Quickboost has produced replacement seats with molded on harnesses for the Hasegawa 1/48 Ju-87B kits. The resin replacement is a simple drop-in for the kit’s plastic parts. The supplied item includes both the pilot and gunner seats cast in resin. There is no modification required to the kit parts to use these resin replacements.

A side by side evaluation (see photos) indicates a replacement of superior detail that will provide a more accurate rendition of the Stuka’s seat assemblies. Check your references for the appropriate seat to use. Be sure to wash the parts in soapy water to remove mold release agents and prime prior to using your favorite modeling paints.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to the IPMS Reviewer Corps and Quickboost for the opportunity to review this item.

Overall Summary

I recommend this kit for any collection of unusual submarine models. This kit is for intermediate-skill modelers, and will result in a very nice representation of an M-class submarine that served in the Royal Navy in World War 1 and shortly thereafter. Assembly was straight forward, with no major problems. No alignment pins or sockets are present in the kit design, and many parts may require addition of shims, spacers, pins or wire for positive location. This is not a detraction from the kit, but something to think about when you start assembly. The resulting model looks proper in comparison to photographs and references.

Overall Summary

I recommend this kit for any collection of USN submarine models. This kit is for intermediate-skill modelers and will result in a very nice representation of any of the George Washington class submarines that served in the U. S. Navy. Assembly was straight forward, with no major problems. No alignment pins or sockets are present in the kit design, and many parts may require addition of pins or wire for positive location. This is not a detraction from the kit, but something to think about when you start assembly. The resulting model looks proper in comparison to photographs and references.

AMK models has re-released an improved version of their 1/48 Kfir model. Based on what I read online the overall shape of the fuselage was improved, plus the weapons are now produced by slide molds technology. The rest of the sprues, I think, are the same as the original boxing.

In the box are 12 sprues for the airplane, plus multiple sprues for the individually molded weaponry. These sprues are packed in smaller boxes within the main box, ensuring all the sprues fit nice and firmly inside the box. No sprues will get damaged or rattled around in this box.

You also get an excellent decal sheet for 5 different markings: Israel, Sri Lanka, Ecuador, Colombia, and the civilian contractor ATAC, which provides air combat training for different Air Forces. You can finish the model as a C2 or C7 version and the instructions are absolutely clear regarding which parts to use with each version.

Confession

When I saw this item posted for review I immediately knew I wanted it, and volunteered to prepare the review. Only later after I had clicked the send button for my request did I think about what kit this accessory was meant for? I did some searching and found it was for the Hobbyboss kit. Great! I had the Kittyhawk kit. I immediately sent an email to Phil Peterson confessing my sins, and he responded that I should give it a go anyway.

I went on line to search for the instructions for the Hobbyboss kit and compared what I found to the parts for the Kittyhawk kit. On-screen and on paper things looked like they just might work. The parts breakdown between the two kits were very similar, except the parachute container on the Hobbyboss kit is molded integral with the vertical stabilizer. Now, I needed to wait for the parts to arrive for a real comparison and a chance for vindication.