Roger Carrano
Reviews By Author
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Brick Wall. Modular DesignPublished:
MiniArt has recently issued another link in their diorama chain of accessories. This time it’s a modular Brick Wall consisting of three main sections, two half sections (which appear to be blown out) and two corner units which can be assembled into any configuration that you wish. These “walls” are vacu-formed and needs to be cut carefully and then assembled. The length of the walls can be doubled if the backs aren’t going to be seen. The set consists of six full wall pieces and four half end pieces, and two lamp poles. The lamp poles are attached to two white sprues which also contain parts that must be in common with other kits. Some of these items can be used for whatever purposes you can think of. There are lamp hangars, which can be attached to an outside wall, which supports… more |
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Soviet Limber 52-R-353M WWII 1942Published:
Since 2003, when MiniArt released their first kit, they have become quite a diverse company with kits ranging from figures to tanks, with most of their emphasis on designing kits, to enhance or stand alone, for dioramas. This review is about the Soviet Limber circa WWII. I thought this was going to be an easy one when I first seen it on their website. I seemed that it was going to be as simple as gluing a square box together with a pole on it which attaches to a vehicle or a horse, paint it and that would be it. Upon receiving the kit I opened the box which revealed 112 parts, all of which were finely detailed and some very tiny. These parts are contained on five sprues, although four of them have no more than ten parts each. I must say that I underestimated the quality and… more |
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Radio Equipment WWIIPublished:
Eduard has put together a bunch of German Radios in 1/35 scale which are very detailed, right down to the tiniest handles and each radio can be made to sit alone as is or have straps supplied to each unit so that it can be attached to a figure to make the figure appear to be actually carrying the radio. Small headphones which attach to each radio by a wire (which you will have to supply) add even more realism. Eduard has painted them in such a way as to depict them as being “well handled”. The detail is so precise and clear which meets their usual standards. There are nine radios all together (some are doubles) and each one is better than the next. Everything is included to make different variations on each one, so the variations are limitless. At this price and quality, I… more |
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F/A-18E/F East Coast Super Bug CAGs, Part 1Published:
The company, Afterburners Decals, deals with mostly 1/48 decals and has many different sets of which most are of the newer and modern jets, although there are a few sets which contain decals for weapons and missiles. There are only three sets of decals in the 1/32 scale. In the past there weren’t many modelers building in 1/32 scale so the demand for decals in this scale wasn’t large enough to justify the need to produce them. But now, since there are many more modelers building kits in the 1/32 scale range, it stands to reason that the amount of kits sold in that scale are increasing as well, so Afterburner Decals have decided to try supplying the large scale decals again. If this works out, Afterburner will be making more sets for the large scale builders. The decals I am… more |
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Arado Ar196A Express MaskPublished:
Eduard has released another set of die-cut flexible masks and this one is for the 1/32 Revell AR196A kit (No. 04688). This set includes all of the required masks for every piece of “glass”. The material used is not unlike the material that Tamiya uses for their masking tape. It has the same holding qualities and peels off easily without leaving any residue. I coat all of my “glass” with a layer of Future which also helps to stop the glue from sticking. If you don’t use anything on your “glass”, a light stick to the backside of your hand should take care of the residue, if any. Anyway, the fit is right on and it has a slight stretching quality to it if you feel the need to do so. I was one of those guys who would spend lots of time masking with tape and even though it came out… more |
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AV-8B Night Attack InteriorPublished:
In Eduard’s ordinary fashion, they once again bring to life the cockpit of the AV-8B with the Night Attack interior. They have incorporated in their Photo Etch, new side panels with small boxes of instruments and throttles that resemble the real thing. Colored placards are placed around the cockpit to bring out true realism and a small sheet of film is used for the clear screen over some of the instruments readouts. Colored pieces for the instruments are also provided to apply over the panel for exact realism. There are also a lot of other small gadgets to add to the cockpit, such as mirrors and handles, and they are easy to fold and put in place. In this kit there is a lot of cutting and replacing of panels and folding of the instruments which are then glued into place.… more |
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EASTERN REGION PEASANTS WWII ERAPublished:
The Master Box Company just keeps turning out these very unique kits made exclusively for building dioramas and/or vignettes. They come out with the most peculiar subjects that will add that finishing touch to a diorama or base a diorama around one of these kits and then you realize how we ever got along without these kits. This time they have come out with the Eastern Region Peasants in the WWII era. When I opened the box I wasn't surprised at the great detail and preciseness of their clothes, facial expressions and other small items which adds to the realism but, in fact, I knew that these figures and such would be held to their high standards as always. The kit includes five figures depicting a family of peasants speaking to the youngest child. And as far as the price is concerned,… more |
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US Camo Netting - Spring (1940-60)Published:
Eduard has recently come out with a bunch of new products which will enhance the realism of some dioramas through photoetch. Eduard has come up with a small wired sheet with what looks like tiny pieces of confetti colored with three shades of green for their spring sheet. It is approximately 5 ½ by 9 inches which is attached to a border around the perimeter. This must be cut off and then the sheet can be folded, rolled, crushed, torn, twisted, poked, bent, and cut to any size with a scissor or modeling knife. It does conform to the shape of the object but still not as well as a piece of cloth. Reshaping and bending too much can cause the color to peel but I would guess that touching it up wouldn’t be a great task. The colors do need to be toned down a bit as they are kind of shiny but… more |
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US Camo Netting - Autumn (1940-60)Published:
Eduard has recently come out with a new product which will enhance the realism of some dioramas through photoetch. Eduard has come up with a small wired sheet with what looks like tiny pieces of confetti colored brown, red-brown, and tan for their autumn sheet. It is approximately 5 ½ by 9 inches which is attached to a border around the perimeter. This must be cut off and then the sheet can be folded, rolled, crushed, torn, twisted, poked, bent, and cut to any size with a scissor or modeling knife. It does conform to the shape of the object but still not as well as a piece of cloth. Reshaping and bending too much can cause the color to peel but I would guess that touching it up wouldn’t be a great task. The colors do need to be toned down a bit as they are kind of shiny but again no… more |
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Camo NettingPublished:
As with all Eduard products, you can expect the detail to be excellent, and these nettings are no exception. The netting is so fine and true to scale and the colors used for the camouflage is perfect. The “Woodland” net is a mixed dark and light color which matches the foliage perfectly. The “Desert” net is of course lighter, but it has both a dark and light sand color which imitates the desert’s coloring perfectly. The size is big enough (5 ¼ x 9 ¼ in) to cover small munitions models and medium size tanks, but for large models, it might fall a little short. The “netting” is a little stiff (after all it is metal) so don’t expect it to just fall on the model and contour itself on its own. Rolling it shouldn’t be a problem but folding it might need something round at the fold to prevent… more |