I have always wanted to do a series of trainers, so when Kinetic announced this and it came up for review, I was ready to go. Add to that some excellent aftermarket from TwoMikes Resin (with new intakes and tail hook and fairings) and Caracal’s excellent sheet for the Salty Dogs, and we were off to the races.
I won't go into the background of the F9F Panther, mainly because I don't know a lot about it and I know there are those out there who, knowing every nut, bolt and hydraulic coupling, would let me know in no uncertain terms if I were to err. Instead, I'll confine myself to the kit itself. Round 2 Models is a collectibles company located in South Bend, Indiana, that has acquired, among other lines, plastic kits from AMT, MPC, and Polar Lights, and they re-release selected out-of-production subjects from these companies' lines. Interestingly, they put out their releases in the old companies' packaging with no indication that it's from Round 2. If you didn't know any better, you'd think it was 20-30 years ago. The only clue you get is a Round 2 flyer/catalogue that is included in the box. Currently, their offerings are weighted toward automotive and Star Trek subjects, but they do have a couple of aircraft, one of which is the old AMT F9F-2 Panther.
On the heels of Kinetic's 1/48th release of the T-45 Goshawk comes Squadron Products Superscale Decal release of a full set of decals for the VT-22 "Golden Eagles." The scheme itself is excellent, with an eagle head flowing into red stripes decorating the back of the aircraft. There is one scheme on the sheet and it has excellent decals for the eagle, unit markings, and all the needed stencils. The decals are printed by Cartograf and are dense in color, thin in size, and perfectly in register. All national insignia and Navy markings are included.
After taking a 1-year hiatus from modeling, I wanted to start back with a build that would be of strong interest for me. That is the Spitfire, and I decided to do 1/144, 1/72, and 1/48 builds in the Mk.IX series. For the 1/72 version, I choose the Airfix Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc. For me, one benefit of being in the IPMS Reviewer Corp is to request items in which I have a personal interest, and since I had acquired all of the prior mentioned scaled Mk.IXc model kits, I thought that the Reviewer List might be able to provide me with replacement detailed parts for my builds. I was right, and this review is for the second of the few parts that I have been able to obtain. I remain on the lookout for other parts. (Note: the 1/32 Spitfire scares me right now. But I am hoping that once I finish the 3 scales I have now, that I will be ready for it.)
After taking a 1-year hiatus from modeling, I wanted to start back with a build that would be of strong interest for me. That is the Spitfire, and I decided to do 1/144, 1/72, and 1/48 builds in the Mk.IX series. At this time, the excellently reviewed: 1/48 Eduard Spitfire Mk.IXc late version was released. For me, one benefit of being in the IPMS Reviewer Corp is to request items in which I have a personal interest, and since I had acquired all of the prior-mentioned scaled Mk.IXc model kits I thought that the Reviewer List might be able to provide me with replacement detailed parts for my builds. I was right, and this review is the first of the few parts that I have been able to obtain. I remain on the lookout for other parts. (Note: the 1/32 Spitfire scares me right now, but I am hoping that once I finish the 3 scales I have now that I will be ready for it.)
When I requested this book for review, I was expecting a book of profiles of various World War II German aircraft. It was a great pleasure to discover that this book is actually a detailed history of the Luftwaffe, covering not only the organization and aircraft, but also the men, strategy, and tactics that made the air arm of the Third Reich the formidable war machine that it was.
Scale Aircraft Conversions has produced replacement gear for the Hawk/Testors OV-10 Bronco kit. I have reviewed several of these sets, and have purchased a few more on my own, because in all cases they have been superior to the kit items.
The white metal replacements are a clean drop-in for the kits plastic parts. The supplied items include two main gear struts and braces and one nose gear strut. Also included are weighted tires mastered by Doug Smith of Royal Resin. The weighted wheels are a significant improvement in detail over the balloonish kit tires. The SAC tires also have tread and improved rim/lug detailing.
A side-by-side evaluation (see photos) indicates an identical strut replacement that should provide greater strength with a significantly improved weight capacity and abuse tolerance. In some cases, painting may not be necessary.
Highly recommended.
Scale Aircraft Conversions specializes in white metal replacement parts. Its line of replacement landing gear has been expanded to include a set for the Trumpeter Vampire.
The set includes 4 parts, two landing gear struts and a two part nose wheel, finely molded in white metal. These parts are drop-in replacements for the plastic parts.
You can see from the pictures the parts are very cleanly molded and formed. In particular the nose wheel replacement is more accurate is it includes a missing oleo (as you can see from the completed model, which was built using the plastic parts).
Scale Aircraft Conversions specializes in white metal replacement parts. Its line of replacement landing gear has been expanded to include a set for the Tamiya 1/48 Spitfire Mk.I/Vb.
The set includes 3 parts, two landing gear struts and tail wheel, finely molded in white metal. These parts are drop-in replacements for the plastic parts.
You can see from the pictures the parts are very cleanly molded and formed. They include the “double slot” in the struts where the plastic landing gear cover is attached, so replacement should be quick and painless.
Typically I tend to think of replacing a plastic landing gear by a white metal one when the model is large and heavy. For most single engine 1/48 scale models, weight is not an issue.
Scale Aircraft Conversions specializes in white metal replacement parts. Its line of replacement landing gear has been expanded to include a set for the Tamiya 1/48 Bf 109E3/4/7.
The set includes 3 parts, two landing gear struts and tail wheel, finely molded in white metal. These parts are drop-in replacements for the plastic parts.
You can see from the pictures the parts are very cleanly molded and formed. They include the “slot” in the struts where the plastic landing gear cover is attached, so replacement should be trivial.
Typically I tend to think of replacing a plastic landing gear by a white metal one when the model is large and heavy. For most single engine 1/48 scale models, weight is not an issue.
