Aires has added the late model Aces 2 ejection seat to their 1/72 aircraft accessory line. Aires doesn’t specify any kit for this one so it should fit in any model aircraft that would use the Aces 2 seat. I picked the Italeri F-15. They also include 2 seats so you can do either two single seats or one 2 seat aircraft.

This offering is a quality piece of resin; smooth, seamless and bubble free. The detail is very nice and is far superior to the kit seats, which usually are 3 pieces and have seams to fix. All that is needed to install the seat is to remove the molding block and install it with a drop of CA. Another added plus for this set is that the seatbelts and other detail are included as a PE set.

I highly recommend this set if you want a superior looking kit, sometimes just adding a great looking seat in a kit really dresses it up. Thanks to Aires and IPMS/USA for the chance to do this review.

Pavla models has added a control surfaces set for the Hasegawa S-3A Viking to their 1/72 aircraft accessory line. When you look at the Hasegawa kit you realize why Pavla has made this set. There are absolutely no frills on this model. Even the torpedo bay doors are molded shut.

This offering is really a quality set of resin pieces; smooth, seamless and bubble free. The detail is also very nice and doesn’t need any extra work to bring out the detail. Some of the kit pieces will have to be cut from the kit so it isn’t for the faint of heart. Sometimes I still get nervous when I have to do plastic surgery and I also need to make sure I have plenty of Band Aids.

This excellent set from Master Models in Poland is direct replacements for the kits parts. The larger pitot tube is aluminum and the AOA probes are brass (or at least that is the color they are!)

The pitot tube is excellent with better shape that the corresponding plastic part and no seam to clean up. It fits in the same location so it is a straight replacement. The AOA probes will need holes drilled out but it is also an easy, no brainer.

As many times in my model building life as I have had to replace or repair probes like this that snap off due to handling or moving to contests, these sets are perfect, durable and more correct than the kit parts. Highly recommended and at a very reasonable prices

My thanks to Master Models and IPMS/USA for a chance to perk up my 1/32 Tornado.

Here is another detail set from the folks at Aires/Quickboost: Stabilizers for the WWII Japanese Army Fighters Ki-61 or Ki-100 Tony.

This detail set will work with ANY of the 1/48 Hasegawa Ki-61 Hein “Tony” or Ki-100 kits on the market today. All of these aircraft shared the same basic airframe, and this detail set will work with them all.

As shown in the photos, this Quickboost detail set has four resin parts for the horizontal stabilizers on these fighters. The builder must cut the parts from the resin, and remove a little flash before gluing the flaps in place. This is a very quick, easy, and inexpensive way to give your model that little extra detail.

The detail of these parts is on par with what you get in the kit. I recommend this detail set to you if you want an easy way to drop the flaps on your next 1/48 Hein project – especially of you don’t own a razor saw to cut the original kit parts that.

The Story

In the past several years, interest in the FE-2 series has been generated by the construction of two flying replicas of this vintage biplane in New Zealand, and in 2009, Albatros Publications produced a multi-authored text entitled “The FE-2B Flies Again” which included both a history of the type and a description of the process in which two completely accurate replicas were built and flown. Following this, in the same year, Albatros author and historian Paul R. Hare produced a Windsock Datafile issue, #134, describing the FE-2D. This has been followed by this issue, describing the first production model, the FE-2B. All of these publications are worth having if you have any interest in World War I aircraft.