Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) has provided the IPMS reviewer corps a set of 1/48th scale metal landing gear for Hobby Boss’s U-2R “Dragon Lady” Senior Span. These parts are drop-in replacements and provide a more robust landing gear set given its metal properties.

In the Package

The metal pieces are packaged in a clear blister package with cardboard backing. No instructions are provided.

Review Process

The metal landing gear set is used as drop-in replacements for parts E8 (tail wheel), E14 & F22 (nose wheel), and E7 (wingtip “pogo” wheels). The metal used is malleable and has some give to allow for any minor bending if needed. Also, seam lines will need to be cleaned up prior to painting just like the plastic kit parts.

During the holiday season of 2025, I became interested in some YouTube videos about the Gaahleri Mobius 0.2mm airbrush. What intrigued me the most was the MAC (Multiple Air Channel) nozzle with its spiral-shaped channels, which makes the overall nozzle easier to handle than some brands. I purchased my airbrush during the Gaahleri Black Friday Sale through Amazon, and I have been very pleased with everything that I have used it for. If you are looking for an airbrush made for detailed work at a nominal cost, I would highly recommend looking at this model.

Agora Models Willis MB Jeep Engine

The SAS Jeep Engine from Agora is highly detailed and goes together easily. Parts of the engine are included in Packs 1 and 2. I counted 52 parts to the engine assembly, not including numerous screws used for construction. There will be many more parts added to the engine bay in later steps. Having all parts and screws packed separately for each step makes it easy to find the right part for each assembly step. Agora has recently switched to recyclable manila paper envelopes for the parts.

The non-profit UK-based group known as the Great War Aviation Society publishes their journal, Cross & Cockade International, four times a year. Issues are available in English as printed [Softbound, A4 (8.27” x 11.69”), 80 pages plus centerfold] as well as digital copies (or both). A new magazine, Contact!, is now available in both print and digital download. The Society also provides a free newsletter (sign up on their website) and occasionally publishes WWI-themed books like the Sopwith Dolphin monograph I reviewed earlier for IPMS-USA. This Journal is the sister of the US Journal, Over The Front. The Great War Aviation Society also hosts a lecture series available through Zoom. If interested, you will need to register early as the call is limited in attendance.

HI ! Here a project I have done in the past ! of course it's scratch, if you like to view more pics, Just follow this GOOGLE link : https://photos.app.goo.gl/C2rCdGza3E7o7W3m6 Enjoy ! Jmarc

What’s Crack-a-Lack’n Modelgeeks! Welcome to Episode 118 of The Modelgeeks Podcast!
 
 In this episode, the Geeks  take a lap in the pattern and say what is the latest and greatest in their model worlds and even a snow storm story or two! The Geeks give a show and contest rundown and run through the listener mail, and talk about the recent gallery submissions of modelers awesome work. the Geeks then discuss some of the ways that they balance life and the hobby.  How to get that perfect if there is one balance between our daily commitments and hobby we all love.So, sit back, grab your beverage of choice or, if you are headed to the ODO, put the geeks on and enjoy the ride. Also make sure that you join our Pateron and if you join at the Pro Geek level, you are automatically entered into our episode lucky Pro Geek drawing for a really cool prize!

Out from the Geeks, Later! You can still interact with us through social media, Facebook, Instagram, and email:  contact@modelgeekspodcast.com

 

Be sure to check out our website: www.modelgeekspodcast.com.
 
 

 Make sure you check out our new group / community on Facebook, The ModelGeeks Model Shack

 

Jeremy Moore’s club page: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=lehigh%20valley%20scale%20modelers

 

We also want to thank each of our sponsors for their support. We are very lucky to have their support. When you have the time, pay a visit to their web sites, and have a look at their fine products.

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We are very fortunate to be able to join the scale modeling podcast community and are in the company of several other really GREAT podcasts. Hopefully, someday we’ll earn our wings and be able to keep up with those guys!  Please check them all out at Scale Model Podcasts.

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On this episode the boys talk to Matthew Williams about using a laser to "Print" decals on your models. Interesting use of a new tool, and as we discuss, has wider possibilities other than just burning in a decal.

Don't forget to support the sponsor of our show Scott from the Scale Modellers Supply

https://www.scalemodeller.com.au/

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The second French jug kit from MiniArt in 48th scale. We see the sprue layout, colours, profiles, decals & the real kites of this latest release in our preview...Read on... »

Border Model added the A6M2 Zero to their 1/35 scale model aircraft collection in 2024. Now a white metal landing gear set has been developed by Scale Aircraft Conversions. This aftermarket set consists of four metal landing gear parts plus the dorsal antenna mast, an unexpected bonus.

