Bill O'Malley
Reviews By Author
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US 500 Lb. BombsPublished:
The kit includes six resin bombs, resin tailfins, photoetch for the nose fuse and rear arming vanes, 1 decal sheet, and instructions. I compared the Brassin bomb to a 500 lb. bomb from Revell’s B-17F Memphis Belle. The two bombs are very close in size and shape, however the Brassin bomb has much thinner tail fins and greater detail with the flanges on each of the fins. The nose fuse on the Brassin bomb has a more accurate projection, and the suspension lugs have nice definition. The Revell bomb only includes a slot for attachment without the suspension lugs. The rear arming vanes on the Brassin bomb are obviously much greater detail, as they are not included with the Revell bomb. The Brassin bomb has only very slight mold seams, which are easily corrected, compared to… more |
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Ed 'Big Daddy" Roth '57 Chevy Bel AirPublished:
This is a tough kit to assemble. Not that it's difficult, but the parts are rough, fit loose, and require a lot of cleanup of flash and ejection pins. Several of the parts have a copyright date of 1973 and the years have not been nice to this kit. The kit has some interesting detail, particularly on the engine and its internal compliments, but the molding has lost a lot of detail. There’s lots of flash to clean up and some of the ejection pins are almost big enough to have their own part number. The part fit is loose and difficult to align correctly. The kit has options for three different versions: street, Roth, and a drag version. Kit includes choice of three different engine intakes and has opening doors and trunk lid. From Revell’s website:
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D9R Doobi Bulldozer Exterior SetPublished:
This is one of three photoetch sets provided by Eduard for the Meng 1/35 scale D9R Armored Bulldozer kit. The Meng D9R kit itself has previously been reviewed [Meng D9R Review]. The Eduard Cooling Slats set has also previously been reviewed [D9R Cooling Slats Review], as well as the Eduard Interior Photoetch set [… more |
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Killing bin Laden – Operation Trident Spear 2011Published:
There have been several accounts of the operation to kill Osama bin Laden, including one by a former Navy seal, one by a Navy seal who participated in the raid, as well as the movie Zero Dark Thirty. In this new book Killing bin Laden - Operation Neptune Spear 2011, author Peter F. Panzeri Jr. has developed another highly detailed account of the hunt leading up to the raid on the bin Laden's compound in Abottabad, Pakistan, and his ultimate death. Bibliography and Critical SourcesAs stated in the book “The most dominant influences on this account are those of the 880+ page Pakistani Abottabad Commission Report for its inclusion of candid raw data, the personal account in interviews of former US Navy SEAL “Mark Owen,” and the abundance of… more |
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German Motorcyclist 2#Published:
This is another finely sculpted resin figure from The Bodi. The figure is sculpted to be leaning against a motorcycle and has a recess on his butt for the motorcycle seat. The figures body is molded in a full-length leather greatcoat that is pulled back and buttoned around the legs. There is also a recess across the back for the rifle slung across the shoulder. A gas mask canister is strapped under the right arm, but there is no other equipment. The figure does have goggles around the collar. The body has a pronounced mold seam running up the side of the legs and up the sides of each arm. There is also a seam in the figures jacket running up the arm so make sure to remove the mold seam, not the jacket seam. There is flash between the two legs that will need to be removed. The… more |
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German Wounded SoldierPublished:
The Bodi’s Wounded German Soldier is a beautifully sculpted figure with a very natural pose and extremely sharp detail. The figure is modeled holding his wounded left arm and stands about 5 ft. 8 in. tall. The box art shows the soldier under the watchful eyes of a U.S. Jeep driver and passenger, also The Bodi figures. The Bodi is a Hungarian company that produces resin figures sculpted by Krisztián Bódi in 1/35 and 1/48 scale. The kit comes in three pieces - body, head, and left hand. The figure is molded in a medium gray resin with some minor flash at the end of the sleeve and on the back of the figure’s neck. Flash between the two legs will need to be trimmed away. Mold seams are visible on the outside of the leg. The mold seams are not apparent on the upper body, or somehow… more |
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Go Mad NomadPublished:
Far Out Dude! An enjoyable kit to build and paint! This would be a good kit for beginners who have done some snap-tites and are ready for their first glue & paint kit. It’s also an opportunity for experience modelers to let loose their creative monster art skills! Part of Deals Wheels collection by Revell based on Dave Deal’s cartoons and far-out caricatures of cars & planes, the Nomad is a reissue of a kit originally issued in 1971. The detail is a little soft and the parts fit is loose, but it’s still a fun kit for beginners and a fun painting opportunity for more advanced modelers. Two characters, Ol’ Farmer Frickett, and Rincon Ron the California surfer dude narrate the instructions, which are cartoons drawn by Dave Deal himself. The storyline of the… more |
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D9R Doobi InteriorPublished:
This is one of three photoetch sets provided by Eduard for the Meng 1/35 scale D9R Armored Bulldozer kit. The Meng D9R kit itself has previously been reviewed [Meng D9R Review]. The Eduard Cooling Slats set has also been reviewed [D9R Cooling Slats Review], as well as the Eduard Exterior Photoetch set [… more |
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DR9 Doobi Cooling SlatsPublished:
This is one of three photoetch sets provided by Eduard for the Meng 1/35 scale D9R Armored Bulldozer kit. The Meng D9R kit itself has previously been reviewed [Meng D9R Review]. The Eduard Exterior set has also been reviewed [D9R Exterior Review], as well as the Eduard Interior Photoetch set [… more |
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CMP F15A Van LorryPublished:
The 1/35 scale CMP F15A Van Lorry by Mirror Models is a challenging build due to lack of clarity in part locations, but experienced modelers can build it into a nicely detailed model. The kit comes nicely packed in a cardboard box, and each of the gray plastic sprues are individually bagged. On first glance there are many very small parts, and the detail of the molding is good. The parts have very large gateways, or sprue connections, for attaching the part to the sprue. The instructions noted that some of the gates are larger to avoid ejector pin marks, and suggests using a razor saw or scalpel instead of a sprue cutter to remove the parts. The sprue connections are wide but thin, and I didn’t break any of the parts removing when removing them from the sprue. The kit… more |