Review Author
John King
Published on
May 3, 2014
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$6.50

The Parts

These resin position lights from Quickboost are intended for any of the 1/72nd Eduard Bf-110C/D/E/F models. There are a total of six resin parts, but two of those parts are extra “lenses” in case you lose one cutting it from the resin block; smart move Quickboost! The parts are exceptionally well molded and feature rivet detail like the kit’s parts. Of note, the Eduard kit has very subtle rivet details, whereas rivet detail on the Quickboost parts are a little more pronounced/deeper. Personally, I am a fan of the way Quickboost depicted the rivet detail as I feel the rivet detail on Eduard’s kit may get lost under some primer and paint.

Review Author
Roger Rasor
Published on
May 3, 2014
Company
MiniArt
Scale
1/16
MSRP
$29.00

The kit of Ernst Udet is one of three German World War One pilots currently offered in MiniArt’s 1:16 scale Historical Figures Series. Udet was the second highest scoring WWI German ace serving in the Great War (and the youngest), who later went on to become a world famous postwar air show performer and light plane manufacturer. He flew for the movies, was instrumental in the development of the Luftwaffe, advanced the concept of dive bombing and was a driving force in adopting the Stuka dive bomber. He lead a very colorful life, becoming a member of the Nazi party and struggled for years with alcoholism until he committing suicide after Germany invaded Russia in 1941. There have been (and currently are) numerous kits of his brightly colored Fokker D.VIIs available from various manufacturers and the man himself has been the subject of a number of smaller scale figure models. In his day, Ernst Udet was almost larger than life.

Review Author
Mike Hinderliter
Published on
May 3, 2014
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$6.50

Quickboost has added the P-51D/K propeller to their line of resin aircraft accessories. The blades are molded separately from the spinner and a tool is provided for the proper blade pitch during installation. This latest addition is molded in a grayish resin, smooth, seamless and bubble free. One thing of note is that they are easy to remove from the mold block taking only a couple of minutes with a saw blade to remove them.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
May 4, 2014
Company
Res-Im
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$4.25

Res-Im’s multi-media upgrades for the AZ Model lifts this kit out of the ordinary. This particular upgrade features three different resin turrets. Molded in a medium grey resin with good recessed detail. The first turret has no opening and would be used at a training center like Hunter Army Airfield or Ft Rucker. The next one is the single weapon system, TAT-102, turret. This one features a single 7.62mm minigun. Strangely there is no hole for the minigun. That is an easy enough modification. The third turret is an M-28 style turret with two openings, either one 7.62mm and 40mm grenade launcher or two 7.62 mm miniguns. Included on the resin pieces are two miniguns, one 40mm launcher and one other ‘gun’ that I’m not sure what it is. This would go with the single turret opening and explains why there is no hole.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
May 4, 2014
Company
Res-Im
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$3.03

Res-Im (Resin Improvement) is a new company to me out of the Czech Republic. After checking out their website it appears they offer a variety of items, photo etch, masks, and resin, but how good is it? Let’s find out.

The first item I got for review was a canopy mask set for the AZ Models AH-1G. Packaged in a ziplock baggie you get one sheet of masks for one aircraft.

I hate to mask canopies and it is even worse in 1/72nd scale. Made of the famous Kabuki tape this small sheet contains the outline of the canopy and will need to be filled in with a liquid mask. This is the only way to do this type of canopy with all the compound curves.

My only problem with this or any of the Kabuki tape masks is that it is yellow tape printed on a yellow background. I use a pencil and make a thick patch of lead on a piece of paper then rub the mask over the piece of paper. This will transfer a little bit of the lead to the mask and allow you to see the masks.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
May 4, 2014
Company
Res-Im
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$7.65

The new AZ Model 1/72nd AH-1G is a nice addition to the helicopter modeling community. I’ve never flown this version of the Cobra but I’m very familiar with it. The limitations of plastic molding means that there are some things that have to be either simplified or left off. Enter Res-Im (Resin Improvement).

For those of you who are familiar with the Eduard Pre-painted Photo Etch and how good they are you won’t be disappointed. Guess what? Res-Im photo etch is printed by Eduard. It even says Eduard on the photo etch sheet so you know the quality is excellent. The PE parts are all well formed and will offer a nice upgrade to the kit. The instructions are typical Eduard style as well so it is easy to understand.

Review Author
Brian R. Baker
Published on
May 4, 2014
Company
Cyber-Hobby
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$43.00

History

The DeHavilland DH-112 Venom NF.3 was a night fighting development of one of the RAF’s original jet fighters, the DH-100 Vampire, which entered squadron service in 1949. Used as a fighter and ground attack aircraft, the Vampire was developed into the Venom fighter bomber with revised wing form and increased power, raising the maximum speed from the 540 mph. range to the 630 mph. range for the NF.3 variant. The crew sat side-by-side, and the wing had sweptback leading edges. A total of 129 Venom NF.3’s was built, and these were operated by several RAF squadrons starting in 1953 until they were replaced by Gloster Javalins in 1957. Several Venoms of various marks were exported to Sweden, New Zealand, Iraq, Switzerland, and Venezuela.

Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
May 4, 2014
Company
Scale Aircraft Modelling
MSRP
$7.59

Each issue of Scale Aircraft Modeling follows a basic design and format. There are usually two Feature Articles, an Aviation in Profile piece, industry news and a series of Compact Build Reviews. The great news of or this issue is that there are three feature articles.

The feature articles for this issue covers a build of 1/72 Revell H.P. Heyford, a 1/72 Airfix FW190A-8 in a winter diorama setting and a 1/48 Trumpeter A-3D Skywarrior as a bonus. The Heyford build is by Neil Pinchbeck and covers the construction of this vintage kit first released by Matchbox in the 1980's. I love this article as it shows just what can be done with a vintage kit including sections on correcting flaws, scratch building cockpits and rigging. The results are awesome.

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
May 4, 2014
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$14.95

Thanks to Ross at SAC for continuing to provide us review items; we at IPMS USA sincerely appreciate your contributions!

This set is, yet again, a simple drop-in replacement for the kit items. The set contains two main gear struts, a nose gear, and the retraction strut for the nose gear. Definitely a must if you are adding a lot of weight to the model; and particularly useful if everyone who views your model wants to “spin the rotor” (too much temptation) and see if it works.

(Office fun if you take models to work: Make your wheels, props and rotors fit real tight and watch the face of the holder when they snap off parts. Of course, there is the repair, but it’s a common theme.)

Review Author
Jim Stratton
Published on
May 6, 2014
Company
Academy Models
MSRP
$21.98

The genius of Leonardo Da Vinci goes without saying. His inventions and ideas were years ahead of his time. Many of the things we take for granted today are based on his thoughts and visions. This kit is the newest in Academy’s Da Vinci Machine Series. The Da Vinci Clock uses weights to power a horizontal pendulum. This is a snap together kit. No glue or paint is needed. Parts separate from the sprues easily and parts cleanup is quick and easy. The parts fit was spot on and once pressed together the assembly was tight and firm. Some care is needed when placing the various gears to ensure proper placement. The instructions are clear and show how it all goes together.