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Package

Fire Drums
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
Aerobonus
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$8.00

A perfect addition to your diorama or display base is this Aires Aerobonus fire drum set. Aires Aerobonus provides two resin fire drums and a set of decals: “ For Fire Only”. Of note is the Quickboost re-sealable packaging making the parts easy to review and stuff back into the package securely. The supplied instructions provide color and decal placement drawings.

Aires Aerobonus has molded the fire drums in light grey resin with only a few bubbles that are easily filled. There are no mold seams to sand off and the resin plug is easily removed from the bottom with a razor saw or Dremel. The inside rim had a small resin protrusion, but that was easily removed with a swipe of a scalpel blade.

Package

Kawanishi N1K2-J (George) Landing Gear (Has)
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$16.95

The usual appreciation and applause to Ross at SAC for providing one more of his new metal gear for the new kits; and as usual, thanks to the IPMS leadership for sending it on!

This is a stronger, metal version of the kit’s gear. It is essentially a “form/fit/function” replacement, with the exception of the fact the SAC gear improves on the strength of the long kit legs. For this build, I left the SAC items unpainted just to see how they looked. I may go back and change that later.

Cover

Scale Modeling Quarterly – Winter 2014
Review Author
Bill O'Malley
Published on
Company
Scale Modeling Quarterly
MSRP
$7.99

Scale Modeling Quarterly is an interesting new magazine that nice variety of subjects of interest to many modelers. This is the second edition of the relatively new modeling magazine by Hobbyscale Press. The magazine is described is a journal for and by scale modelers. The magazine is published quarterly and costs $7.99 per issue.

The magazine is 8.5” x 11”, printed on a gloss paper and is 52 pages including covers. The typeface is large, easy to read, and colors are used to accentuate paragraph headings and titles. The photographs are sharp and are all printed in color.

The magazine includes a nice mix of editorial articles, modeler profiles, build articles, and modeling techniques.

Contents of this issue include:

Product Picture

Listening In - RAF Electronic Intelligence Gathering since 1945
Book Author(s)
Dave Forster and Chris Gibson
Review Author
Jim Pearsall
Published on
Company
Hikoki Publications
MSRP
$49.95

Since I spent a lot of time in Air Force radio, some time in AF intelligence, and being generally interested in communications (I have an extra-class Amateur Radio license) this book was right down my alley. Additionally, being interested in post WW2 British aircraft is also a plus with this book.

The theme here is airborne ELINT, electronic intelligence. You can learn a lot by listening to what the other guy is saying on the radio when the fighters are up and practicing interceptions or tactical support. And that’s where the British started after World War 2. When you’re flying at 20,000 feet you can hear a lot more UHF and VHF signals because these frequencies are line-of-sight communications. The higher you are, the further you can see and hear.

Up until about 1949, RAF ELINT consisted of listening to the radio communications. Everything else was considered as “noise”.

Detail Set Parts

A-6E Landing Gear
Review Author
Joe Porche
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$18.95

Scale Aircraft Conversions has released a set of white metal front and rear main gear for the Hobby boss A-6E 1/48 scale. The set includes 12 parts, a front gear strut with actuators and scissors, two main rear struts also with actuators and scissors. These twelve parts are replacements for kit parts front gear parts # F58, F18, F33, F32, F52, F29, F45, F46, F49, left main gear parts F23, F27, F22, F15, F47 and right main gear parts F28, F56, F57, F55, F3 and there accompanying metal inserts.

The Hobby Boss A-6E landing gear is rather complicated. It includes a metal strut that is encapsulated within plastic half’s to add strength to the undercarriage. It would be hoped that the SAC gear would simplify the process of building the landing gear. For better an understanding see the photos of the kit instructions.