The plastic main gear in the border kit builds up similar to the Tamiya 1/32 Zero, with included metal springs which replicate the hydraulic suspension of the life-sized aircraft. In the Border kit, five plastic parts plus the aforementioned spring are required for each main gear assembly.

While detailed and offering an action feature to the kit, this assembly may be judged by some modelers to be too complex and wobbly. The SAC gear set is composed of white metal molded as one piece and no provision is made for the action feature.

Border Model added the A6M2 Zero to their 1/35 scale model aircraft collection in 2024. Now a white metal landing gear set has been developed by Scale Aircraft Conversions. This aftermarket set consists of four metal landing gear parts plus the dorsal antenna mast, an unexpected bonus.

The plastic main gear in the border kit builds up similar to the Tamiya 1/32 Zero, with included metal springs which replicate the hydraulic suspension of the life-sized aircraft. In the Border kit, five plastic parts plus the aforementioned spring are required for each main gear assembly.

While detailed and offering an action feature to the kit, this assembly may be judged by some modelers to be too complex and wobbly. The SAC gear set is composed of white metal molded as one piece and no provision is made for the action feature.

According to the blurb on the back cover, the F-35 was developed under the largest weapons program in history. After reading this book, I can probably agree that is true. In fact, you could add the words “most complex” and “relentless shortcomings” to the above description too.

This in-depth text looks at the F-35 program from a critical standpoint and reads more like a collegiate textbook or government briefing paper. The F-35 program is described in intense detail from its origins, technological trends that have influenced the development, testing, capabilities, global implications, deployment, and the future of the F-35. The text is arranged into eleven chapters, and each chapter is divided into multiple sections via headings.

When the days are short and the bench time is shorter, what keeps us building? We open the studio door on a fast, funny, and honest ride through the parts of scale modeling that actually matter: a workspace that invites you to sit down, a ritual that signals “now we create,” and a community that shows up when motivation dips. The mailbag sets the tone—digital galleries that make old builds new again, a legendary decal mishap that proves perfection isn’t required, and a smart question about the power of influencers. Do YouTube pros push products or possibilities? We separate inspiration from imitation and share how to borrow techniques without losing your voice.

Then we tackle fear targets with real tactics. A 1/32 resin Viggen in splinter camo? Treat the paint job as its own project, build clean first, and practice masks on a cheap mule. Wingnut Wings rigging anxiety? De‑risk the process with repeatable steps and scrap‑wing drills. Along the way, we rediscover why the hobby sticks: it’s Shangri‑La for busy minds, a hands‑on history lab, and the start of friendships that carry far beyond the bench. Listener stories echo our own—escapism, creativity, and shelves that chart the evolution from Wildcat to Bearcat.

On the bench, we move a Hellcat through oils, satin, and chips, and push the Roosevelt build with neat bare‑metal‑foil masking tricks for razor‑clean trim. In the stash‑temptation corner, we nerd out over new releases: Tamiya’s M24 Chaffee, BT upgrades and turrets, a 1/48 Vulcan with the wingspan of a stingray, and a 1/35 Me 323 that begs for a rolling cargo diorama. We wrap with the simple rule we live by: if you’re not enjoying it, change what you’re doing. Want more of this energy in your feed? Hit follow, rate us five stars, and share the show with a modeling friend who needs a spark.

Pelicon'26 - a show to attend in the Tampa, FL area
Emmas Planes - a listener recommened website

Model Paint Solutions
Your source for Harder & Steenbeck Airbrushes, Mixing supplies, and great advice!

SQUADRON
Adding to the stash since 1968

Model Podcasts
Please check out the other pods in the modelsphere!

KitMasx
Custom Canopy Masks for the Scale Modeler

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Mike and Kentucky Dave thank each and everyone of you for participating on this journey with us.

Fallout Models from South Africa have added to their range of diorama accessories with two new forthcoming Luftwaffe pilots in 72nd, 48th & 32nd scales. We look at them in our preview...Read on... »

A second Stummel from MiniArt in 35th scale – this time the "Late" version of the Sd.Kfz.234/3. CADs, art, colours, decals, etch & features in our preview...Read on... »

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Join all 5 of us plus very special guest Scott Samo AKA Nemo from the Modelgeeks joins in the fun. We talk about the upcoming 2026 Edition of the 48 in 48 Global Group Build and fundraiser to benefit Models for Heroes the weekend of March 20, 2026. We also get serious and do a deep dive into each of the hosts "why" - why this hobby? What keeps each of us coming back to it over other pursuits.

