Reviews of products for scale aircraft models.

Review Author
Rick Bellanger
Published on
Company
Profimodeller
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$5.00

With the release of HK Models’ 1/32nd B-25, it didn't take longer for the aftermarket companies to step in and start producing detail sets. Profimodeller is one of these, and they have come up with some really nice stuff. So far, they have released 9 different detail sets and all at a very reasonable cost. I have ordered the additional sets from Profimodeller's website and found it quite easy to use. They are very helpful in answering questions and quick to respond (please note the time difference, you are dealing with Czechoslovakia). I used Pay Pal for payment and received my goodies in a week.

This will be a "First Look" type review. I will be building a B-25 and incorporating the set in the build, but it's going to take a while.

Review Author
Rick Bellanger
Published on
Company
Profimodeller
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$8.89

With the release of HK Models’ 1/32nd B-25, it didn't take longer for the aftermarket companies to step in and start producing detail sets. Profimodeller is one of these and they have come up with some really nice stuff. So far, they have released 9 different detail sets, all at a very reasonable cost. I have ordered the additional sets from Profimodeller's website and found it quite easy to use. They are very helpful in answering questions and quick to respond (please note the time difference, you are dealing with Czechoslovakia). I used Pay Pal for payment and received my goodies in a week.

This will be a "First Look" type review. I will be building a B-25 and incorporating the set in the build, but it's going to take a while.

Review Author
Rick Bellanger
Published on
Company
Profimodeller
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$7.00

With the release of HK Models’ 1/32nd B-25, it didn't take longer for the aftermarket companies to step in and start producing detail sets. Profimodeller is one of these and they have come up with some really nice stuff. So far, they have released 9 different detail sets and all at a very reasonable cost. I have ordered the additional sets from Profimodeller's website and found it quite easy to use. They are very helpful in answering questions and quick to respond (please note the time difference, you are dealing with Czechoslovakia). I used Pay Pal for payment and received my goodies in a week.

This will be a "First Look"-type review. I will be building a B-25 and incorporate the set in the build, but it's going to take a while.

Review Author
Clarence Wentzel
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$7.25

The Su-33 Flanker D is an all-weather-carrier based air defense fighter based on the Su-27. The airplane had a production run of 24 units.

Hasegawa has produced a kit of this interesting aircraft for modelers. As usual, Quickboost has added several items to improve the accuracy of the basic Su-33 Flanker D kit.

The first part is a correct nose cone. The attached photo shows the Quickboost part compared to an Su-27 from my collection. The new cone is the correct shape for the model and is interchangeable with the kit part. It is molded in cream colored resin. It is smooth, seamless and bubble-free.

I highly recommend this product if you want a really superior-looking model. Since this part is interchangeable with the kit parts, it can be recommended for all levels of modelers.

Review Author
Dick Montgomery
Published on
Company
Guideline Publications
MSRP
$7.00

SAM, or more precisely Scale Aircraft Modeling, is an excellent monthly publication focusing on modeling scale aircraft. No surprise there. And if you are a long-time fan of SAM, then it is also no surprise that I state that SAM is one of the best modeling magazines focused on aircraft that money can buy.

Averaging just under 100 pages, SAM is filled with “build” articles featuring some of the newer kits on the market, as well as projects based on old favorites. In the Sept issue (Vol 34, Issue 07), a number of featured articles spans subject matter from World War I to modern jets, both military and civil.

Starting with a WWI subject, Lukasz Kedzierski builds up the Roden 1/32nd scale Nieuport Ni.24bis. Lukasz finished the kit in Polish markings. This kit is labeled as an intermediate-level build. The images show a fully detailed cockpit and a stunning metal cowling.

Review Author
Michael Scott
Published on
Company
Wingnut Wings, Ltd
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$89.00

Attaching the wings. The lower wings were first and to ensure everything was in alignment, I cleaned the mating surfaces of paint, did a test fit, and applied the Gunze liquid cement. Getting everything properly lined up, I taped the wings down to the work surface to dry. Don’t do this.

Having painted all of the wing and cabane struts with Tamiya tan acrylic, and after that was dry using the basic Wingnut Wings technique for replicating wood that is found on their website, I applied burnt sienna oil paint with a sponge, then removed a great deal of that with a stiff bristled chisel brush to get in some wood grain effects. These have to dry for at least a couple of days, if not more, depending on your locale’s environmental conditions. I suspect there is a liquid agent that would speed up the drying time of oil paint and I’m going to look into this.

Review Author
Matthew Cottrell
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$49.99

Aircraft History

The EA-6B Prowler is an electronic warfare aircraft operated by the US Navy and Marine Corps since 1971. With a crew of 4, the Prowler can take on several roles, such as jamming and electronic intelligence gathering, or even an offensive role when equipped with the HARM missile. There have been several upgrades throughout the Prowler’s life, culminating in the current ICAP III version. Today, the Navy has begun to replace their Prowlers with the EA-18G Growler. However, the Prowler is expected to continue to fly with the USMC until 2017.

Review Author
Brian R. Baker
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$49.99

History

The 352nd Flying Group was apparently activated in Japan on 1 August 1944 as a day and night fighter group, and operated from Omura Air Base in Japan until the end of the war. They used the A6M5 Zeke 52, N1K2-J George, and J2M3 Jack in the interceptor role. Apparently, their aircraft were marked with distinctive tail codes denoting their unit, and Hasegawa has seen fit to issue a “two-in-one” kit of two of the three types they operated. I was able to find very little information on the unit history, and none is provided in the kit instructions or box art. Thorpe’s book on Japanese Navy Camouflage and Markings only provides the dates and types operated. Osprey’s Imperial Japanese Navy Aces, 1937-1945, mentions the unit as having operated defending the Sasebo, Nagasaki, and Omura areas, but not too successfully against high flying B-29’s.

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$18.95

Russ continues to deliver bits and pieces which are, when you think of it, invaluable! Most heavy thanks to him for providing IPMS USA yet another of his great works.

This set provides metal duplicates of the original plastic landing gear for a kit which has been with us since 1959. (I have a box with the Gulfhawk kit; it proves, along with the decal sheet with manufacturing data, that this kit is just a year younger than I am!). The kit was re-released by Monogram (and later by Revell) in 1964, 1973, and 1999, both as the Gulfhawk and the standard F3F. The kit has cut-down Gulfhawk wings for both releases…to which Mike West has a replacements for the proper wingspan in resin, or you can use internet resources to cut/paste two kits to get the same result with a LOT more work!