The Item

If you want to bring your Piper L4 Cub Grasshopper aircraft kit to the next level, this excellent detail set is just the thing for you. This extensive PE sheet set has most of the appliqués that can be added to the kit to provide a fully detailed rendering of the Piper L4 Cub aircraft. In addition, acetate window sections and resin cockpit and wheel sets are also included

PE parts generally require certain tools to bend/and manipulate the parts for a good fit. You’ll find those at online and local hobby shops. Adhesion can be done in a variety of ways including thin cements, paint, or even floor polish, depending on the part’s requirements. This set comes with instructions and the parts are correspondingly numbered on the fret tree. Resin parts require cleanup and C/A or epoxy adhesives.

All-in-all this set will definitely enhance the appearance of your Mark I Piper L4 Cub Grasshopper kit.

From the Trumpeter and MRC websites,

The successor to the Leopard 1, the Leopard 2, was first produced in 1979. A variety of upgrade programs and options are available for the Leopard 2. These include the Atlas Elektronik Vehicle Integrated Command and Information System (IFIS), a digital command and information system. The Leopard 2 has had technical improvements under Upgrading Level I and Level II programs. A new smoothbore gun, the 120 millimeter L55 Gun, has been developed by Rheinmetall GmbH of Ratingen, Germany to replace the shorter 120 millimeter L44 smoothbore tank gun on the Leopard 2. It permits effective use of a new APFSDS-T round, DM53 (LKE II), with a longer rod penetrator, which is under development.

The Item

If you want to bring your 1:48 scale Curtiss SNC-1 Falcon II Aircraft model kit to the next level, this excellent white metal cast detail set is just the thing for you. This 14-piece complete gear set with struts not only provides sturdy, fully detailed parts replacements, but they are specifically designed to fit the attachment points of the Dora Wings model.

Remove the parts from the casting stubs so as to avoid bending them. As with other SAC sets, there are minimal casting seams on the parts that will need to be removed. Simple scraping, filing, or sanding makes for easy clean-up. After removal from the casting stubs, the parts can be carefully polished with a rotary tool brush, then primed and painted. Because of their malleable nature the parts can be gently bent for a proper profile and perfect fit

All-in-all this set will definitely enhance the appearance of your Dora Wings Curtiss SNC-1 Falcon II Trainer.

A new tooled kit from Tamiya. It is the British 2-Ton 4X2 Ambulance (Austin K2/Y). A very nice detailed kit, simple to build, and will make a wonderful addition to any 1/48th scale WWII military collection or diorama.

In the Box

This kit has two (2) olive drab colored sprues labeled A & B with 57 parts. Plus, a clear sprue with 4 parts. A driver figure is included within one of the olive drab sprues. The molded detail is exceptional for this scale.

Instructions are 13 steps and printed on a foldout sheet with typical good illustrations from Tamiya.

This is considered a “curbside” build since there is no motor or any interior detail inside the cab. Doors for the cab are molded shut.

Construction

When reading the instructions, especially for the colors, everything is to be painted Olive Green, XF-58, unless otherwise noted.

Although I was pleased with the kit by the very end of the build, I was not very happy with the kit itself. When I received the shrink-wrapped review sample, I discovered that two sprues were missing. This is actually the second AFV Club kit I’ve come across with missing parts.

Because these parts were critical to the build, I first looked for a way to get replacements from the manufacturer. Nope. The instructions has a parts list (in this case on page 18) and a replacement order form. This is great and all, but where should it be mailed? There is no address. There is no website URL anywhere on the box or in the instructions and there no customer service number. I was stuck. I turned to eBay and was very fortunate to find a seller who had exactly what I needed. It would seem there may be some manufacturer quality control issues.