We at IPMS continue to thank Ross and his Team at SAC for supporting the IPMS USA reviewer corps with what has turned into a monthly release schedule with extremely useful and well-thought out landing gear additions for the crowd out here in the modeling world.

This review is for the SAC landing gear released for the relatively new 1/48 ICM Mig-25. As to the basic kit, it is well designed and accurate BUT also is not for beginners. A lot of locations are vague on where parts should line up. I have struggled with the afterburner/augmentor petals, and the overall assembly of the basic fuselage. The landing gear is no different, as the angles and installation are to be expected to cause grief. It gets done but prepare yourself mentally and lay off the adult beverages while trying to line everything up.

Not exactly sure where my interest in Swedish aircraft comes from. Could be because my Dad is from Minnesota and his relatives go back to Scandinavia including Sweden. But more than likely it is that cool splinter camouflage on the Viggen. No matter the reason this book is an excellent publication to wet that interest.

This 200-page hardback book covers exactly what the title says it does, every jet fighter operated by the Swedish Air Force up to today.

These are:

• Saab J 21R
• J 28A, B, C – DH.100 Vampire
• Saab J 29 Flygande Tunnan
• Saab J 32B Lansen
• J 33 DH.112 Venom
• J 34 Hawker Hunter
• Saab J 35 Draken
• Saab 37 Viggen
• Saab JAS 39 Gripen

There are two chapters for each type, the first covers the history of each plane including squadron use and first hand experience. The next chapter looks at the camouflage and markings each type wore.

Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) manufactures white metal landing gear that is a direct replacement for the kits plastic landing gear. The metal landing gear offer greater strength over the kit parts as well as having most of the mold lines removed. At times the metal will be bent out of shape but that is easily corrected by bending it back to the correct shape.

This set includes six parts, the main gear struts, two retract arms, one tailwheel trailing link and strut. All the main gear and tailwheel items are exact copies of the kit parts with most of the mold lined cleaned up. The tailwheel kit part has excessive molding flash and that is cleaned up on the SAC version.

OKB Grigorov, is a Bulgarian scale model designer and manufacturer established in 2003. Their stated goal is to provide quality models and accessories with the maximum amount of details. OKB manufactures resin AFV, ships, and accessories.

From Wikipedia: The T-100 was a Soviet twin-turreted heavy tank prototype, designed in 1938–39 as a possible replacement for the T-35. The T-100 was originally conceived with three turrets and was eventually built with two. The prototype T-100 tank was briefly tested without success alongside other designs in the Soviet invasion of Finland in 1939. It was never put into production due to the archaic design concept, poor mobility, and the availability of a far superior alternative, the KV series.

Project 628 was a design study, circa 1952-1953, to fit a Vladimir Nikolayevich Chelomei (Влади́мир Никола́евич Челоме́й) sub-sonic cruise missile to the 1,500-ton diesel-electric Soviet XIV series K-Class sub. The Russian Project 628 proposal is similar to what the US Navy did with a ‘Loon’ launching from a Gato Class submarine, the USS Cusk SSG-348. The original K-Class design was approved in 1936 as a long range "cruiser submarine" with a heavy torpedo and gun armament. The boats could operate as a "fleet submarine" working with the battle fleet or as long range commerce raiders. The double hull was divided into seven compartments. It was originally planned to carry a small floatplane for scouting but this concept was abandoned when the planned aircraft proved too flimsy. Twelve submarines were built, although seven of them ended up being trapped in Leningrad by the Germans, and were not finally completed until after the end of the war.