Eduard’s FW-190s are some of my favorite models. One of the things that is ‘nitpicky’ about them is that you have to cut open the wing root gun covers so that the kit parts will fit in a closed position. Sometimes this results in a less than perfect fit, depending on how well you cut them. Well you don’t have to do it anymore. Loon Models provides you with the two covers with the trailing edges suitably thinned so you no longer have to cut into the wings. This will make that whole process so much simpler and ensure a perfect fit.

Molded in light yellow resin that is blemish free these are easy additions to the kit.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Loon Models for the review copy. You can obtain your copy by contacting Roll Models. Tell them IPMS/USA sent you.

This upgrade provides excellent cast cockpit tubs, instrument coamings, and ACES II ejection seats. Included are side controllers; the control sticks are molded into the side panels. Score high there; no disappearing act on the joystick or those throttle levers while trying to attach them to the panels. Detail is unmatched on the resin. The photoetch fret contains all the myriad little bits designed to disappear or be invisible except to specialized cameras or those with 20/05 vision.

Designed for the reigning king of the 1/48 P-47’s, the exquisite offering from Tamiya. There’s no difference between the D and the M wing, so that means they it can be used on any Tamiya P-47 kit.

About the toughest thing to do with a Tamiya P-47 is to get rid of the ejector pin marks. This set takes care of that with the landing gear doors and wheel bays. The castings are in Aires standard dark gray resin except for the covers for the gear struts. Those are in a cream color and much more fragile than the gray castings. The pour stubs on the wheel bays are heavy and could be tricky to remove. It’s pretty much a straight drop, except you’ve got to remove the kit’s wheel bays.

Quick Boost has quickly built a reputation for excellent resin castings at affordable prices. These two sets are sure to add to that for the already great out-of-the-box 1/72 Hasegawa A-1J kit.

Few things are more heartbreaking than finally getting to the last stages of finishing a kit, only to realize that you’ve lost an antenna. Sure, you can try your skills at re-construction from scrap styrene, putty, or both but we all know that’s easier said than done. Again, these are direct replacements for the kit parts. My sample was very crisp and bubble-free

As always, make sure you wear a respirator when you make your cuts and vacuum up the residual dust once you’re finished.

While this set is designed for the Fujimi kit, it’s a direct drop in; you can easily use it on any of the Hasegawa offerings (which I’ll be using). It’s an excellent upgrade from the kit parts and requires minimal modeling effort to complete.

It consists of a single fret of 2 PE afterburner flame rings and two sets of exhaust “feathers” (long), afterburner cans, and exhaust cones. My sample was cast in dark grey resin and was bubble free. The cut lines are clearly defined and the resin separates easily from the pour stubs with a few swipes from a razor saw. A few swipes with a sanding sick leveled the parts up and they were ready to assemble.

Be very careful with the PE afterburner flame rings. They are extremely delicate and are somewhat oversized for the afterburner cans. I used a wooden dowel, to gently move them into position, to where the grooved afterburner can liner begins.