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Reviews of products for scale aircraft models.
Package

F-104G/S Starfighter Control Lever
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$6.50

Thanks to Aires/Quickboost for providing more of their excellent aftermarket parts for IPMS USA to review, and to IPMS leadership for sending it my way.

Quickboost has earned (rightfully) a reputation for providing just a bit more detail on a given area of a model; seats, cowlings, engines, can all be improved drastically with their parts. This is also the case with this set - control levers for the New Italeri F-104G/S.

One pour stub holds six parts: three control column boots/bases, and three control columns with much improved detail on the grip assembly. Room for error or second kits.

Package

B-29 Antennas and AN/APQ-13 Radomes
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Brengun
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$8.80

Thanks to Brengun for providing this upgrade set for the Academy B-29; and to IPMS USA for sending it to me to review!

This is a very simple set which is designed for the Academy 1/72 B-29, but could also be adapted to the Airfix B-29.

Consisting of two resin Radomes, and a fret of PE antenas, this will go a long way towards improving the plastic items in the kit.

First, the Radomes. The AN/APQ-13 antenna fit were used on some B-29’s early on; the later “bathtub” radome is in the kit, and you need to check your sources before you commit to installing these radomes. The resin is flawless, with easy to remove Pour stubs. The only thing you will need to do is hold a sheet of sandpaper over the assembled model fuselage, and sand the appropriate curve into the mating surface of the radomes before installing with epoxy or superglue. Very easy.

Package

M.B. Mk GQ-7A Ejection seat

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$20.85

Thanks to Aires for providing more of their excellent aftermarket parts for IPMS USA to review, and to IPMS leadership for sending it my way.

This looks like a simple item to replace the kit ejection seat, and in practice it is. However, be forewarned that the harness assembly is not a “do it and done” loom job. Ejection seats tend to be cluttered affairs, and the Marin Baker series of seats are considered to be some of the more complex seats on the market. They WORK, but they are tough to buckle into. Tab “A” into slot “C”, when it is supposed to be slot “B”, can really ruin your day. So it is with this model seat.

Product packaging

F/A-18 Resin Update Set
Review Author
John King
Published on
Company
Brengun
Scale
1/144
MSRP
$4.95

The Revell of Germany 1/144th F/A-18C has been on the market since 2005. It’s a great little 1/144th scale jet. The Korean company ACE has re-boxed the Revell kit in recent years, but the plastic is all the same. Although it’s a nice representation of the Legacy Hornet, the Revell F-18 could benefit from some upgrades. Brengun has recently release a small resin set to improve the Revell kit.

Included in this resin set are: new landing gear doors, main wheels, leading edge extension (LEX) fences, ejection seat, new burner cans, a plethora of generic antennas, and a vac-formed canopy. The resin parts are nicely molded. I found two tiny pin holes on one of the main wheels. The vac-formed canopy is crystal clear. However, on my example there was a small blemish in the windscreen.

Front Cover

Fouga Magister
Book Author(s)
Tine Soetaert
Review Author
Hub Plott
Published on
Company
Mushroom Model Publications - MMP Books
MSRP
$31.50

This book takes a look at one of the most famous French training aircraft of all time. There is a brief history of its development and use and then the book moves into an extreme detail photo essay.

The book begins with the type’s development including the explanation for why all Magisters built were done with out ejection seats. We are provided with scale drawings in both 1/72 and 1/48 as well. There is a brief overview of all the variants of the design before going into the production of the aircraft and coverage of all nations that used the Magister. This section is accompanied by 40 color profiles of these various users. Want to see what a Ugandan or El Salvadorian Magister looked like? They are here.

The bulk of the book, approximately 70 pages gives the reader an in-depth walkaround and detail photo essay. Virtually every panel and door has been opened and the contents documented. If you would like to super-detail your model, this book is for you.

Mask Sheet

Mark V Spitfire AGM Masks
Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
Company
Res-Im
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$5.43

Res-IM has made a masking set for the Tamiya 1/48 Spitfire Mk. Vb. The kit has the following markings:

  • Spitfire Mk.V, EN821, 243 Sqn, SN-M
  • Spitfire Mk.V, BL479, 316 Sqn, SZ-X
  • Spitfire Mk.V, AGM, Fighter Command Hq, flown by Wing Commander A.G. Malan

This masking set is die cut vinyl masks and provides the markings wing and fuselage roundels, the fuselage letters for the sides, the tail flashes in two styles and also the EN codes for one set of markings. The masks are very flexible and cut well.

Box cover

Stinson Reliant SR-9
Review Author
Ron Verburg
Published on
Company
Round 2 Models
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$19.99

History

The Stinson Reliant was a popular single-engine, four to five seat, high-wing monoplane manufactured by the Stinson Aircraft Division of the Aviation Manufacturing Corporation of Wayne, Michigan. The Reliant is a three-place high-wing fixed tail wheel land monoplane powered with a variety of radial engines.1,327 Reliants of all types were made from 1933 to 1941, in different models, from SR-1 to SR-10. The final commercial model, the Stinson Reliant SR-10, was introduced in 1938.

Package

Venturas in Canada 3
Review Author
Roger Rasor
Published on
Company
Aviaeology
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$11.15

Aviaeology’s Venturas in Canada 3 provides complete decal markings for eight individual late-production Ventura GR.Vs in Royal Canadian Air Force, Western Air Command service in the last two years of WWII. An 8-page black & white documentation/instruction booklet is supplied in the set describing the subjects in great detail and providing painting and decal application instructions based on photographs of the actual aircraft. It’s worth noting that several of the Venturas in this set were featured on the silver screen during the filming of the movie Son of Lassie at RCAF Station Patricia Bay in 1944.

Package

Spitfire Mk.V Five Spoke Wheels & Masks
Review Author
Roger Rasor
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$13.50

Aires has added a pair of detailed Spitfire Mk.V 5 spoke wheels/tires to their aftermarket parts line that can be used to replace the ones that come in the new Airfix 1:48 scale kit. The wheels have excellent hub detail and fortunately none of the bulged and flattened look popular with other brands. The tires are smooth with no discernable tread. They also have an opening on the backside of the hub with a recess that matches the locating tab on the Airfix landing gear so everything will align correctly.

The wheels are cast in a very smooth gray resin that will polish up nicely after removal from the casting block. Parts can easily be separated from the block with a razor saw or xacto blade and smoothed with sanding sticks. Because the material is resin, it will be necessary to use superglue (CA) or epoxy cement to attach the aftermarket parts to the kit’s styrene plastic landing gear legs.

Package

MiG-15 Landing Gear
Review Author
Paul R. Brown
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$11.95

The set consists of 5 one-for-one replacements for the kit landing gear on the new Eduard MiG-15 kits. The nose gear is a single casting of the strut and the nose wheel, and incorporates the spoked effect on the tire seen on the kit part. The main gear each consists of a main gear strut and the retraction/extension actuator. As with the other SAC sets the parts are finely cast and need minimal clean-up before being painted and installed. My set had a bit of flash on each of the small struts coming off the main gear struts, that initially looked like part of the gear, but I have been unable to find any photos showing this to be part of the gear, so I clipped it off.’’

A nice touch to add to a great little kit – recommended. Thank you to Scale Aircraft Conversions for the review sample and to IMPS-USA for letting me review it.

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