Reviews of products for scale aircraft models.

Review Author
Hub Plott
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$13.95

What you get in the package is a full gear replacement in white metal for both main gear legs and the nose gear. In many cases SAC will assemble some of the kit parts prior to casting . This is what they have done in this case. They have also cleaned up the gear and filled any imperfections that were present on the original plastic parts.

The gear in the kit consists of six plastic and two resin parts. The metal replacement parts make up 5 pieces, two for each main gear and a single piece for the nose gear.

Review Author
Roger Rasor
Published on
Company
Master Model
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$19.00

Master Model has added two 1:32 scale detail armament sets for cannon equipped Hawker Hurricanes to their line of detail parts. These sets mirror sets they have produced in 1:72, 1:48 and 1:24 scale. This set (#AM-32-074) provides parts to assemble four highly detailed Hispano Mk.II cannon with flat recoil springs that were installed on the Hawker Hurricane Mk IIC. The parts are designed to replace the injection molded ones found in Revell Hurricane kits. All components are turned brass. The set includes two pair of wing fairings that are sized in different lengths for outboard and inboard positions on the port and starboard wings, four gun barrels and four turnings that simulate the flat springs.

Review Author
Dick Montgomery
Published on
Company
Furball Aero-Design
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$20.00

Furball Aero Design, in association with Detail & Scale, offers an expanding collection of decals for the modeler, and this set is designed to be used on the Kitty Hawk TF-9J Cougar. This review does not include any comments on the Kitty Hawk kit, but focuses solely on the Furball/D&S decals.

My initial response to the decals upon inspecting them was very positive. The decals are the result of much research and it shows. But then, that is a hallmark characteristic of Detail & Scale, which provided the research. The detail in the stenciling and markings is outstanding. I noted that the decals were printed by Cartograf and I have yet to have a problem with a Cartograf decal. Detail & Scale coupled with Cartograf printing? That’s a win-win.

Review Author
Bob LaBouy
Published on
Company
Tamiya
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$52.00

The Aircraft

This is the second release of the 1/72 scale F-16CJ [Block 50] Fighting Falcon now with parts depicting underside equipment used on the aircraft! The versatile F-16 Fighting Falcon's adaptability to both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions makes it one of the cornerstones of the U.S. Air Force today. With over 4,500 F-16’s completed since it’s introduction in 1976, there have been numerous models of this aircraft in most model scales to date. Block 50 evolutions of the aircraft were deployed from 1991, F-16CJ fighters being fitted with radar countermeasures. The aircraft's capabilities have also been extended to include night fighter functionality.

Book Author(s)
Stuart McKay
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
Specialty Press
MSRP
$49.95

Stuart McKay has updated his out-of-print seminal 1999 edition on the Tiger Moth, Midland Publishing’s 272 page tome, “Tiger Moth, De Havilland’s Legendary Trainer”. If you ask, just who Stuart McKay is, I would have to answer that he is Mr. Tiger Moth. Stuart McKay has been fond of Tiger Moths since his teenage years and is the founding Secretary of the de Havilland Moth Club (Since 1975) and is the editor of the de Havilland Moth Club.

Review Author
Roger Rasor
Published on
Company
Master Model
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$20.00

Master Model continues to offer modelers the opportunity to add exceptional turned metal parts to their models. A number of model builders who add aftermarket gun barrels to their aircraft models are finding Master Model’s excellent multi-piece sets offer a high level of detail without a great deal of work.

This set mirrors those that Master Model already markets for builders in 1:72, 1:48 and 1:24.

Review Author
Roger Rasor
Published on
Company
Brengun
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$21.25

Brengun offers 1/32 model builders a way to add a higher level of detail to the already nicely detailed Hasegawa N1K2-J Shiden Kai (Allied name: George). Set BRL 32017 provides about 122 parts on a single photo-etch fret and two on a printed acetate sheet that can be combined to enhance the cockpit and exterior details of the aircraft. The photo below of the instruction sheet shows where the details are to be installed.

As can be seen in the photo below of the fret, each of the photo-etched parts is impressive. The detail is very crisp and well etched on nickel-plated metal to add considerably to the cockpit’s detail.

Review Author
Mark Costello
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
MSRP
$33.00

From the kit's Hasegawa web page:

Returning to roost

Moving the space shuttle is one jumbo task, fortunately, the eggheads of Boeing hatched the B747-one of the largest commercial aircraft ever to spread its wings. The bigger birds made dozens of flights yoked together with the shuttles. Had the shuttles scrambled on their own, they would have risked frying their engines or cracking flight surfaces. After the space shuttle program was put on the shelf, the 747s ovoided their due date by serving the shuttles to their final roosting places. Limited edition kit features a shuttle carrier and shuttle with decals for Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour.

Book Author(s)
Mick Davis, Philip Jarrett, Norman Franks,
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
Cross & Cockade International
MSRP
$37.67

This is Cross & Cockade International’s fourth book in their series of WW1 aircraft. The first was Nieuports in RNAS, RFC and RAF Service (2007). The second was the Royal Aircraft Factory Fe2b/d and Variants (2009). Somehow the third (Although still yet to be published) will cover the Airco DH 2.

This tome was developed in cooperation with the Royal Air Force Museum and it shows. Many of the some 300 plus B&W photos and details were pulled from the archives of the museum where they are nicely reproduced on the slick paper of this monograph. The front and back covers, as well as the inside covers feature six color paintings of Dolphins in action. The final chapter on the RAF Museum’s restoration of a composite Dolphin (now C3988 at Hendon) alone has nearly fifty color photographs.

Review Author
Jim Pearsall
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/144
MSRP
$12.95

A bit of explanation here. I try to do full-build reviews with photos taken through most of the process. When I hooked my memory card into the USB port on my computer, it said, “there are no files”. And there weren’t. It had erased my photos, so all my pictures are GONE. It did the same to another memory card. I am quite unhappy.

On with the review.

Scale Aircraft Conversions does white metal landing gear for a lot of aircraft kits. Some are necessary because the kit parts aren’t correct. Some you need because the plastic kit parts aren’t strong enough to hold the model. And then there’s this case. I finished the Victor kit, and it was a tail sitter. OK, I glued it to a piece of foamcore board, and the glue held the nose down. When the opportunity came to get the SAC gear, I jumped at the chance.