LPS Hobby from Brazil has a new set of 1/72ndscale after-market decals for several P-51 aircraft that were assigned to the famed Tuskegee Airmen. These markings were carried by aircraft while that unit (332ndFighter Group) was stationed at Ramittell, Italy during 1944.
The markings are for:
Want an easy upgrade to the AMK 1/48 MiG-31 Foxhound? Step right up to the new Quickboost MiG-31 airbrakes pistons set that provides a beautiful replacement to what is supplied in the kit. The parts are packaged in the standard Quickboost re-closable packaging with a paper stiffener along with the description card. These parts are specific to fit the AMK highly detailed 1/48 MiG-31 Foxhound injected plastic kits. They may also work for the Hobby Boss Foxhound kit, but I only have AMK kits to compare to. This appears to be a re-release of the Aires 4722 Speed Brakes kit that was released earlier, only now without the actual replacement speed brakes.
The new Airfix Stuka is the model we’ve been waiting for the iconic dive bomber. As always there are some things that can be improved with resin. The kit prop and blades are a little off and lack detail. Well, what do you do if you want the blades to be accurate? Quickboost has provided the answers with their new Propellers and tool.
Inside the standard Quickboost quick seal packaging are five parts for the propeller, three blades and one spinner assembly. The other part is the alignment tool. There are small pour blocks that will be needed to be removed.
The spinner is perfectly shaped. The spinner features the proper propeller openings as well as detail missed in the kit. Detail such as panel lines and screws are added to the Quickboost spinners.
The new Airfix Stuka is the model we’ve been waiting for the iconic dive bomber. As always there are some things that can be improved with resin. The kit prop and blades are a little off and lack detail. Well, what do you do if you want the blades to be accurate? Quickboost has provided the answers with their new Propellers and tool.
Inside the standard Quickboost quick seal packaging are five parts for the propeller, three blades and one spinner assembly. The other part is the alignment tool. There are small pour blocks that will be needed to be removed.
The spinner is perfectly shaped. The spinner features the proper propeller openings as well as detail missed in the kit. Detail such as panel lines and screws are added to the Quickboost spinners.
The SEPECAT Jaguar was an Anglo-French design for a ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1968. The French and English versions had their differences but both performed well and received a new lease on life when they were able to demonstrate their capabilities during Desert Strom giving them a new lease on life which has just recently come to pass.
The HobbyBoss IAR-80 is a nice kit. There are some limitations when dealing with plastic. One of those limitations is the inability to mold things like cooling vents on gun barrels and the need to keep the parts round and also keep the small barrels out of the end of the vents. I can’t seem to do any of those things effectively. So why not use resin barrels as they are simple and easy to use?
Molded on a light grey pour block are four gun barrels with perfectly formed cooling jackets and the guns themselves protruding nicely out of the front of the cooling jackets. The kit guns are just round tubes sticking out of the wings. There is no detail and they are very simplified. You have to remove the kit guns and drill holes for the new guns. The Quickboost guns are significantly better than the kit ones. Removal of the guns from the resin pour block is easy enough just paint and add to the model. Simple and effective, just like most of Quickboost’s products.
Quickbost has produced a replacement tail wheel for the Tamiya 1/48 A-1H kits. The resin replacements are a simple drop-in for the kit’s plastic parts. The supplied items include two different style wheels and the strut assembly. There is no modification required to the kit parts to use these resin replacements. These items should also work with the Hasegawa A-1H kits with no problems.
A side by side evaluation (see photos) indicates a replacement of superior detail that will provide a more accurate rendition of the SPAD’s tailwheel assembly. Check your references for the appropriate tail wheel 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.
Quickbost has produced a set of resin replacement propeller assemblies for the Hasegawa 1/72 scale Lockheed P-3 Orion kits. The resin replacement is a simple drop-in for the kit’s plastic parts. The supplied items include a separately cast spinner, post and blades with a cast resin assembly tool for inserting the blades at a consistent pitch. There is no modification required to the kit to use this prop assembly.
You may remember I was a bit confused by the extra 8 pages in the middle of the last issue I reviewed. This month my habit of reading everything in a magazine paid off. In the Editorial Gary indicated that the extra 8 pages are for subscribers as a extra thank you for fronting up for a year’s sub. This month the extra pages cover the Sub-Cutaneous which is not the name of the 8 pages but an article on Colour. A build of a couple of 1/144th scale Vampires. A page of aircraft model pics from the US Nationals in Omaha (I would have liked these to be part of the regular magazine, but I might be a bit biased). The last 3 extra pages cover a nice build of the Hasagawa 32nd scale A6M5c Zero.
So what is in the rest of the magazine? Quite a bit as usual.
David R. Higgins is the author of several military history books, including five previous titles for Osprey's Duel series. These include King Tiger vs IS-2 (Duel 37), Mark IV vs A7V (Duel 49), Jagdpanther vs Su-100 (Duel 58), Panzer II vs 7TP (Duel 66), and M48 Patton vs Centurion (Duel 71). David has also authored books for Osprey in the Raid and Combat series. David authored a hardcover book for Casemate in 2010: The Roer Battles: Germany’s Stand at the Westwall, 1944-45. David has been prolific in periodicals, having written nearly 50 articles for magazines such as Strategy & Tactics, Armchair General, World at War and Modern War, and has appeared on television's ‘Greatest Tank Battles'. David attended the Columbus College of Art & Design and received a BFA from Ohio State University. He currently lives in New Albany, Ohio.
