THANK YOU to our friends and suppliers at Quickboost for these excellent antenna details, which are for use on the Hobbyboss F-105G kits.

Not much to say here; other than these are far better than the kit items…buy them!

Usually the last thing "stuck on", antennas are the delicate exterior details of our aircraft, and add immeasurably to the kit. Highly recommended for improved detail!

Thanks again to Quickboost and IPMS USA for providing these items…

One of the things that I find challenging about photo-etch seatbelts is that they are difficult to drape properly, especially the pre-painted type. It can be done, but inevitably some paint will chip or the metal just won’t bend properly to simulate the look of real fabric. Well, Eduard has a new twist on belts; actual fabric seatbelts that are pre-painted.

This set comes packaged in Eduard’s standard bottom-opening package. Inside you’ll find a nickel-plated photo-etch fret and a fabric “fret.” The nickel-plated PE features the shiny buckles and bits. There are no extras, so don’t lose them to the carpet monster! Some extra pieces would have been a nice addition. The fabric “fret” is a flexible material mounted onto a fabric backing. With the backing peeled off, you are left with a really thin fabric seatbelt. Another advantage of the fabric is that the belt is the proper color on both sides and it won’t chip.

Thanks to Ross at SAC for yet another outstanding metal gear set; IPMS USA continues to appreciate the support from your contributions!

This set is, again, a simple drop-in replacement gear the new 1/32 Italeri F-104G/S. The set contains the entire main gear beam as one casting, with a nose gear; both are perfectly cast and directly upgrades the kit parts.

Installation is super easy; use superglue and press the SAC gear in; they fit perfectly, and impress with strength and “peace of mind” with attaching wheels/tires to the axles.

As usual, SAC landing gear are an excellent investment. As the kit plastic is a bit soft, the F-104 nose gear, being of the offset fork variety, will over time flex and you will have the toy-tricycle look to the nose. The main gear probably will also splay out… With SAC metal gear, the problem is solved, as the metal will hold up.

This is the tenth item that I have reviewed from Master Model, a Polish company that specializes in brass detail parts, typically in the form of gun barrels, antennas, and pitot tubes. This new 72^nd scale release is designed for the Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI) Kfir (lion cub), and replaces the kit supplied Pitot tube as well as providing an angle of attack (AOA) probe missing from the kit. No kit is mentioned for installing these parts onto, so for comparison purposes, I have put the Testors/Italeri release (kit 630) to use. As with the other releases from Master Model, these parts will dramatically improve the appearance of your plane.

Another excellent turned metal (aluminum this time) pitot assembly from Master Model; IPMS USA sincerely appreciates the support of Master Model, who continue to provide first-class products to improve our kits!

Another in a long line of simple upgrades; you can see in the photos the kit item is thicker and “chunky” compared to Master Model’s replacement. You will need to remove the kit tube from the mounting boss, drill a hole, and install. It can’t be easier than that! Use superglue or epoxy to attach; the fit is perfect and doesn’t need anything else. And there is the excellent instruction sheet with actual drill dimensions and “how to put this on” for those who have never used aftermarket like this… a quality addition all around, and the cost is reasonable for the strength of the new tube.