Quickboost

1/48 Su-27 Flanker pitot tubes, antenna, and ejection seat w/safety belts

Stock Number: QB 48-125 (pitot), QB 48-129 (antennas) and QB 48-136 (seat)

Reviewed By  Mike Howard, IPMS# 30741

MSRP: Pitot Tubes: $5.95; antennas: $6.95; ejection seat w/safety belts: $9.95 Website: www.quickboost.net Aires is well known for their finely-detailed resin sets and an offshoot from them are individual items produced under the name Quickboost. These parts have all of the excellent detailing that Aires is famous for, but they allow you to choose your detail parts a la carte. Here are three detail sets that can be used to enhance your 1/48 Academy Su-27 Flanker (or, for that matter, any 1/48 Flanker). First is a replacement for the kit pitot tube. The Academy item doesn’t look too bad, but the Aires items are much thinner and more petite overall. Also, when compared to various photos of the Flanker nose, the length looks to be more accurate.

Next are replacements for the three antennae that are present on the exterior of the Flanker. Again, the Academy parts don’t look too bad by themselves, but when placed next to the Quickboost replacement parts the differences are readily seen. Finally, the one item that can add substantially to any modern jet aircraft kit cockpit: a replacement ejection seat. Here Aires/Quickboost has supplied a part that is incredible in its level of detail. The kit seat (which consists of only three parts) barely looks the part of a K-36 ejection seat. One the other hand, the QB item has a vast amount of detailing which jumps out with just a little bit of careful painting. Consisting of 11 parts, the set goes together easily and paints up very nicely.

If you’re planning on, or even in the process of building any of the 1/48 scale Flanker kits available, I’d highly recommended adding any or all of these detail sets to make a great model look outstanding! As an added note, my review sample of the Ejection seat was missing the leg wraps and ejection seat handle. I contacted Quickboost via email and in less than 24 hours had a response from David Lajer, sales manager, indicating that replacement items would be sent. Within seven days I had the replacement part in hand and was able to complete this review. Great service for a great product! A big "thanks" to Aires/Quickboost and IPMS/USA for this highly-recommended review sample.