Scale Aircraft Conversions has produced replacement gear for the Hasegawa 1/32 Spitfire Mk II, Vb, VI kits. The gear strut attachment points will also match up with the Revell I/II kit, and perhaps some others with the same wing tooling. I have reviewed several of these sets, and have purchased a few more on my own, because in all cases, they have been superior to the kit items.

The white metal replacements are a clean drop-in for the kits plastic parts. The supplied items include two main gear struts and braces, and one tail gear assembly. Also included are white metal tires. The tires are a significant improvement in detail over the kit tires, which are devoid of any tread pattern. The SAC tires also have tread and improved rim/lug detailing.

This accessory is for the Heller Tunnan kit. The parts are replacement pitot tubes.

The Kit

You get two finely done brass parts in a plastic envelope, which is inside another plastic envelope. Good plan – lost parts of this size would be a disaster, not to mention impossible to find. I liked the instruction sheet, it was simple, to the point, and uncluttered.

Assembly

I used a Tunnan I built several years ago. It was great to have these brass pitots, as the plastic ones had been broken off soon after I did the model.

I cut off the little projections where the pitots had been earlier and drilled tiny holes in the wing leading edge.

I painted the brass parts with Testors Aluminum Metalizer.

There is a difference between the left and right pitots, and the instructions are VERY specific about which is which.

A bit of gel-type CA, and a bit of touch up, and the project was finished.

The Product

My sample arrived packaged in the all-too-familiar orange-topped poly sleeve with the typical card insert. After close inspection of the parts, I found them to be perfect. As you can see, the kit parts offer excellent detail; even so, the Quickboost seats are by far superior in detail, and they’re a drop-in replacement. They are easily detached from the pour block and clean up with a few swipes from a sanding stick.

The Bottom Line

I recommend these babies to anyone wanting to enhance his Ju-52 build.

Thanks to, Aires/Quickboost and IPMS for the opportunity to review these nice little castings.

This accessory is for the Heller Lansen kit. The part is a replacement pitot tube.

The Kit

You get one finely done brass part in a plastic envelope, which is inside another plastic envelope. Good plan, since losing parts of this size would be a disaster, not to mention impossible to find.

I liked the instruction sheet, it was simple and showed you exactly where to put the pitot.

Assembly

I cut the remains of the old pitot off and drilled a hole in the wing where the old tube was.

I painted the brass part with Testors Aluminum Metalizer.

I put a bit of gel-type CA on the pitot and inserted it in the hole in the wing. I had enough time before the super glue set up to insure that the pitot was horizontal and straight, after which the project was finished.

History Brief

The F/A-18 was ordered for the United States Navy and Marine Corps as an all-weather, supersonic, aircraft carrier-capable, multi-role aircraft. It was first flown in November 1978, and introduced into service in January 1983. The F-18 has a proven track record so effective that it’s still used in the fleet as fighters, attack bombers, and airborne electronic warfare systems aircraft.

The Product

My sample arrived in a small rectangular box featuring a very cool painting of a retro 1950s painted Navy Hornet. The kit consists of 60 parts in grey and 1 part in clear, the panel lines are raised, and there is a fair amount of flash present. The old molds are starting to show their age. The instruction sheet is clearly printed b&w booklet. This kit features a unique decal sheets with two options: