Paul Mahoney
Reviews By Author
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Supermarine Walrus Landing Gear (Airfix)Published:
A newer addition to Scale Aircraft Conversions ever-expanding line of metal landing gear is this set for the Airfix 1/48 scale Supermarine Walrus. Like most of SAC’s sets, this is meant as a drop-fit replacement for the kit’s plastic landing gear. The set comprises of both main gear legs and the tailwheel (with accompanying fairing). All are made of sturdy, white metal. I could see no appreciable difference in the detail between the kit items and those in this set. They look to be almost exactly the same. If anything, I believe the SAC details were a bit softer than the kit items. I will say the SAC gear is considerably stronger than the kit plastic. The Walrus is a big and somewhat hefty model, so the additional strength might come in handy. I haven’t heard of… more |
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Building the Wingnut Wings Junkers D.1Published:
This is the sixth, and latest, in Albatros’ series of “Windsock Centenary WW1 Modeling Specials,” each dedicated to building specific Wingnut Wings Kits The booklet itself is done to very high publication standards, featuring 44 full-color, glossy pages within covers of slightly thicker stock. In keeping with the format of the series, this book covers a step by step build of WNW’s latest release, the Junkers D.1. There are also scale plans, a collection of photos from a special archive, and a nice appendix. There is one interesting departure from the format of previous issues, and this is one that (to me) makes a lot of sense. The author realizes the appeal of WNW kits (heck, I build WW2 stuff in 1/48 scale, but I have several of these beautiful 1/32 WW1 kits)… more |
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United States Camouflage WWIIPublished:
This is the 2nd eBook provided by Richard Marmo that I have had the opportunity to review recently. United States Camouflage WWII, is not a book written by Richard, but rather is a book compiled and published by Jay Frank Dial in 1964. Richard restored and enhanced it, and then converted it (with small additions) to PDF format in 2008. According to the promotional blurb, the original book has/had been difficult to locate and was expensive when found. I did a quick search on abebooks and was able to locate a few copies, some cheaper than others (none cheaper than this eBook). The original book had only one production run in 1964 and was never reprinted. Essentially, the original author analyzed and clarified the military tech orders issued during the war that documented… more |
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The Marmo Method Modelbuilding Guide #6 – Building the Williams Bros. 1/72 scale Curtiss C-46A CommandoPublished:
Richard Marmo’s name might be familiar to many IPMSer’s… he is one of the founding members of the club, and is in fact IPMS Membership #2 !! This is #6 in his series of ePublications, and the first I have had the pleasure to read (and review). Available in several different formats, including ePub and PDF (see links above), this is an 89 page, highly detailed description of how Richard built (for commission) the 1/72nd scale C-46 kit produced by Williams Brothers. Note: There are several ways to obtain this publication - Barnes and Noble (ePub ONLY) or via smashwords. I have listed both url's below:
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Mitsubishi A5M Decals - Part 1 and Part 3Published:
Last year we modelers were pleasantly surprised (at least I was) to get not one, but two companies offering new-mold 1/48 scale A5M Claudes (in multiple variants no less). With the models from Fine Molds and Wingsy Kits both receiving admirable reviews, it is great to see that Lifelike Decals has issued 3 decal sheets that work with either kit. This is a review of 2 of the three, #48-053 (Part 1) and #48-055 (Part 3). Links to Specific DecalsOnce again, Lifelike has come up with an extremely high-quality product. Each package has full-color… more |
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Curtiss P-40 B/C - Browning .30 cal and US Type Pitot Tube Detail SetPublished:
Airfix’s new 1/48 early P-40 models have been very popular with modelers of late. Despite these being very good kits, there is always need for some improvement. Master Model’s recent product address some of those needs. Master has come out with aftermarket sets that replace Airfix’s gun barrels and pitot tubes, as well as furnishing ring and bead sights that are missing from the original kit. There are separate Master packages for the American and British boxings, with appropriate changes in the pitot tubes and gun barrels. IPMS and Master were kind enough to allow me to review the ‘US version’ of this set. It is comprised of the following brass pieces: four 0.30 cal gun barrels, two blast tubes for the nose guns, a 2-piece pitot tube (brass + resin), a bead sight, and… more |
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Shadow Over the Atlantic: Fernaufklärungsgruppe 5 'Atlantik'Published:
When I first inquired about reviewing “Shadow Over the Atlantic”, I assumed it would be of a similar format many of Osprey’s “Combat Aircraft” or “Aircraft of the Aces” softcover series of books. It turned out this is a hardback book, and is a much more in-depth volume than those from the standard Osprey series. I am a huge fan of those softcover books, but they always leave me wanting more! “Shadow Over the Atlantic” is a detailed history of Fernaufklärungsgruppe (FAGr) 5, which operated Ju290 aircraft on long-range reconnaissance missions over the Atlantic To fully appreciate the lengths to which the author went in researching this book, I highly suggest one reads the introduction and author’s notes sections in the first several pages. Forsyth obtained an account of… more |
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Curtiss Ascender XP-55Published:
Ginter Books’ latest book covering the Curtiss XP-55 “Ascender” is an in-depth look at one of the more oddball aircraft designed for the USAAF during the Second World War. The book consists of 72 pages printed on glossy, good-quality stock, bound in a soft cover made of heavier stock. Front and back covers have beautiful color pictures, and almost every page inside has either multiple black and white photos or drawings. The author has previously published a book on the 1940 fighter competition that took place in the US, and some of that research comprises the early section of this book. The XP-55 was a direct result of that competition, and several pages describe the process and innovations it generated. The author then segues into the specific design and… more |
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"Midway Madness" USN & USMC SBD-2 Dauntless #2106Published:
This is the first Yellow-Wings product I have had the pleasure of reviewing, and my initial reactions were very positive. The focus of this company is on USN, USMC and USAAC subjects from the 1930-42 era, and this one falls right in line. This particular set provides markings for one specific aircraft, SBD-2 Dauntless #2106, during 5 phases of its lifetime. The standard ziplock bag contents consist of a stiff cardboard, full-color “title board”, 5 double-sided instruction pages (printed in black & white and color), and 2 full pages of decal sheets printed by Microscale. This is the 1/48th scale set, and there is also one available in 1/32. The five different schemes for Dauntless #2106 provided are:
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North American P-51 Mustang Pt. 4Published:
Likelike Decals from Japan just released a few new sheets, and this one covers the P-51 Mustang. As soon as I opened the standard ziplock plastic bag, I realized the contents were well above ‘standard.’ Along with a full color placement guide, there are SEVERAL sheets of decals in this package. One full page of decals, printed by Microscale, contains most of the individual markings and a full set of stencils. Another ½ page, printed by Cartograf, has the unique “tiger stripe” pattern of camouflage bands unique to one of the subject aircraft (along with extra decal printed in the same color). Another ½ page, printed by Microscale, contains a few extra markings, as well as two sets of National Insignia. Finally, there is a small fourth sheet that has 3 variations of one of the… more |