Ben Guenther
Reviews By Author
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Su-27 Flanker B Exhaust NozzlesPublished:
Aires with this detail set has provided the modeler with the means to upgrade the 1/72 Su-27UB Trumpeter kit. This resin accessory kit comes with eight resin parts that will assembly into two exhaust nozzles and one small piece of photo-etch that has two afterburner rings, one for each nozzle. The resin is typical for Aires being fine grain and flash free. The photo-etch looks to be stainless steel; at least no bending is required in this case. The instruction sheet shows you where to cut off the excess resin. I used a Zona saw and had the casting gates cut off in no time and used a fine sandpaper block to square off the ends. It probably would be a good idea to make your cuts so some excess material remains that way you can sand the remaining off closer to your cut off line.… more |
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BAE Harrier Pitot and AOA ProbesPublished:
This detailing set covers the Harrier GR.1, T.2, AV-8A and AV-8C, so there have been many companies that have produced various of these models in 1/72 scale over the years. In all cases, the plastic Pitot tube, while small, is still larger and less defined than the turned metal Pitot tube that Master-Model has gained a deserved reputation for making. This detail set also includes the Angle of Attack (AOA) probe, which may or may not be in many kits. The Pitot tube is thin and well defined and is only about 3/8" long, including the shaft. The AOA probe is downright tiny at only about 1/8" long, including the shaft, so make sure these two pieces are the last things you want to put on your model after painting and decaling. The instructions are simple and will tell you where the… more |
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V3000S/SSM Sd.Kfz.3b MaultierPublished:
During WWII, the German Wehmacht used a varity of truck types for their supply system. The most numerous were the 3-ton trucks, and of these many were the V3000S, produced at the Ford plant in Cologne. With the invasion of Russia, it quickly became obvious that tracked vehicles were vital if supplies were to be delivered. A solution was found to develop an add-on track system that could be bolted to the frames of different types of 3-ton trucks. When added to the Ford V3000S, it became the V3000S/SSM (Sd.Kfz.3b) Maultier. The Opel truck became the Sd.Kfza, and so on; they were all called Maultiers (German for mule). Several years ago, ICM released a kit of the Ford V3000S, 3-ton truck. This latest release has included the parts necessary to make the add-on track system to make… more |
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F-15E Strike EaglePublished:
Hasegawa has released their 1/72 F-15E Strike Eagle kit several time, and this latest release (kit#01569) does sport three new sprues and one sprue from their JDAM weapon set that provides the Lantrin pods. Comparing an earlier release to this one, I did notice that some smaller parts are beginning to show fine flashing, at least on this kit that I have. However, the recessed panel lines are still as sharp and fine as ever. You may ask if with these new parts, does this F-15E finally build into the ultimate F-15E? You'll have to read the review to find out, but I will tell you that the new J sprue provides new CFT's, correct pylons, bulged main gear doors, bulged gun door, and two proper instrument panels; the K sprue provides a new arresting hook; and the new M sprue provides the… more |
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Douglas A-4B/4P SkyhawkPublished:
Airfix has been busy lately coming out with newly tooled model kits, and the A-4B/4P Skyhawk continues that trend. The A-4 Skyhawk was a very successful light attack design by Douglas for the US Navy (and foreign buyers) and had a very long and effective career. There are many books that will go into great length on the development and history of this aircraft, so I will only deal with the build of this model kit. 73 parts are molded in a soft gray plastic (two more are clear parts), so be careful and don't sand to aggressively. Some have mentioned that the recessed panel lines are too deep, but what I found on my model was the fuselage lines got less deep towards the top and bottom of the fuselage and I had to rescribe these to match the rest of the fuselage, but it only took about 15… more |
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Sea Vixen FAW.1 Correct NosePublished:
When Cyber-Hobby came out with a 1/72 scale Sea Vixen FAW.1, model reviewers were quick to point out that the nose did not have the proper profile of a Sea Vixen. Quickboost has come to the rescue of those modelers who have been waiting for some aftermarket producer to correct this. Upon checking drawings and photographs, it appears that Quickboost’s corrected nose will, in fact, do the job. No instructions are provided other than to cut off the casting gate flush and attach the resin nose to the plastic model. This is where a problem develops as the Cyber-Hobby fuselage halves create a step that the plastic nose will fit over, but will prevent the flush solid resin nose from working. (actually, it will create a gap). I thought of several ways to attach this resin nose and… more |
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XB-35 Flying WingPublished:
Several months ago, Cyber-Hobby came out with a kit of the Northrop YB-49 in 1/200 scale. They have now followed up on that with a new kit of the Northrop XB-35, again in 1/200 scale. With a wing span of 172 feet, this would be a very large model in 1/72 scale and still a good-sized one in 1/144 scale. With 1/200 scale, the XB-35's wing span is a manageable 10.32 inches in width. There are 70 parts with no flash in their usual light grey styrene and another 8 parts in clear. A few of these parts may or may not be used, depending on which propellers you use, or if you build a flying version or one on the ground. The two largest parts are the upper and lower wing halves, followed by the four propeller nacelles, but you are given a complete interior even if 90% of it will never be seen.… more |
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Sea King HC.4 Falklands WarPublished:
Cyber-Hobby has released a new helicopter, the Sea King HC.4 in 1/72 scale, that marks the 30th anniversary of its use by the English forces during the Falklands War (1982). The kit has 6 sprues for a part count of 151 pieces, of which 7 will not be used. In addition, a small photo-etch sheet of three parts is included, as well as a decal sheet printed by Cartograf that will allow six different ships to be depicted. The fuselage has delicate recessed panel lines and flush rivets molded in Dragon’s usual light gray styrene. Two types of rotor blades are also provided; one bending upward as in flight and one bending down as when on the ground. The kit also allows one to build the rotor blades in the stowed position; this is the option I chose to keep the shelf space down to the minimum.… more |
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Curtiss P-40B/C Wheel Bay SetPublished:
Aires has provided a resin wheel bay set for the Curtiss P-40B/C (recommended kit – Airfix Curtiss Hawk 81-A-2). This includes both main wheel wells and a canvas cover for the tail wheel support. When the early Curtiss P-40’s left the factory, they had a canvas cover in the wheel wells that kept debris from entering the wing. From what I have read, it was common that this was removed by the crew chiefs when the planes reached the front lines. It may not be easy to check, but try to for the plane you are modeling. All three Aires resin pieces were cast without any flaws and were easily removed from the casting with a razor saw. Aires’ instructions have you remove the Airfix wheel bay walls; using some snips, I was able to do this quickly, as the Airfix plastic is soft. Scraping… more |
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German Power Generator, WWIIPublished:
Plus Model has provided the armor modeler with a finely cast and detailed model of a German power generator used in WWII. A quick check on the internet found that the Plus Model generator is in fact the Breuer WG3000 (3kw) generator. This generator delivers 3000w/220v/13.6a and uses a two-cylinder horizontally-opposed four-stroke engine that makes 17hp at 1,500 rpm. It was about as large as they came that used a skid; any larger and they were mounted on a frame with wheels, to be towed. The Plus Model rendition contains 24 resin parts, a photo-etch sheet (made by Hauler) with 21 p.e. parts, and a short length of copper wire. The parts came bubble-wrapped inside a small cardboard box, but mine had 5 pieces broken off the casting sprue. Checking the small two-sided… more |