Paul R. Brown
Reviews By Author
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Mk.20 Rockeye IIPublished:
The Mk. 20 Rockeye II (also known as the CBU-100 cluster bomb) is an American designed cluster bomb. The Rockeye II is intended for use against armored targets and each canister includes 247 anti-armor bomblets. The Rockeye was first used in Vietnam and has been steadily modified and improved over the years since. The Rockeye was used extensively by American forces in Desert Storm to attack Iraqi vehicles.’ The set consists of 6 resin Rockeyes, 6 resin nose caps, a photo-etch fret with 6 brass endplates and a very comprehensive decal sheet. After washing the resin to remove any mold release residue, construction starts with removing the Rockeyes from the casting blocks. This is fairly easily accomplished with a good razor saw, but be careful when sanding down the remnants of… more |
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AGM-78 Standard ARMPublished:
When the United States first started its bombing campaign in North Vietnam, it discovered that its ability to combat the sophisticated air defense system was very limited and early on it became apparent that the AGM-45 Shrike anti-radiation missile had a number of serious limitations, particularly in its range, small warhead and limited seeker. In effort to overcome some of these limitations, the Navy worked with General Dynamics to develop an air-launched version of the Navy’s RIM-66 Standard surface-to-air missile. By using an existing missile platform, development proceeded fairly quickly and the result was the AGM-78 Standard ARM (anti-radiation missile). Early versions of the AGM-78 were actually outfitted with the same seeker head as the Shrike, but as the Standard ARM had a much… more |
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AGM-78 Standard ARMPublished:
When the United States first started its bombing campaign in North Vietnam, it discovered that its ability to combat the sophisticated air defense system was very limited and early on it became apparent that the AGM-45 Shrike anti-radiation missile had a number of serious limitations, particularly in its range, small warhead and limited seeker. In effort to overcome some of these limitations, the Navy worked with General Dynamics to develop an air-launched version of the Navy’s RIM-66 Standard surface-to-air missile. By using an existing missile platform, development proceeded fairly quickly and the result was the AGM-78 Standard ARM (anti-radiation missile). Early versions of the AGM-78 were actually outfitted with the same seeker head as the Shrike, but as the Standard ARM had a much… more |
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GBU-8/B HOBOSPublished:
The GBU-8/B HOBOS (Homing Bomb System) was developed in the late 60’s by the U.S. Air Force in an effort to improve the accuracy of its bombs. ; The HOBOS consisted of an electro-optical guidance system fitted to a MK 84 2,000 lb. bomb and was intended as an alternative to the then new laser guided bombs. ; The advantage of the HOBOS was that once the seeker was aligned with the target and locked on, the weapon could be released as a fire and forget weapon. ; Disadvantages were that the seeker needed an area of high contrast to lock on to and the system was more expensive than the laser guided bombing systems. Eduard’s GBU-8/B HOBOS is a nice addition to their growing Brassin range of modern ordinance. ; The set consist of just 4 parts, consisting of two complete bombs as… more |
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GBU-10 Paveway IPublished:
The GBU-10 Paveway I is one of the United States first precision guided weapons put into service. The GBU-10 is actually the combination of a standard Mk. 84 2,000lb bomb with the Paveway I guidance system. Developed in the late 60’s and early 70’s it was used extensively in Vietnam. While the MK. 84 bomb is still around, the Paveway I guidance package has been replaced by improved versions offering more guidance options and better range. Eduard’s Brassin series is known for its interesting subjects and exquisitely detailed castings and this set is no exception. The set consists of 14 pieces, two bomb bodies with rear fins, 2 sets of guidance canards, two seeker heads and two seeker heads with covers and a rather extensive little decal sheet. After washing the resin off to… more |
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F-35A Lightning IIPublished:
This is the first kit of what I expect will be a number of F-35 kits from Hasagawa and represents the U.S. Air Force version of the Joint Strike Fighter. The Marine F-35B and Navy F-35C are sure to follow. As a new Hasegawa kit, the fit of the parts is excellent, however, a couple of the engineering decisions in the parts breakdown can cause some issues if you are not careful, but even those are not hard to rectify. The kit includes the option to build the jet either with the gear down or with the gear up and includes a nice clear plastic stand (and an actual seated pilot figure) for the inflight mode. The landing gear bays for the kit are not integrally molded with the fuselage, so you will need to decide early if you are building the kit gear up or down, because if you don’t… more |
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MiG-15 Landing GearPublished:
The set consists of 5 one-for-one replacements for the kit landing gear on the new Eduard MiG-15 kits. The nose gear is a single casting of the strut and the nose wheel, and incorporates the spoked effect on the tire seen on the kit part. The main gear each consists of a main gear strut and the retraction/extension actuator. As with the other SAC sets the parts are finely cast and need minimal clean-up before being painted and installed. My set had a bit of flash on each of the small struts coming off the main gear struts, that initially looked like part of the gear, but I have been unable to find any photos showing this to be part of the gear, so I clipped it off.’’ A nice touch to add to a great little kit – recommended. Thank you to Scale Aircraft Conversions for the review… more |
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Mi-26 Halo Landing GearPublished:
This set is designed for the Zvezda/Revell Mi-26 Halo helicopter kit. The set includes seven replacement pieces, a nose strut and three pieces for each main landing gear. As with most SAC sets the replacement parts are one-for-one replacements for the kit parts and have been cast to fit the existing mounting holes on the kit. The nose gear simply pops into the hole for the kit part and will add a little bit of weight to the nose area, but also some strength as this is not a small helicopter. The main gear are each comprised of three parts, two of which make up the main strut, and the third being the rear bracing for the gear assembly. The main strut parts fit just like the kit parts and the attachment points are keyed just like the kit part to help align them when… more |
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F-16 Air BrakesPublished:
The set consists of two finely cast reproductions of the F-16’s speed brakes in the extended position. Installation of the speed brakes is very straight forward once they are removed from their respective casting blocks. I labeled the gluing edge of mine with a ‘L’ and a ‘R’ as they are not interchangeable. To install each one, you will need to cut off the molded speed brakes once the fuselage halves are together. As the actuator housing for each speed brake is on the bottom of the aircraft, I removed the kit part from the bottom up by cutting at the seam on the actuator housing. As a result the top is cut off just forward of the top hinge, which is good as it gives you some space to blend in the new piece without interfering with the top hinge. While most pictures show the… more |
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F-104G Mask (Hasegawa)Published:
This is a masking set for the Hasegawa F-104G. The masks are cut from yellow tape, similar to Eduard masks and the set includes masks for all three sections of the Hasegawa F-104G as well as masks for each of the tires. There are three separate masks for the three windscreen panels and there are two masks for both of the other two sections of the canopy. As with Eduard’s masks, the masks for the larger portions of the canopy establish the borders or the canopy leaving an open section in the middle that will need to be filled with either liquid mask, scotch tape or some other materials to protect the center of the canopy section. The set also includes masks for the wheel allowing the tires to be painted black, the masks applied and the for the wheel hubs to be painted. As with… more |