Ben Morton
Reviews By Author
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Arado Ar234 B-2, B-2/N, C-3Published:
Kagero/Casemate Publishers has a Top Drawings series that showcases a single subject with high quality, blue print style line drawings and several colorful schemes of the specific subject. The current catalog lists 110 titles, so there is a subject of interest for just about anyone. All of the titles from Top Drawings are geared for the fastidious amongst us who crave accurate representations on the subject of choice, be it aircraft, armor, or ship. With aircraft titles the plans are in all the popular scales: 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32. The 1/72nd scale five view drawings are included within the frame work of the publication. The larger (1/48th and 1/32nd scale) drawings are presented on individual sheets that are inserted into the booklet and are removable. Kagero/Casemates… more |
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F-86F-30 "Sabre"Published:
Hobby Boss has released another large, 1/18th scale aircraft for your modeling enjoyment. Along with their 1/18th Me262, FW 190, Harrier and Huey we now have the F-86 F-30 'Sabre' to grace our ceilings. (About the only place to display this behemoth.) Some of you may be having flashbacks but these kits seem to resemble those that were once available from Merit International and before that 21st Century Toys. The markings in this kit are similar to those offered by Merit International, so I'm going with the inference that this Sabre kit may once have been marketed by someone else. The kit does contain one hundred ninety plus parts on thirteen light gray plastic sprues plus fuselage There is, amongst that number, a small sprue of clear… more |
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Bf-109 G-10 (Mark I Kit)Published:
Brengun has issued another delightful photoetched accessory set for small scale aircraft modelers. This particular set is designed for use with Mark One's offering of the German Bf-109, specifically the Bf-109G-10 model. [ Note : There is a detail set for the K model of the 109, as well.] Typically these small scale (1/144th) aircraft kits come with two complete models in the box and Mark One is no exception, nor are the offerings from either Armory or Sweet. Brengun provides detail bits for two kits. Those bits include photoetched pieces for the:
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AC-40-137A Soviet FiretruckPublished:
There is an old proverb, or maybe it's an English idiom, that states:” give credit where credit is due.” It is thought that Samuel Adams might have been the first to coin the phrase. Giving credit where due applies to the Ukrainian company, ICM Holding. Having persevered a 'commie invasion' of Eastern Ukraine, packing up their entire manufacturing facility and moving it to the Western Ukraine they also seem to get the most from a particular model kit’s mold, in this instance the Soviet Military truck ZiL-131. The original ICM kit of the ZiL-131 was released in 2014 and has been re-released and re-packaged with additional parts for an emergency and recovery vehicle, figures (both soldiers and drivers) and the subject of this review, the AC-40-137A Soviet Firetruck. True… more |
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Jaguar E-Type, British Motoring MasterpiecePublished:
The Jaguar E-Type, British Motoring Masterpiece is the latest volume from automotive writer Lance Cole. Other books in his series of classic automobiles include the Bugati, Porsche 911, and the soon to be released Citroen DS. While all three of those cars are iconic, the Jaguar E-Type still holds sway as the premier automotive design from the 1960's. An argument can be made that that design may still be the metric by which newer cars are measured. The 11.5” x 8.5” soft cover volume from Pen and Sword books contains sixty-four pages with a myriad of photographs, drawings and profiles of the Jaguar E-type. Author Cole has divided his book on the Jaguar E-Type into:
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KubelwagenPublished:
There seems to be a budding trend in the scale modeling world toward the 'one true scale' of 1/144th models and dioramas. Any number of manufactures have been, for years, been producing some wonderful, small scale armor and aircraft kits. One thing that may have been missing is the ability of the modelers to place their latest small scale creations into context. Diorama or vignette builders have been somewhat at a disadvantage with the lack of 1/144th scaled vehicles with which to enhance the presentation of their small scale projects. We are at a disadvantage no longer. Brengun, along with some other manufacturers, have been producing some lovely 1/144th scale for some few days now. Brengun has extensive offerings from which to choose: US / German staff cars, US jeep, Russian… more |
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DIO Drybrush Paint - Light Blue by AMMO-MiGPublished:
There is somewhat of a recent trend in home furnishing circles that gives renewed life to older furniture and kitchen cabinets. The painting technique of which I speak is dry brushing. The trend has even caught the eye of Bob Vila, once and former host of the PBS series 'This Old House'. Bob is no longer affiliated with the program after lambasting (allegedly) a homeowner for being a lazy twit, but that's a story for another time. This dry brush technique involves dousing your paint brush into the paint of choice, removing almost all of it from the paint brush bristles and applying the minute amount of remaining paint onto the selected object. In the case of a home improvement project that might be cabinet doors or the odd tabletop but for our purposes this missive will focus… more |
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URAL 4320, APA-50Published:
From Military-Today: “The Ural-4320 military truck is a further development of the previous Ural-375D. Its development started in 1972. Changes from the previous model include new engine, enlarged bonnet plus revised fuel, cooling, and electrical systems were introduced at the same time along with many other detail modifications. Its production commenced in 1976. The Ural-4320 took many of the roles previously carried by the Ural-375D. Production of the Ural-4320 still continues. This truck is in service with the Russian military as well as many other countries. Vehicle is entirely conventional in design and technology. It has a payload capacity of 4.5 ton off-road and 6 ton hard surface roads. A standard troop/cargo platform has drop sides, drop tailgate and removable… more |
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B-26 C-50 Korean War "Glass Nose"Published:
In what appears to be a never ending stream, ICM Holdings offers the modeling public another variant of the B-26 Invader, Medium Bomber. This latest novelty is the 1/48th scale B-26 C-50 with markings for three separate U.S. aircraft employed during the Korean War. This plethora of variations of the 1/48th scale B-26 that ICM Holdings is releasing is most welcome as it gives all the opportunity to build the Invader of our choice. I for one hope they continue and a 1/48th scale B-26 K Counter Invader is in our future. Marking options included with this release are:
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A-26 Invader Propellers, Propeller Reduction Casing and Wing Gun Barrels Type B; B-26B-50 Gun TurretPublished:
Quickboost, a Czech Republic manufacture of after-market resin bits, has added to their offerings to enhance the ICM Holdings series of 1/48th scale A-26/B-26 aeroplane model kits. Product/Stock#:
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Quickboost, a Czech Republic manufacture of after-market resin bits, has added to their offerings to enhance the ICM Holdings series of 1/48th scale A-26/B-26 aeroplane model kits. Among the items designed specifically for the ICM kit(s) are… more |