Ben Morton
Reviews By Author
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The Weathering Magazine, Issue 30: AbandonedPublished:
The Weathering Magazine is one of three magazine series published by the AMMO/ Mig Jimenez Company. This division of Mig Jimenez’s modeling products empire also publishes two other magazines are: Weathering Magazine: Aircraft and Special Editions. Special Editions are primarily focused on one, specific subject. The Weathering Magazine: Abandoned. Is the thirtieth edition in this series and encompasses six, specific How-To articles on a variety of subjects. Those subjects are :
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Avro Lancaster B Mk. I Nose Art KitPublished:
Somewhat of a trend in the hobby industry of late has been certain manufacturers releasing detailed, stand alone models of ship components. Fujimi has a 1/200th scale kit of a main gun turret from the Yamato battleship, Meng released two 1/35th scale kits of Russian Naval vessel armaments: a 130mm gun turret and the Kastean Close-In Weapons System. While Naval armaments are fine, what if your modeling interests are aircraft? Fear not gentle reader, HK Models has come to the rescue. HK Models is releasing a complete kit of the nose section from their 1/32nd scale Avro Lancaster. This 'Nose Art' kit features all the bits from the full-size model, leaving you with a detailed, standalone replica of the Lancaster's pilot, bomb aimer/forward gunner, flight engineer, navigator, and… more |
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Our Route Has Been ChangedPublished:
“Master Box Ltd. has a couple nice sets of plastic figures coming out. One of which is a pair of 1/24th scale modern infantry soldiers. Typical of Master Box, their figures are normally packaged in a setting. This one is called “Our route has been changed” and has two soldiers consulting a wrist mounted GPS/map pouch. One soldier is a female, which is nice to see for a modern look to the pair, and both are armed and wearing modern gear.” Or, so says Mike Lamm from Austin Scale Modelers Society in Austin, Texas. (from the Austin club's newsletter, The Sprue Examiner). Not that he is wrong.... This release is the first in Master Box's Modern War Series and as mentioned depicts two modern U.S. soldiers in full battle regalia. Both soldiers (Corporal Jessica Johnson and Sergeant… more |
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BMW M6 2018 Macau GP GT3 Race Winner with BMW M6 GT3 Upgrade SetPublished:
NOTE: The link to the Nu Nu Upgrade set is http://www.platz-hobby.com/products/8131.html . The price is $30.00 Platz Models has a large and extensive line of plastic model kits: everything from small scale (1/144) aircraft to military ships. They do partner with smaller, niche manufacturers of plastic model kits. That symbiosis provides both Platz and those other kit manufacturers with market access and diversity of product. One of those relationships is with another Japanese manufacturer: Nu Nu Model kits. Nu Nu Model kits is principally involved with manufacturing modern 1/24th scale racing cars, notably Grand Prix GT3 cars. For those that may be unfamiliar with sports car racing,… more |
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Marsden Matting Artillery BasePublished:
Kit Made For: Suitable for WWII to Vietnam eras "Resin accessories for the scale modeling enthusiast". That is the tag line from Tiger Werke's website. Tiger Werke is a 'new to me' manufacturer of resin accessories primarily geared toward the armor modeler in all of us. Although I should mention that Tiger Werke has been around since 2014 and has recently been acquired by Phil Cavender With apologies to Phil (et al), I stole this next bit from their website. Under this new ownership, they have the exclusive right to manufacture and distribute Tiger Werke’s complete line of 1/35th scale resin items. Included in Tiger Werke’s line are paved and cobblestone street sections, building fronts, roadside shrines, fountains, and AFV Wedgies. Additional items also include… more |
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F-8K/C Crusader Hells Angels/NASAPublished:
Courtesy of Platz (Japan): The world's first supersonic fighter was the American F-8 Crusader. Development proceeded according to the requirements of the US Navy, and the first flight was successful completed in 1955. Operation started in 1957. The F-8 Crusader adopted a high wing swept wing design. The wing had a special mechanism that raised the front by 7 degrees. This slight operation succeeded in keeping the distance between takeoffs and landings short. The F-8 demonstrated excellent performance as an on-board fighter operated on an aircraft carrier. The aircraft was equipped with a 18,000 pound thrust engine with an afterburner and was adopted and operated by the US Navy, the Marine Corps, the Philippines, and France. The model is a plastic model assembly kit… more |
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Castle FencePublished:
Hauler is introducing a new 1/72nd scale diorama accessory that should find its way into a myriad of scenarios. Their Castle Fence set consists of both resin and photo-etched bits. On the resin front, there are five fence posts (36mm tall), one section of stuccoed wall (69mm x 21mm) and three sections of short, brick wall (69mm x 9mm). Photo-etched parts are included for wrought-iron fencing along two sections of wall and a complete gate for another section. The photo-etched gate bits include both sides of the gate as well as latches and a gate support should you wish to pose it open. All of which is nicely illustrated in the assembly instructions. The molding of the brick wall sections is as we have come to expect from Hauler, first rate. After removing the… more |
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F-105D Vacu Canopy (F-Toys kit)Published:
One of the banes of existence for fans of modeling 1/144th scale aircraft are the over-sized, out of scale canopies supplied with the kit that often lack any molded definition. With few exceptions modelers just have to contend with these abnormalities. Another thing germane to our hobby overall is patience, and if you wait long enough everything will be provided by some manufacturer. Such is the case with Brengun and their new vacuum formed, clear canopies for the 1/144th scale F-Toys F-105D aircraft kit. [Technical Note: The F-Toys F-105D kit was originally released in 2010 with another issue in 2018 with new box art and decals.] The 'kit' from Brengun includes two vacuum-formed canopies on a small sheet of clear acetate. The only 'assembly' required is… more |
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M16 MGMC Meat ChopperPublished:
There are a number of 1/35th scale M16 half track plastic models available from Monogram, Tamiya, Dragon, and even an offering from Academy/Minicraft. Among these other manufacturer's is AFV Club with a newly tooled 1/35th scale M16 MGMC “Meat Chopper”. This kit features a detailed chassis and engine, positionable doors, hood panels, and radiator covers as well as a plethora of other details that might just make this offering the best M16 MGMC of them all. Assembly of the 'Meat Chopper' begins with the chassis and that task begins with the transmission. The transmission consists of some twenty-six individual parts, which should give you a clue to the detail that comes in the box. (Reminiscent of a Bronco kit.) Not to be left cowering in the corner, the… more |
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A-4F Skyhawk with Photoetch Enhancements and SAC Metal Landing GearPublished:
Eduard has added to it's line of Super 44 aircraft model kits with a 'new boxing' of an 1/144th scale A-4 F Skyhawk. This re-release of the Platz kit from 2009 comes in a bag with the addition of photo-etch, a decal sheet with markings for four aircraft, and wheel and canopy self-adhesive masks. Alert readers may remember an earlier review (Academy's B-1B) and my inability to remember where I had stashed the canopy masks for that kit. Hopefully that won't be a problem here. Link to separate IPMS Review of the SAC set.
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