Reviews of products for scale aircraft models.

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Furball Aero-Design
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$6.99

Furball; a dogfighters’ term for a fighter-themed modeling company. We sincerely appreciate Furball Aero-Design’s support of IPMS USA and their providing one more of their great products for review. And thanks to the reviewer corps leaders for sending this set to me to review!

Everyone who loves to mask flaps and slats on white-belly marked F-14’s, raise your hands. (Not you, Scott, I know you hate Navy stuff and won’t touch them). Long story there...

Anyway, for the other hundreds who didn’t raise your hands and laboriously mask off the white slats and flaps on your Tomcats with bits of masking tape and swearing profusely, Furball has a simple solution: This very fine vinyl mask set!

To use: assemble Tamiya’s F-14 wings, and do all your prep work (seams, etc). Stick the wings on a holding fixture (I found the kit runners had some candidates), then primer with white.

Review Author
Marc K. Blackburn
Published on
Company
Airfix
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$54.99

Airfix has a long tradition of packaging kits into gift sets. This tradition continues with the release of the Bomber Command Gift Set. As you can see from the box, profits go to an RAF charity. They have blended their ground support set with a Lancaster Bomber, making for a Bomber Command gift set. I have had the opportunity over the past several years to review the newer kits that Airfix is releasing, and I have been very pleased with their choice of subjects, improved instructions, and ease of assembly. This continues with this gift set. Airfix usually adds some extras to their gift sets. This gift set includes little plastic bottles of Humbrol paint that correspond to the painting instructions. It also has two little tubes of plastic cement. Having never used Airfix cement, in spite of its smell, I certainly like it better than the traditional Testors plastic cement.

Review Author
Tim Hortman
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$13.00

Quickboost replacement propellers have been around for a few years now, but this is the first chance I have taken to work with one. I have to say I am impressed. This is an ingenious idea, which is very quick and simple – all at a reasonable price. There are other products on the market today which help the modeler to properly align their propeller blades. Quickboost has done something here which accomplishes the same thing, at lower cost.

The La-7 propeller set comes in the typical Quickboost plastic sleeve packaging, and contains several resin parts: The propeller hub, a resin set of propeller blades and “the tool”. The detail set is designed for the Hasegawa or Eduard boxing of the 1/48 WWII Soviet La-7 Fighter.

Book Author(s)
David Doyle
Review Author
Allan Murrell
Published on
Company
Squadron Signal Publications
MSRP
$19.95

The book is one of Squadron Signal series Aircraft in Action. It explores the history and development of the Convair B-58 Hustler. I have always loved this aircraft design and was very happy to have this book added to my reference library. The pictures of the B-58 in production and maintenance were something I really liked to see.

The book has some extremely interesting and diverse photos of the iconic B-58, there are over 200 photographs included. The photos show the classic lines and design of this wonderful symbol of the early cold war. The book drew me in to the point that I had to pull the B-58 model out of my stash ready to start building, using the book for valuable reference.

This book should be in every aircraft lover’s library and I recommend this book to everyone. The great reference photos are ideal for all modelers. The pictures and drawings of the aircraft during development, prototyping and production are very good and many I had never seen before

Review Author
Damon Blair
Published on
Company
Airscale Model Aircraft Enhancements
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$17.20

If you build modern aircraft in 1/32 scale, and are frustrated with some of the details that seem to be lacking on the instrument panels, this product will help you add more details to those instrument panels.

The package consists of one photo-etched (PE) brass sheet with a large number of instrument bezels, ejection seat handles, mirrors, switch panels, warning/caution light panels, and multi-function CRT interface bezels. Use these bezels/panels along with instrument decals (kit or aftermarket) and a truly realistic instrument panel can be made. This package, along with aftermarket instrument decals, can be used to scratchbuild panels that may not be included in a 1/32 kit, or replace a completely inaccurate panel on a kit. The ejection seat handles can be used to enhance either a kit ejection seat, or an aftermarket ejection seat.

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Furball Aero-Design
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$19.99

Furball; a dogfighters’ term for a fighter-themed modeling company. We sincerely appreciate Furball Aero-Design’s support of IPMS USA and their providing one more of their great products for review. And thanks to the reviewer corps leaders for sending this set to me to review!

This set provides markings for nine early-model F-14A’s from the Bicentennial era:

Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$19.95

Eduard continues to expand its series pre-painted seatbelts in the “steel” series. I think that Eduard Models call this product line “Steelbelts”.

When working with this new line of seatbelts (steelbelts) the main thing that jumps is how thin they are. Reading in the Info Eduard (June 2016 issue) they say they are 0.04 mm thick. I should probably say they are 0.04 mm thin. They are pre-painted and also have some shading (weathering) on them.

You apply them like any other metal aftermarket piece, using a dab of superglue. That is all that takes to use the steel seatbelts. About 1 minute per seat and it is very easy to do (if you have experience with small parts).

Review Author
Rob Booth
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$2.66

Quickbost has produced replacement parts for the Eduard 1/72 Fw-190 kits. The resin replacements are a simple drop-in for the kit’s plastic parts. The supplied items include two replacement ribs with finely detailed brace locks, which are not present on the kit parts. There is no modification required to the kit to use these details.

A side by side evaluation (see photos) indicates a replacement of superior detail that will provide a more accurate view should you have the occasion to closely inspect the underside of this exquisite kit. Note the additional detail on the locking mechanisms in the resin part over the kit’s parts.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to the IPMS Reviewer Corps and Quickboost for the opportunity to review this item.

Review Author
Rob Booth
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$10.95

Aires Resin has produced a set of replacement horizontal and vertical stabilizer parts for the Eduard 1/72 scale Fw-190A kits. The resin surfaces are a superbly detailed drop-in for the kit’s plastic parts. The supplied items include a firm greenish-grey resin casting block with the horizontal stabilizers attached. A side by side evaluation (see photos) indicates identical replacements that will provide poseable control surfaces for this exquisitely nice little kit from Eduard. As always, check your reference photos.

You won’t need to do any surgery to the kit to use these beautifully cast pieces in your build. The moveable surfaces could do with a quick swipe and wipe of Tamiya surfacer, and then ultra-fine sandpaper to tone down the prominence of the rib detailing and provide a more realistic fabric surface.