Allan Murrell
Reviews By Author
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Hauler –Safe 1/48 48391Published:
Hauler has provided another addition to the great Diorama releases. This is a 1/48 Scale U.S. Safe from Pre - WWII period. Included is:
The detail quality is great; The parts are very delicate parts that need careful removal from the resign bases. I did manage to lose the small resin safe handle. So I had to make one myself The Assembly is quick and easy. Please be careful with the Photo etch interior parts as they need to be assembled as tightly as possible to slide into the safe opening. Next is the painting then adding the decals. The Decals did tend to roll up and were hard to place due to this. The addition of the gold bars… more |
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Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander DecalsPublished:
Caracal Models provided these great decals for the Valom 1/48 Kit release of the Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander aircraft. Included is
The decals are of the best quality and printed by Microscale for Caracal Models. The decal sheet provide decals for four different Markings options.
The instruction sheet is well detailed and includes color details. The decals are awesome and will add a lot to the Valom Kit which I have now ordered to allow me to use these in the… more |
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OKB Chelomey 16KhA PriboyPublished:
Brengun has released a few different kits of the OKB Chelomey 16KhA Priboy in several scales. This is the latest version which is in 1/72 scale. This was a Winged missile based on the V-1 German flying bomb. Russia build various designs based on the V-1 from 1945. In 1947 the Russian government ordered this version to be used as air launched missiles and as target drones. In the box is:
The sprue is well molded with very little flash and great detail. ConstructionFirst is the construction of the pulse engines, these did not align very well. The next stage is the fuselage joins need a little filing and you need to be careful lining it up correctly… more |
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Baggage CartsPublished:
Hauler has provided another addition to their great Diorama releases. This is two Baggage Carts (Wire Mesh Containers) for use anywhere. They are like ones used at Airports, Train stations, in factories etc. The detail quality is great; The parts are very delicate parts that need careful removal and added to the assembly. You can build two complete assemblies with this kit. The kit contains One Photo etch sheet, eight resin wheels and an instruction sheet. The Assembly is quick and easy with no real issues, as long as you are experienced with Photo Etch parts. The final part is painting which is free for you to do as you please. I chose a medium grey as used at most post war airports around Europe. Thanks go to Hauler for providing this kit to… more |
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Douglas D-558: D-558-1 Skystreak and D-558-2 SkyrocketPublished:
This is the 12th book in the X Planes Series and covers the Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak plus the D-558-2 Skyrocket. The book covers the full development of the Skystreak and Skyrocket and the history of the testing and progress they made. The book chapters are:
There are lots of great images in the book which has 80 pages. The development stages and aircraft variations are very well done. Every detail and stages is covered in great depth. What I found very interesting is the amount of information from the human side and… more |
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Scale Ruler MMR 35Published:
Masterpiece Models has provided a useful tool – a 1/35 scale ruler. This is one of a series that also includes 1/72, 1/48, and 1/32 scale. These cover all the major model kit scales. They are made from acrylic sheet, 6 inches long, 1/16th thick, and laser engraved. This is a very useful tool when modelling and can be used for checking part are too scale, for scratch building kit parts, and diorama parts. The ruler is clear which also makes it easier to use and see what your measuring. I will now source the other rulers in the series as I can see so many uses for these. Thanks go to Masterpiece Models for providing this tool for review and IPMS USA for allowing me to review it. |
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Fokker F27 FriendshipPublished:
Italeri have re-released this 1991 kit with new decals the decal options include three airlines - Air UK (1985) Canyon Eagle Airlines 1998 and Schreiner Airways (1966). The twin-engine Fokker F-27 was designed during the fifties by the Dutch Aircraft Manufacturer to provide a successor to the old DC-3 that were still in service since the second world war. It was a great commercial success for airlines and military use. In the box is:
The kit consists of 4 main sprues, very well molded with very little flash but a few large ejector pin marks on some parts. I decided that I would build… more |
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Chieftain British Cold War Main Battle TankPublished:
This is another book in the Tank Craft series which details tanks and also covers model kits and accessories to build the tanks covered in the book. This book covers the Chieftain a British Cold War main battle tank. The Chieftain was designed in the late 1950’s as the replacement for the successful Centurion tank. It was believed to be the best tank in service with the NATO allies during the 1960’s and 70’s. I found this book contains so much detailed information and pictures of the Chieftain and its variants. The Profile pictures are a particular favorite and has given me a few great ideas of the color schemes for when I build my Takom and Tamiya Kits. It covers the use of the tank during the Iran- Iraq war and the Gulf war. The chapters on the different model… more |
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Atlas of the Blitzkrieg 1939-1941Published:
This book impresses from the moment you see it, it’s a beautifully bound and printed on very high quality paper! The book is a series of very well detailed maps of the German Blitzkrieg campaigns of the early part of World War two. The book is split up by each battle front and has detailed maps showing forces locations and make up on all sides. The maps are awesome and the best quality I have seen in a long time. They are not too complicated but give all the information you need to see what the situation was at each point during the campaigns. The descriptions of the campaigns and each chapter provide a great overview. The book chapters are:
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A Detailed History of RAF Manston 1931-40 Arise to ProtectPublished:
The book is part two of a two book history of RAF Manston, which became one of the busiest Airfields in the UK during WWII. The airbase was built-up during the pre-war days to be one, if not the most important airbases to the RAF. The airbase was a very successful technical training center for the RAF during the years leading up to WWII and the details of this are covered extremely well in this book. The book goes into great detail about many of the officers and commanders stationed throughout the station during this period. There was even Air Races held here in the early 1930’s. Even the famous Sir Alan Cobham exhibited his flying skills here. The book covers many of the aircraft that were operated from here, some I was not even aware of and had to look up. The aces… more |