Ben Morton
Reviews By Author
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Rubis-class SubmarinePublished:
OKB Grigorov is a Bulgarian company that has been producing resin accessories and after-market bits for several years. My first experience with them was several years ago when I was searching for some embellishments for a 1/72-scale Merkava. I must admit that that was the last experience I had with OKB Grigorov. That was a mistake on my part, and this kit is how I fixed it. As a member of the Reviewers Corps for IPMS/USA, we have access to several kits and modeling accessories that one might not otherwise have, and best of all, these accessories and/or kits are free if you conduct the review. Anyway, when several kits became available to the Reviewers Corps, I noticed the offerings from OKB Grigorov and thought, why not? Time to see what 'these guys' are up to, and I am delighted… more |
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Weapons SetsPublished:
OKB Grigorov is a Bulgarian company producing resin after-market bits, full kits, and accessory items. Some of their most recent releases are some 1/35th scale weapons sets. These include The M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle (35037), the M79 Grenade launcher (35005), a 30K Panzerfaust (35009), and the M16A1 assault rifle with M203 grenade launcher ( 35035). The weapons sets appear to be 3D printed and are made from dark grey resin. The detail is excellent, with a plethora of detail for each specific weapon. They are packaged in clear, poly-vinyl zip bags, with eight examples for both the Garand and the M16A1. The 30K Panzerfaust has fourteen weapons, and the M79 grenade launcher has ten weapons in the bag. Unfortunately, there is no material included with which to… more |
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American Cars of the early 20th Century Paint SetPublished:
A trend, among scale model manufacturers, is producing their own line of paints. Others (AK, Vallejo, etc.) have been packaging their paints in sets geared toward finishing a specific model. ICM Holding has positioned themselves by not only manufacturing the kits but also providing their own line of paints to finish said model. Which brings us to a recent acrylic paint set from ICM Holding, item number 3058-American Cars of the Early 20th Century. This acrylic paint set includes six bottles. The 12ml bottles of colors included in this set are: Grass Green, Extra Dark Green, Deep Blue, Olive Green. There is an additional 12ml bottle of Varnish Gloss and a 17ml bottle of Primer Black. The paints are a bit on the thick side but can be diluted with water or ICM… more |
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Model A Standard Phaeton (1930)Published:
From my new best friends at Wikipedia
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Me-309V AccessoriesPublished:
For those of us who model aircraft in the one true scale of 1/144, it is no secret that some details, particularly when it comes to cockpits, can be nonexistent at this scale. Most are often just a space with the occasional seat and maybe a control column included with the kit. Often that cockpit area isn't even there and is 'blank over' by the manufacturer. Just part and parcel for this scale. Brengun has and continues to produce some lovely small-scale(144th) aircraft kits. They have also been in the habit of producing some after-market photo-etched/resin detail kits to address the lack of detail in those kits. Such is the case with the model accessories set (#144167) for their Me-309 aircraft kit(s). The model kits are the Me-309V1/V4 (#144015) and the Me-309V4 (#144014… more |
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Arado E-377Published:
This Mistelproject was one of the last glide bomb developments submitted to the RLM before the end of WWII. Arado, working with Rheinmetall-Borsig, designed a simple glide bomb that could be powered or unpowered, and carried beneath the Arado 234 or Heinkel 162. The purpose of this flying bomb, which could be guided by remote control or a target guidance system, was to attack targets such as ships or large fixed objectives. Construction of the E.377 was wooden throughout the entire aircraft. The fuselage was circular in cross section and was cigar-shaped. Mounted in the nose was 2000 kg (4408 lbs.) of Trialen 105, a high-explosive especially suitable for ship attacks. In addition, 500 kg (1202 lbs.) of an incendiary liquid was stored in the rear fuselage which also acted… more |
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U.S. Combat Task Force FleetPublished:
Atlantis Models has, for a while now, been re-releasing various manufacturers older kits. As the new puryeor of some of the older Aurora, Revell, Monogram and Lindberg molds these kits really are tugging at the ole nostalgia thread for many of us. One of these offerings is a collection of warships from the mid to late 1940's to the 1950's: U.S. Combat Task Force Fleet. This kit began life as a Renwall kit in the late 1950's. It has been passed around a bit (Pyro to Life Like to Lindberg) and now finds itself among the multitude of offerings from Atlantis Models. The kit consists of twelve warships. There is an aircraft carrier, a fast battleship, severalcruisers and destroyers as well as a few auxillary ships. One more modern-era ship is represented by the SSB(N) … more |
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F-16C Fighting Falcon CFTPublished:
F-Toys/Platz have been producing small-scale (1/144th) aircraft kits for a few days now and originally released their F-16 kit in 2015. This latest iteration has new parts and decals that will allow you to build an F-16C with conformal fuel tanks. The new parts, in a soft resin, are those tanks and decals for a test bed aircraft stationed at Eglin AFB circa 2001 and another assigned to the 14th Fighter Squadron at Misawa AFB, Japan. The kit comes in an open-ended box with some extra bits that will allow you to build several different configurations should you so choose. At the very least you will have some excellent parts (various under-wing stores) for the spares box. There is even a pilot figure. Another nice addition is an alternative vertical stabilizer with the braking… more |
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Pin Up GirlsPublished:
I am familiar with Green Stuff World but was unaware that they branched out into water-slide decals. They have done so with a varied selection of after-market sets that will help you with your next project. (In particular are the three different sets of graffiti art!) This review concerns itself with their Pin-Up Girls decal set. There are two sheets in the package with twelve different 'girls' depicted along with roundels that could be used separately or as background for the ladies. German and Japanese 'kill markings' are included along with stars and assorted shark-faced bombs. Each decal, thoughtfully provided in left- and right-hand versions, is printed in three different scales (28mm / 1/58, 32mm/ 1/54, and 54mm/1/32). They are, however, more than adaptable to… more |
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SA-9 GaskinPublished:
Hot on the heels of Brengun's 1/144th scale BDRM-2 scout car (item # 144061 ) comes the anti-aircraft version of the base vehicle. With addition of some optional parts the vehicle is equipped with the launcher for the Strela-1 missiles and additional ready rounds that mount the outside of the vehicle. Following on the previous release (the basic BRDM-2) Brengun also includes some photoetch for rear details (propulsion cover and rear stowage lockers), rear taillights, headlamp protectors for the front and a chassis mounted rear view mirror. Putting this all together begins by removing the resin pouring stubs from the appropriate components. The tires are cast as single parts and benefit from drilling out the mounting dimples to achieve a better fit on the axle stubs integral to… more |