Paul R. Brown
Reviews By Author
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F-16C Baby Got Fullback AggressorsPublished:
The Air Force’s 64th Aggressor Squadron uses specially painted F-16s in fulfilling its role of simulating opposing air forces. Over the years its F-5s and F-16s have worn a wide variety of paint schemes mimicking those used by potential opponents. Last year, the Squadron painted several of its F-16s in the “Shark” and “Splinter” schemes recently observed on Russian Su-34s and the Sukhoi T-50. Two Bobs has now issued decal sheets in 1/32, 1/48 and 1/72 scales to allow modelers to depict both schemes. Sheet 72-104 provides markings for two aircraft in the “Splinter" scheme and one in the “Shark” scheme. Two of the aircraft (one in each scheme) are Block 32 jets while the third is a block 25 jet. As I had an old Hasegawa model of an early block F-16, I decided to use it for this… more |
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USAF F-15E 333rd Fighter SquadronPublished:
Over the years there have been quite a few F-15E Strike Eagle kits released by several different kit manufacturers in 1/72 scale. However most of these kits were adaptations of the manufacturer’s F-15B or D kits with some extra parts to address some of the differences between the B/D and the E airframes. Academy’s recent release is a not an adaptation of another two-seat F-15 kit, but instead was designed from the outset to be a Strike Eagle. The kit is also a continuation of Academy’s recent focus on enticing new people to the hobby, but it is not a snap-tight kit with all the negative connotations that often has, nor is it a “normal” model kit. Like several of Academy’s other releases, this kit is for the most part a push-fit kit, however, it showcases some of the best model… more |
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Messerschmitt Me-262 Landing GearPublished:
This set is designed to fit Revell’s series of 1/72 Me 262 kits. The kit was originally released back in 1997 and has been re-released periodically since then. I installed the set on the Me 262 A-1a/U3 photo reconnaissance variant of the kit. The set consists of 6 parts, a nose gear strut with retraction strut, two main gear legs, two main gear retraction struts and a metal nose gear bay. The castings are nicely done, however, as the kit parts are showing their age – mold seams, etc. – these defects are repeated on the cast parts and you will need to take some time scraping off the mold seams. I used a brass wire wheel in my battery operated Dremel tool at slow speed to polish up the struts and finish removing the mold seams. The inclusion of the metal nose gear bay is… more |
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Spitfire Mk. IX seatbelts STEELPublished:
This set is part of Eduard’s growing line of Steel seat belts sets. The set consists of 2 complete shoulder harness sets and 4 sets of lap belts for Eduard’s outstanding Spitfire Mk. IX kit. The set will particularly useful for those modelers who did not spring for the ProfilePack or Royal Class kits of the Mk. IX. I also suspect that with a little work or ingenuity, the set can be made to work with other manufacturer’s Mk. IX kits such as Airfix or Hasegawa. Each set of shoulder harnesses consists of two parts which are attached at the upper buckles. The lower part (# 1) is designed to be looped over the back of the seat and attached while the upper part (# 2) is intended to be threaded through the backrest/armor plate and attached aft of the fuselage rib that is just visible… more |
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Photoetch for MiG-29UB Izdelye 9.51Published:
This set is designed to be used on the MiG-29UB kit released by Trumpeter last year. It includes not only the full color set SS593 to upgrade the front and rear cockpits and both ejection seats, but also a second brass fret of external details. The detail on both sets is outstanding and the color set is beautifully printed. Based on the colors used for the cockpit side consoles, it looks like Eduard used a later build MiG-29UB as the side consoles and instrument panels are in a medium grey, not the bright blue-green color seen on many other Russian/Soviet aircraft. Unfortunately, the instructions do not include any painting references for the cockpit or other kit parts, so you must do your own matching. To my eye, the grey looked pretty close to the Testors Dark Ghost Grey (FS 36320) I… more |
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CBU-97 Cluster BombPublished:
The CBU-97 is an unguided cluster bomb unit used by the US Air Force. The CBU-97 weighs around 1,000 lbs. and consists of a munition dispenser which contains ten BLU-108 sub-munitions. Each BLU-108 is an independent unit with its own sensors and projectiles which are designed to kill armored or soft skinned vehicles by attacking from above where the armor/skin is thinnest, or non-existent. The CBU-97 can be carried by all of the USAF’s current fighters and bombers. Eduard’s set consists of twelve resin parts, 6 munition dispensers and 6 tail units. As with Eduard’s other CBU sets, the hardest part of the whole build is cutting the parts from the casting blocks. Take your time and keep your cuts as straight as you can. Despite my best efforts, I still had to use Mr. Surfacer to… more |
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Seatbelt Soviet Union WW2 Fighter STEELPublished:
This set is part of Eduard’s growing line of Steel seat belts sets. The set consists of 3 sets of seat seatbelts and shoulder harnesses for Yakovlev World War II fighters and 3 sets for Lavochkin World War II fighters. The set will particularly useful for dressing up the cockpit of an older kit. I had an old Italeri La-5 kit that has been in my stash for quite some time, so I pulled it out to see how the belts worked. As with Eduard’s brass etch, the Steel belts are attached with superglue. I used a gel superglue with a medium setting time to allow me to get the parts where I wanted them before it set up. I found it easiest to first tack down one end of the belt or harness then let it dry and harden before attempting to shape it. Once the first attachment point is dry, the… more |
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MiG-29UB Izdelye 9.51 Canopy MaskPublished:
This set is designed for Trumpeter’s new MiG-29 Model 9.51 Fulcrum B trainer and provides masks for the main canopy, the windscreen, and the wheels/hubs. I started with the wheels, and as I prefer to paint the hubs first and then the tires, I did the opposite of what is shown on the instructions. I painted the hubs using an old tin of Xtracolor Russian hub green, then I peeled off the center disks from the masking set and used them to cover the hubs while I sprayed NATO Black on the tires. Eduard instructs you to spray the tires first and then use the masks and masking fluid to cover the tires while you paint the hubs. I like to avoid masking fluid on acrylic paints, so I just reverse the order of painting. If you look at photographs of MiG-29s there is a very visible… more |
MiG-29 Fulcrum Landing GearPublished:
Over the past couple of years, Trumpeter has released four new MiG-29 “Fulcrum” kits, the Model 9.12 Fulcrum A, the Model 9.13 Fulcrum C, the Model 9.51 Fulcrum B trainer to the Model 9.13 MiG-29 SMT. While there are some significant differences between the various versions of the Fulcrum, the landing gear is essentially the same on all four of these variants. Earlier this year Scale Aircraft Conversions released a replacement set for the Trumpeter MiG-29 kits. The set is comprised of five parts, two main landing gear legs, a two-piece nose strut, and the nose strut retraction actuator. As with many other SAC sets, the first step is to remove the slight mold/cast seam on each of the parts. I first scraped the seam down using a Xacto blade, then I polished each part using a wire… more |
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R-73/AA-11 "Archer"Published:
The R-73 (NATO designation AA-11 Archer) was designed as a replacement for the R-60 (AA-8 Aphid) close-in dogfight missile. The R-73 is an infrared homing missile with thrust vectoring and has been exported to a number of air forces around the world. As a follow-on to its previous release of the R-60/AA-8 Aphid missile set, Eduard has now released the R-73/AA-11 Archer. The set includes parts for 4 missiles, including seeker caps and engine covers as well as 4 P-72 missile rails. A nice touch by Eduard is that in addition to the missile rails, the set is designed in a modular fashion, much like the actual rails, so you can construct the appropriate pylons for both the MiG-29 and the Su-27 simply by installing different pylon mounts. The set includes enough of the pylon mounts… more |