Reviews of scale model detail sets.

Review Author
Mike Hinderliter
Published on
October 5, 2021
Company
Roll Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$2.25

Loon Models (Roll Models brand) has added another aircraft seat to their 1/72 aircraft accessory line. This one is for the Messerschmitt Me-262. Loon Models don’t specify a kit for this seat, but you will want to use one that has a normal cockpit in it. The kit I picked out for this review is an older Hasegawa kit of the Me-262A.

The LOON seat is two quality pieces of resin; smooth, seamless and bubble free. The detail is also very nice, and it doesn’t need any extra work to bring out the detail. The beauty of this piece is that all I had to do was paint it, assemble the tow parts, and add a drop of super glue for the install. No cutting needed on the original cockpit floor, just drop it in. This seat has no seatbelts molded on it, which is good if you want to add a pilot or add PE seat belts.

Review Author
Ben Guenther
Published on
October 1, 2021
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$7.50

Quickboost is striving mightily to make enough sets for a modeler to make a perfect Spitfire Mk.IX, if that is possible. The latest by their own definition is a 1/72 scale engine cover with radiator. What you actually have is the lower engine cover with carburetor intake. The part is perfectly cast in Quickboost fine grain resin and it only took me a few minutes using a razor saw, snips and a sanding block to remove the casting gate.

Review Author
Fred Amos
Published on
September 21, 2021
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$8.50

The latest release from Quick Boost is a complete set of resin exhaust tubes for the 1/32 scale A6M5 Tamiya kit. Once again the quality of the molding is flawless, no bubbles, or pin holes and the only flash is between pipes where there are more than one. I strongly suspect this is intentional for added strength while being shipped and handled. The resin is the light blonde color we have become accustomed to. And, of course, the ends of the pipes are hollow.

As can be seen in the photos of the packaging, each pipe is numbered and each number is referenced to the Tamiya part number that the part replaces.

If you have or anticipate getting a Tamiya 1/32 A6M5, you will want these exhausts to enhance the detail of the kit engine.

I can highly recommend this set.

Review Author
Dave Koukol
Published on
September 7, 2010
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$25.00

“So many Spitfires…so little time…” or at least that’s the way seems to die-hard modeling fans of Supermarine’s legendary fighter. Of all of the kits offered in 1/48th scale, Tamiya’s varied offerings of the Mk V are among the most popular with competitive and serious modelers. Excellent accuracy, detail, and general engineering of the kit put it in an elite class of quarter-scale Spitfires.

If Tamiya’s outstanding kit weren’t enough, those folks from Aires just had to take things a step further with their recent release of a cockpit set for Tamiya’s Mk V’s. Boy, do they deliver! Eight crisply-cast chunks of resin, a fret of top-notch photoetch, and a small sheet of acetate with instrument faces and gunsight glass to raise a high bar even higher.

Review Author
Luke R. Bucci, PhD
Published on
August 31, 2009
Company
Lion Roar
Scale
1/700
MSRP
$12.00

Bottom Line

None better – has very fine sagged and straight railings in 2- and 3-bar styles.

Photoetch Set Review

Lion Roar has a large line of 1/700 photoetch accessories for United States, Japanese, German and Royal Navy WW2 navies. This set is devoted exclusively to US Navy railings, both 2- and 3-bar varieties.

The fret contains seven types of railings:

Review Author
Joe Staudt
Published on
April 14, 2009
Company
J3 Models
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$4.95

Those of us that like to display our automotive models with the hood open generally face two problems. The first is, of course, having an accurate-looking hinge mechanism, and the second is keeping the hood open. It’s just about impossible to build accurate-looking hood hinges that are also strong enough to do the job they are supposed to do: they’re fairly complicated mechanisms with springs and multiple pivot points that just can’t be accurately reproduced in plastic. Well, J3 Models has a solution to this problem in their fixed open hood hinges.

Each hinge consists of a piece of photo-etched (I assume) metal representing the hinge itself, and a spring which attaches to the hinge to produce a fairly good replica of a hood hinge in the open position. There is a large horizontal surface available to attach the hood to, and another large surface that can be glued into the engine compartment to hold the hood in the open position.

Review Author
Mike Howard
Published on
April 14, 2009
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$22.95

Having recently gotten back into car modeling, more specifically Group "C" type cars, I jumped at the chance to review this pre-painted (blue) 5-point Sparco harness set. As with most high speed racing endeavors, the rules require some very stout driver to seat retention systems (seat belts), but these are poorly represented by either molded-in details or by decals. Eduard has come to the rescue with these excellent looking seat belt/harness sets.

I had to do a little research and stash cross-referencing to see what Group "C" car model that I had that would use the blue harnesses. After a short search, I found that the 1988 Le Mans winning Jaguar XJR-9LM (the Tamiya kit) used this color harness. The belts have a very nice texture to them and the colors are quite brilliant. As can also be seen in the photos, the lettering is very sharp and clearly printed.

Review Author
Doug Hamilton
Published on
January 1, 2009
Company
M & S Hobbies
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$11.95

Produced to fit the Tamiya Porsche 962 kit, this set contains four turned and polished aluminum wheels, cast white metal inserts, and a fret of photo-etched trim rings. Assembly is a very straightforward affair that involves installing the centers into the rims, and attaching the trim ring to the center. I recommend painting the center insert gold before installing them on the rims. After the photo etched trim ring is added, a dark wash was used to give a little added depth. The tires pressed on, and they were complete. The center lug nut could be polished, or painted depending on the car you’re modeling. Check your references when deciding what to do with the nut.

Review Author
Scott Hollingshead
Published on
January 1, 2009
Company
TSDS
Scale
1/128
MSRP
$6.29

The IPMS Reviewer Corps was recently contacted by the folks from TSDS Incorporated, asking if we would be interested in reviewing some of their products. The company is producing interiors, decals, and lighting sets for the Jupiter 2, Space Pod, and Chariot from "Lost in Space" that are produced by Moebius, as well as decals for the "Land of the Giants" Spindrift kit. Decal/detail sheets are available for the Aurora/Monogram "Invaders UFO" kit and the Moebius "Invisible Man" and "Seaview" kits, and four different Flying Sub interior items are made for the Moebius 1/128 and 1/32 scale kits. If you are a fan of this particular genre, I would recommend checking out their web site to see what all is available, as well as their pricing.