• QB48 333 AU-23A Nose $3.49
• QB48 334 AU-23A Propeller with tool $6.29
• QB48 335 AU-23A Exhaust $4.61

Roden’s AU-23A kit was a welcome addition for those who like Counterinsurgency (COIN) aircraft, and Roden has established itself with a fine line of kits. However, being a short run kit, there are areas that can be improved with the addition of resin details. Quickboost comes to the rescue, with a series of items to help overcome some of the minor shortcomings of the Roden AU-23A kit.

QB48 333 AU-23A Nose

First in line is a single piece part to replace the nose on the kit. The resin part has a nicely molded front with deep air inlet. There is also some crisp panel lines scribed in, and at first glance this looks like a winner.

However fitting the nose to the kit is another matter. There are no instructions, so a “best guess” is that the nose fits at the first panel line we see on the kit nose, as aligning the front of the resin part with the front of the kit, the cut appears to be needed at this panel line. So that is where I cut and removed the nose from the kit. There is no need to remove the resin pour plug, as this fits inside the kit fuselage. It doesn’t take long to notice that something is amiss at this point. When I fit the nose into the now cut fuselage, the resin nose is smaller in cross-section than the kit! So now there is an unsightly step running all the way around the nose. Maybe the cut should have been made further forward? If so there should have been some instructions to illustrate this. Now I will have to spend some time with putty and fair in the resin nose to match the fuselage, or maybe I’ll add some more material back to the kit parts, but that may cause the nose to be longer and thus inaccurate.

Painfully learned rule of thumb: cut about 2 or 3mm forward of the panel line and then remove material until the nose fits! Personally, I would skip this part and just use what comes in the kit.

QB48 334 AU-23A Propeller with Tool

Leaving the nose, we now move on to the more pleasant Quickboost items. The propeller comes with three resin blades, a hub, and a shaft. Plus there is a “tool” included for you to use while assembling the propeller. The blades and nose are very finely cast, and are a improvement over the kit parts, if nothing else than to save a bit of clean up time. The tool is used to drill the hole in the hub for the shaft, then insert the shaft, place the hub back on the tool, and add each prop blade by resting it in the tool. This makes the operation very fast and a great looking propeller results. Recommended for sure!

QB48 335 AU-23A Exhaust

Lastly, Quickboost has provided a 2 part exhaust tube to replace the kit parts. This is a huge improvement over the kit parts both in crispness, and it eliminates the work needed to remove the mold and join lines that would be both outside and inside the exhaust. The resin is flawless, and once assembled and compared to the kit it is a must have. The fit onto the kit fuselage is perfect also. Highly recommended!

Overall, two out of three of the items are worth every cent. I again have reservations on the nose, but that might have been me. Test fit, test fit, test fit! Many thanks to IPMS and Quickboost for the samples, as your timing could not have been better! I can only hope that Quickboost might release a new Gatling Gun, and seats with belts for the kit. Now back to the workbench to finish up this model!