JB and Scott have a terrific interview with Boyd Brown, AKA the Quiet Corner Modeler, and we cover a wide range of topics and just generally have a great time! 

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Once again IPMS/USA provides our thanks to Ross at SAC for providing us one of his gear sets to use and review!

This set provides the usual flexibility of softer metal that can be work-hardened if needed for a strong, reliable (and repairable) option for the kit plastic gear.

Consisting of 11 white metal parts, this gear provides strength where it is needed in holding up the model over time. Additional benefit: the builder can (carefully) bend the gear into position if there are issues with installation, (such as alignment of wheel axles for toe-in/camber), and repair (more on this later.

I have a love of all things Battle of Midway, and I like building planes crewed by people I knew. This scratches both itches - this is Torpedo 3's T-3, flown by MACH Harry Corl and ARM2c Lloyd Childers. I got to know Lloyd through the Battle of Midway Roundtable, an on-line study group, and as it turned out he lived over in the LaMoraDa area (Lafayette/Moraga/Morinda - just through the Caldecott Tunnel here in the San Francisco Bay Area). His favorite restaurant was Acapulco, a Mexican place in my hometown of Alameda! Not only did Lloyd enjoy homey Mexican places, he happened to be the only rear-seater in Torpedo 3 to attack the Japanese Mobile Fleet (Kido Butai) at Midway and live to tell about it. I wrote his story for the December 2005 issue of Flight Journal Magazine (you can read an updated version at https://obscureco.wordpress.com/2026/01 ... or-in-172/), but I dilly-dallied on building the TBD, maybe because I was hoping a new AND accurate kit would come out in 1:72. Alas, no (not yet, at least). I'm working on a Midway display at the USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum, and I took on the TBD; I had collected as many TBD models and parts as I could over the years, so I thought I'd be best to tackle it. So here it is. The basic airframe is Airfix, with the rivets NEARLY sanded all the way off, and some scribing lines added. The interior is mostly the White Ensign photoetched set, with the seats, bombardier/second pilots side consoles and radioman gunner's floor taken from the Valom kit, which also contribute the torpedo, landing gear (cut to the right height), wheels and radio antenna mast. The instrument panel was scratch-built; belts came from photoetched parts intended for an SB2U Vindicator. The flexible .30-caliber gun is a Miniworld item modified with the right grips and the flash suppressor on the real thing. There's also the small windage sight on the barrel, made from a 1:700 photoetched anemometer. The clear parts are from a Falcon vacuformed set. There's a scratch-built set of radio gear under the turtledeck ahead of the radioman/gunner if you look hard enough. In the bombardier/co-pilot's seat is a scratch-made life raft. Lloyd told me that standard operating procedure on torpedo missions was to remove the Norden bombsight (in a compartment under the pilot, which the bombadier was crawl into, and then open a set of doors just behind the cowling to sight) and to take the life raft out of its compartment and belt it into the unused seat, where it could be accessed easily in the event of ditching. In the case of T-3, the engine had thrown so much oil Corl couldn't get the rear canopy open, and they had to swim for it (Corl dragged the badly wounded Childers to the safety of the whaleboat from USS Monaghan). It came out OK for a kit from 1969!

Recently received from the folks at ResKit is this US Navy A/S32A-31A “Mule” tow tractor, short version, with exclusive markings in 1/32 scale. These tow tractors are used aboard ships as well as land bases to move aircraft as needed. Suggested aircraft to pair this vehicle with include the following: AV-8B, F-14B/D, F/A-18 C/D/E/F/G, C-2, E-2C, EA-6B, S-3B, UH-1, UH-60, CH-47, CH-53, and SH-3. Modelers with some experience with 3D printed resin kits should have no issues with adding this tow tractor to their collection.

Hasegawa Ki-84 Frank. FineMolds KI-61 Tony. Fujimi Ki-43-1 Oscar and Fujimi B6N2 Jill.

Hasegawa Ki-84 Frank. FineMolds KI-61 Tony. Fujimi Ki-43-1 Oscar and Fujimi B6N2 Jill.