Reviews

Review Author
Chris Smith
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$12.95

Another of the many sets from SAC that I’ve used. Like those this one (SAC #72110) reproduces the kit parts in soft white metal with one exception, the tail wheel part leaves a gap over the tire that looks more refined then the kit part. Test fit the main wheels on their mounts because that is the point the part was cast from. When you cut it from the sprue, it needs some file work to get a good fit. The metal parts in this case have the advantage of allowing slight adjustments once they’re in place. That’s helpful because this aircraft has some strange angles in the gear mounts. In the photos I’ve installed one Airfix and one SAC main gear leg for comparison. This set is a nice addition to a nice little kit.

Thank you IPMS and SAC for the sample.

Review Author
Phillip Cavender
Published on
Company
Hauler
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$9.85

Hauler is a Czech Republic company specializing in producing high quality resin and PE after market accessories including resin kits. In their line of products are the Euro Pallets. Actual Euro Pallets are standardized by the European Pallet Association which must meet the specifications such as size and number of special nails in a designated pattern. The sizes of the Euro Pallet in 1:1 scale are 47.2" (1,200mm) x 31.5"(800mm) x 5.7"(144mm).

The Package

5 resin sprues are contained in the package enough to make 2 complete pallets. Upon close inspection one can see the wood grain detail cast into the resin. The only flash seen is located between the wood planks which are easily cleaned up in a matter of minutes by using a Xacto knife and sandpaper. There are no instructions included in the package but, a quick check at Hauler's website shows downloadable pictures of the completed pallets. Each pallet consists of 4 parts.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Aerobonus
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$10.00

Aerobonus has been putting out inexpensive and impressive figures for aircraft modelers for quite some time now. They have been beautifully sculpted and easy to assemble. This new figure is no different.

Molded in light grey resin this Russian pilot comes in four pieces: The body, the helmeted head, and two arms. The body will require some very minor cleanup between the legs but that is about it. All the other parts are easily removed from the pour stub. Assembly is easy enough. Then it is just a matter of painting the figure. I like his pose as he is ‘flying’ his hands.

If you are looking to learn figure painting without breaking the bank, these Aerobonus figures are just the ticket. They are perfect additions to any model airplane or even as stand-alone figures. This one is just as good.

Highly recommended

Review Author
Allan Murrell
Published on
Company
Meng Model
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$39.99

This is the British decided that they needed a less expensive tank so the Medium Tank Mk. A Whippet was developed. This had a crew of three and was armed with four Hotchkiss machine guns. It first saw battle in March 1918.

The kit contains

  • 7 sprues molded in tan styrene
  • 1 Main hull
  • 3 Sprues of track parts in Black Styrene
  • 2 Stings for tow cables
  • 1 decal sheet
  • 1 instruction booklet.

Construction

The kit is not too complex and assembles in 16 stages which are not to complex.

Review Author
Tom Moon
Published on
Company
Dragon Models
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$64.99

This kit is a model of a proposed vehicle to build a Panther Reconnaissance tank mounting a turret under consideration for the 8 wheeled PanzerSpahwagen using the 5cm KwK 39 gun. A project was started in January 1942 by Krupp & Rheinmetall with a projected delivery of Oct/Nov 1942. The project was not pursued and the painting schemes are pure conjecture.

This kit has approximately 288 styrene parts, DS tracks, no photo etched parts, and much worse set of instructions, they need to be reviewed very carefully before gluing any parts together.

Review Author
Rob Benson
Published on
Company
PJ Production
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$11.50

Thank you PJ Production for providing this elegant aircraft accessory pilot figure, and thank you to the IPM Reviewer Corps for letting me review it! I am very appreciative of all you do for the scale modeling community.

The pilot arrived in a small blue cardboard box, with a small plastic bag inside holding both the pilot figure and a casting plug with arms. The light tan resin showed no sign of mold release and the minimal flash was easily removed without compromising the fine surface details. The separate arms allow custom positioning to suit the application, and the arm-torso join surfaces are flat, easily allowing drilling or flexible wire or pin to reinforce the joint. The resin is not too brittle or too soft. Many detail surfaces, such as harnesses and straps are slightly undercut, allowing highlighting washes a good place to pool and do their job.

Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
Company
Skunk Models Workshop
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$14.99

Skunkmodel from China has released a very nice and useful kit: Royal Navy Tow Tractor. I’ve believe this particular tractor has seen service with the Royal Navy since the mid-1960’s until the early 2010s so you have a multitude of aircraft that can easily fit into a diorama.

The box comes with 3 sprues, two of them are identical – one for each Tow Tractor - and a 3rd sprue with a total of 9 figures, although only one of them is a driver. Six of the figures are wearing short sleeve shirts which means only tropical locations for your diorama (i.e no South Atlantic or Artic operations). You still have 3 figures with long sleeves.

Review Author
Jim Pearsall
Published on
Company
Great Wall Hobby
Scale
1/144
MSRP
$68.00

History

The Handley Page Victor was conceived as a nuclear bomber in the late 1950s. It was the third and last of the “V Bombers”, following the Valiant and Vulcan. As the Royal Navy took over the nuclear deterrent mission with submarines, the V Bombers became aircraft without missions. The Valiant had already been reconfigured as an airborne tanker, but when the airframes became worn out, the Victor bombers became the tanker force.

In 1982 the Victor K.2 tankers participated in one of the most complicated missions ever conceived. Operation Black Buck used 11 Victor K.2s and a single Vulcan B.2 to deliver a bomb load from Ascension Island to Port Stanley Airport in the Falklands, a distance of 3900 miles.

The next, and last big deployment of the Victor K.2 was the 1991 (First) Gulf War, The RAF called their participation Operation Granby. This was the operation to force Iraq out of Kuwait

Review Author
Tom Moon
Published on
Company
Dragon Models
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$72.99

This kit is a model of a proposed design by the Krupp AG company. The thought was to upgrade the firepower of the Pz IV with the newly designed Panther turret with its 7.5cm KwK L/70 gun. Nothing came from this proposal and the painting schemes are pure conjecture.

This is a multimedia kit comprised of 477+ styrene parts, DS tracks, 1 photo etched parts fret, and much worse set of instructions. They need to be reviewed very carefully before gluing any parts together.

Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
Master Model
Scale
1/350
MSRP
$17.00

Tsesarevich (Russian: Цесаревич) was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Imperial Russian Navy, built in France at the end of the 19th century. The ship's design formed the basis of the Russian-built Borodino-class battleships. This set represents what she carried prior to an attack in the night of February 9, 1904, in the Russian-Japanese war. She was one of three ships to be struck by Japanese torpedoes and limped back to Port Arthur. There she lost four of her 75mm, two of her 47mm, and two of her 37mm guns to reinforce the port defenses. After the Russian-Japanese war, Tsesarevich, helped suppress the Sveaborg Rebellion. Around 1906, her fighting top was removed and her superstructure was cut down, in the process losing more guns, mainly most of her 75mm guns. In time, ~ 1914, all of her 75mm guns were removed.