Agora Models Willis MB Jeep Engine

The SAS Jeep Engine from Agora is highly detailed and goes together easily. Parts of the engine are included in Packs 1 and 2. I counted 52 parts to the engine assembly, not including numerous screws used for construction. There will be many more parts added to the engine bay in later steps. Having all parts and screws packed separately for each step makes it easy to find the right part for each assembly step. Agora has recently switched to recyclable manila paper envelopes for the parts.

Border Model added the A6M2 Zero to their 1/35 scale model aircraft collection in 2024. Now a white metal landing gear set has been developed by Scale Aircraft Conversions. This aftermarket set consists of four metal landing gear parts plus the dorsal antenna mast, an unexpected bonus.

The plastic main gear in the border kit builds up similar to the Tamiya 1/32 Zero, with included metal springs which replicate the hydraulic suspension of the life-sized aircraft. In the Border kit, five plastic parts plus the aforementioned spring are required for each main gear assembly.

While detailed and offering an action feature to the kit, this assembly may be judged by some modelers to be too complex and wobbly. The SAC gear set is composed of white metal molded as one piece and no provision is made for the action feature.

Once again IPMS/USA provides our thanks to Ross at SAC for providing us one of his gear sets to use and review!

This set provides the usual flexibility of softer metal that can be work-hardened if needed for a strong, reliable (and repairable) option for the kit plastic gear.

Consisting of 11 white metal parts, this gear provides strength where it is needed in holding up the model over time. Additional benefit: the builder can (carefully) bend the gear into position if there are issues with installation, (such as alignment of wheel axles for toe-in/camber), and repair (more on this later.

New from the folks at ResKit is this female driver for the US Navy A/S32A-31A tow tractor, known as the “mule”. The tow tractors are used aboard ships as well as land bases to move aircraft as needed. Having a female driver modernizes your options to current standards where those serving aboard the ships are not all men as they were back during my years of service. The figure is 3D resin printed with incredible detail and has the option of two heads. Any modeler with experience with 3D printed parts should have no issue adding this figure to a 1/48 scale tow tractor.

ResKit does a wonderful job of creating various parts and figures for an array of models. I have never been disappointed with any of the products that I have purchased, and the level of detail is always top-notch. The figure in this kit is printed as a single piece with two heads included to select from. I chose the head with the tinted goggles while the other head would show clear goggles.

Helion is a UK-based company that produces books on many aspects of Military History from the Late Medieval period through the present day. Helion was established in 1996 by University of Warwick graduate Duncan Rogers. Since then, they have published over 1,200 books, with 100 or more new titles coming out every year for readers around the world.

Dmitry Zubkov from Russia, a banker with 25 years of experience, has a lifelong interest in the subject of military history and has written several books and articles in Russian on a variety of related subjects. His area of interest is the little-studied issue of Soviet arms exports during the Cold War, especially warships. His studies of little-known details of the warships’ careers, the warships’ influence on the buildup of the recipient navies, and the experiences of their crews.