all 2014

Review Author
Jim Stepanek
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$24.95

This was really a fun kit. There’s not many parts but you do get 4 surfboards, 3 figures, 2 garbage cans (fuel tanks), and SCUBA tanks.

Engine

Bottom half of the engine is molded to the chassis.

Chassis

Front ans rear ladder bars hold the suspension. There’s really not much to it.

Interior

Seats, shifter, steering wheel and column, resemblance of a dashboard is all you get.

Body

It’s a real simple body without much detail. I decided my version would resemble a pickup truck turned into a landscaping vehicle. After priming the body with Duplicolor grey sandable primer, I shot a few coats of Dupli-Color dark cherry followed by a coat of Nason 2 part urethane clear. Only a little bit of wet sanding and polishing with Novus #2 was necessary before applying a coat of The Treatment Model Car Wax.

Review Author
Don Norton
Published on
Company
Master Box Ltd
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$19.95

This is the first of a series of 1/32nd Napoleonic figures from Master Box, who has always given us unusual or creative modeling subjects. Upon opening this box, the modeler will find one sprue of gray plastic with 45 parts. Detail is good, with the kit representing a mounted French Red Lancer as he marches through Holland on his way to Russia, a local girl has provided a drink for him and his mount.

Review Author
Steve Collins
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$6.00

For those of you who have acquired the Revell Halifax in 1/72, you may have noticed that it gives you lots of options, including three different types of exhausts. While they’re not at all bad as they come in the kit, you’ll need to hollow out the ends of the exhaust stacks and that can be very tedious when you’re doing stacks for four engines. Quickboost, as they usually do, have stepped in and done that for you.

This set is for the Type B exhaust and provide exhausts for all four engines. They are nicely cast, in one piece, with no bubbles and the ends already hollowed out for you. Additionally, the kit parts are in two pieces each and you’d have to remove that glue seam. As usual, they’re a drop fit replacement for the kit parts and at the price, seem well worth it. After all, what is your time worth? Recommended.

Thanks go to Quickboost for providing the sample and to IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review it.

Review Author
Steve Collins
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$6.50

This is another typical Quickboost accessory set. It’s designed to be a drop fit replacement for a kit part, usually with detail enhanced in some way. For this particular set, the ends of the intakes are hollowed out for you. As you can see in the accompanying pictures, you’d have to do that for yourself with the kit parts. Mind you, there’s nothing wrong with the kit parts. This set just saves you the time it would take to add that extra level of detail and there are eight of them. The parts are nicely molded, with crisp detail and no casting flaws or bubbles. They are handed, so be careful that you put the correct one on the correct side.

Thanks go to Quickboost for providing the sample and to IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review it.

Review Author
Dick Montgomery
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$11.95

I am a fan of Scale Aircraft Conversions gear, having used a number of SAC gear sets on previous projects. I do not replace the kit gear because they are of poor quality, but rather, the SAC gear are much stronger than the plastic kit parts, and require far less clean-up. It is the strength of the metal SAC parts that I particularly like.

Clean up on the SAC gear usually can be accomplished, when necessary, by a few swipes of an X-Acto blade which removes any mold steps. SAC gear can be primed and then shot with the same colors one would use on the plastic parts. In fact, the painting process for SAC gear is the same as for the kit parts.

SAC parts fit extremely well. In fact, the gear seen in the accompanying images were photographed prior to being glued into place. Some superglue was applied, and after a minute or so the SAC gear were firmly fixed into position.