate non load bearing component parts where the factory plastic parts are reasonably accurate. “

SAC also notes that they have been in business since 1990, offering white metal and resin parts. The SAC website features a page that will help the “first-timer” to successfully install the white metal parts of the model. Look for the navigation link labeled, “Using White Metal”.

Value Gear is known as a supplier of high-quality detail parts for armor kits as well as other subjects. Their accessories add to the detailed interest of any armor kit.

All the parts in this kit are resin and have an amazing amount of detail in them.

These accessory items are directed to the M-4 Sherman Easy 8 tank. I say items “directed to” because there are several armor kits that these items could be used on.

Package contents

The package contains 2 bundles of logs, 2helmet ruck sack combinations, bundle of tarps and storage boxes, a large tarp and 5 bundles of blankets.

Painting Materials

The first thing I did was to wash the resin barrels in soapy water to remove any residue that may be on the pieces.

I decided for ease of handling that I would attach the items to a small piece of wood with sticky tape ready for painting.

The following are paints that I used

The Chipmunk was a Canadian design that satisfied the need for a post WWII primary trainer to replace the outdated Tiger Moth and other trainers like it. First flown in November 1946, it went on to become the standard primary trainer for the RCAF and RAF. Most famous in civilian hands was the “Super Chipmunk”, flown by aerobatic legend Art Scholl. I have a personal connection to the Chipmunk as my grandfather, a flight instructor at the Montreal Flying Club, taught many a pilot to fly in what he described as a beautiful flying aircraft.