Roger Carrano
Reviews By Author
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Fern Leaves in ColorPublished:
When this package arrived I pulled it out of its mailing pouch, and if I didn’t recognize the Eduard Logo and packaging, I would have thought that someone had sent me real tiny leaves. That’s how realistic these fern leaves looked. They are already colored green and the color is perfect. It is colored on both sides, which makes assembly easy due to not having to worry about the wrong side showing because of it not being painted. They are very thin which also make them very fragile but can be easily bent to conform to any angle or shape you may need. Even though Eduard has decided that these ferns are 1/35 scale, they can be used for just about any scale within reason. The only drawback is that there is no picture of any kind, which shows how they should be “planted” or anchored to a “… more |
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Instrument Panel Decals (Revised)Published:
Editor's note: decals sheets reviewed are shown in photo starting at the bottom and moving up in display: 1/24 Generic Luftwaffe - AS24LUFT; 1/24 Focke-wulf - ASA24FWA; 1/32 Generic RAF - AS32RAF; 1/24 JU-87 - AS24JUA . Airscale Model Aircraft Enhancements is a fairly new company, which managed to find a new area in model building that fills a need for the detail orientated model builder. The cockpit is probably the second area on an aircraft model that is looked at after looking at the paint job and certainly the instrument panel has to look good or the rest of the interior detail in the cockpit, no matter how good, is just overlooked. Airscale has come out with various sets of decals which either replaces the instrument console for certain aircraft or… more |
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P-47 D Razorback Double D Jugs - Part 2Published:
Not too long ago I reviewed a different set of decals from Bombshell with the same theme but for a different aircraft and they proved to be everything good I wrote about them and more. This series of decals are specifically for these particular P-47’s, which incorporate two separate sets – Part 1 and Part 2. I am reviewing Part-2, which contains more of the famous icons in the field of “Nose Art”. This set depicts “Rain-Dear” and “Phil Darling” and has a couple of beauties ready to be displayed and to enhance your scale model. Looking very close at these decals, you can see that the registry is spot on and the colors are fantastic with no bleed through and the details are sharp and crisp. As with other sets from Bombshell, the decals have minimal carrier film and are somewhat thin… more |
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DB 601A/N EnginePublished:
When I first saw this engine on Eduard’s web site, I knew this was going to be, without a doubt, the best version of this engine ever made by any company. This even includes Eduard themselves, because this engine is being used in their kits of the Bf-109 and the Bf-110. I thought at the time that I would ask if I can use this kit to include in my review of the BF-110 but, after receiving it and seeing how great the detail was, I decided to build it as a stand alone and not let all that detail be hidden from view. The kit includes close to 40 resin parts and two photoetch frets. As a bonus, included in the kit, you also get a small resin tool bag with tools sticking out from it’s pockets and one of the photo-etch frets contain numerous tools for a diorama setting. Great touch… more |
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B-24D LIBERATOR, PLOESTI RAIDERPublished:
The B-24D was the first mass produced model of this aircraft which entered service early in 1943. Along with turbocharged engines and increased fuel capacity, there was a total of 10 machine guns. It was one of the heaviest aircraft in the world at over 59,000 lbs, on par with the British Bombers like the Lancaster and Halifax. Because of its ability to carry large loads of bombs and its capability to fly long distances it was chosen for “Operation Tidal Wave”, its most famous mission, which was a low level air strike on nine oil fields at Ploesti, Romania on August 1, 1943. It was to be a strategic mission to destroy these oil fields in order to reduce the amount of fuel and oil for the German war machines. This turned out to be one of the most costly missions of men and machines.… more |
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LIFE RAFT CONTAINERPublished:
Basically this Life Raft Container kit contains three grey resin pieces on one resin casting block. One piece is the cylindrical container, the next is the raft itself and finally, the last is the cover. These pieces can be painted quickly and easily. The assembly is nothing more than cutting a round hole on the side of the fuselage where the container and cover would go. The container is glued from the inside and the cover can be shown in the open position with the raft showing or any position you can think of for your own diorama setting. The included directions illustrate where the hole is cut and also provide a template as to the diameter of the hole to be cut. I know some people don’t like to cut into their kits “skin” but this is not difficult at all. I would… more |
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Bf-110D/EPublished:
Before I get onto reviewing this model, I would like to give a little back ground information about this aircraft. The Messerschmitt Bf110 served in the Luftwaffe throughout WWII. Even though it wasn’t very popular with the German pilots at that time it was developed into a successful night fighter, in spite of its poor handling characteristics. Later on it was realized what a great night fighter it really was and soon became the backbone of the German Luftwaffe night fighter wing of WWII.Some of these units were formed as early as 1940. In August/September 1943, Bf110 aircraft shot down over 2700 RAF bombers. Also, in just one night, without fighter cover, these aircraft destroyed at least 120 RAF bombers. The Bf110D was a long-range heavy fighter and/or fighter-bomber,… more |
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IRAQ EVENTS KITSPublished:
Master Box Ltd. is a company that makes many different injected molded kits with an emphasis on making their products for dioramas. Their kits have a huge range of themes and accessories for dioramas, including figures of people and various animals, carts, WWII tanks & motorcycles to mention a few. Each kit tells a story of its own and together can bring your diorama to a better level of realism. I know they have been around from at least 2006 but however long it might be, their products seem to be excellent. Each of these kits had almost negligible amounts of flash and even the seams disappeared after a few strokes from a sanding stick. I found the detail in these figures very well done and they also supplied excessive amounts of guns and ammo included in the kit. The U.S.… more |
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Bf110D/E Night Fighter ~ Wing Tech (2 in 1)Published:
Part 1. First LookBefore I get onto reviewing this model, I would like to give a little background information about this aircraft. The Messerschmitt Bf110 served in the Luftwaffe throughout WWII. Even though it wasn’t very popular with the German pilots at that time it was developed into a successful night fighter, in spite of its poor handling characteristics. Later on it was found that it would make a great night-fighter and then became the backbone of the German Luftwaffe night fighter wing of WWII. Some of these units were formed as early as 1940. In August/September 1943, Bf110 aircraft shot down over 2700 RAF bombers. Also, in just one night without fighter cover, these aircraft destroyed at least 120 RAF bombers. The Bf110D was a long-range heavy fighter… more |
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P-40B Warhawk ExhaustsPublished:
Quickboost has found another item which will enhance a small, but noticeable, part on Trumpeter’s P-40 Warhawk. This particular part is the engine exhaust which is on both front sides of the fuselage. The Trumpeter part comes in two pieces and needs to be glued. When gluing the parts together, you will notice that the outer edge of each exhaust pipe doesn’t quite fit together and therefore needs to be compressed carefully so as not crush them. After that, it has to be cleaned up as careful as possible so as not to make one shorter than the other. I would think the reason Trumpeter uses two pieces for each side is because each half can be made like a half pipe then joined together so as to have a hollow center. If this wasn’t done that way, then it would probably have to… more |