Bill Schwarz

IPMS Number
30924

Reviews By Author

Box Art

ME 328A Pulse Jet Fighter

Published:
Company: Encore by Squadron

Editor’s note: “Luft ‘46” are hypothetical Luftwaffe aircraft which may have been available had the war continued into 1946 and beyond. They are broad-brush extrapolations and probably not connected to reality.

This is an in-box review of this hypothetical German fighter from Encore.

First up is the box with great artwork on the front. It shows pictures of the model with alternate paint schemes on the back. Encore has been doing a lot lately, and this kit shows it! The instruction sheet is well done, and it is both informative and easy to follow. It shows potential pitfalls during the build, though I do not anticipate any.

While the plastic is nicely scribed 9 of the 16 pieces are not used. Those used are complemented by additional parts made in cream-… more

Box Art

Borokov Florov I-207/3

Published:
Company: Pavla Models

This is an in-the-box look as well as a little building info. The I-207 was a neat little fighter that never became of anything. I think there were only 3 made. They had good performance for the day but were already being outclassed by other designs. The instruction sheet gives you a brief history as well. The kit is a re-pop from AZ. It's the same as one I built several years ago, but this time Pavla has done it justice in the form of 6 resin pieces, a new decal sheet from Tally-Ho, as well as a neat Vac windscreen! Nice job guys!

The 22 plastic pieces are well done, but need some finesse to put together. You will, as with any limited run kit, have some problems but nothing too bad. I would recommend this to experienced builders who can overcome obstacles. You will be rewarded… more

Box Art

The Batboat (from the 1960's Movie and TV Show "Batman")

Published:
Company: Polar Lights

This will be a box-review of Round 2/ Polar Lights' Batboat, from the classic “Adam West Years-of-Batman”. Round 2 has been giving us great stuff, and this is no exception! They have taken the old molds and tweaked them: then providing great decals and informative and easy instructions. The box and artwork are nicely done as well.

The breakdown of the parts is simple: 13 chrome pics, a great decal sheet, a full hull, a stand and 25 blue colored plastic pieces that make up the rest of the boat. Adam and Burt are also included in the box! The box and artwork are nicely done as well!

No paint codes are mentioned but colors are. Follow them closely and you will be rewarded. The clear parts for the windscreen are a bit thick, but workable. If you want to have fun, give one of… more

Packaging cover sheet

VMA 513 AV8B "Yuma Nightmares"

Published:
Company: Twobobs Aviation Graphics

This is an out-of-the-envelope review on another of the famousTwobobs line of decals. This time up it's the sheet for the VMA "Yuma Nightmares". The number of this sheet is 48-222, which is 48th scale, but I believe it is done in 72nd and 32nd as well.

The decals themselves are printed in the USA by Microscale, and as always is top notch, responding well to any of the decal solvents. Fast becoming an industry standard, there is virtually no overlapping carrier film.. The sheet is well researched, and includes artwork for 3 Harriers. Two are BII Plus's, one is a BII Night Attack version. One has a blue tail for that splash of color.

As with other Twobobs sheets I have used the instruction sheet is first rate, having all views, a color chart and pictures of real harriers.… more

Package cover sheet

"Blacksheep/Bulldogs" "Gunship Harriers"

Published:
Company: Twobobs Aviation Graphics

This time up it’s the Twobobs Decals sheet 48-223 "Gunship Harriers". Though this sheet is 1/48th scale. I believe this is also available in 32nd scale as well as 72nd scale. Check their website as well. The sheet is printed beautifully by MicroScale. This time up it’s for two famous squadrons: VMA 214 "Black Sheep”, and VMA 223 “Bulldogs”.

The artwork is superb and the instruction sheet shows all views as well as pictures of the real aircraft. This sheet covers three birds. Two are from VMA 214, and one is from VMA 223. One of the Blacksheep birds has a splash of color. That is the black tail with white lettering and numbers. The stenciling is first rate too.

These decals respond well to all the major decal solvents. There should be no problems with this sheet and… more

Packaging

Tornado Exhaust Nozzles

Published:
Company: Aires Hobby Models

We just keep getting more and more great stuff from these guys. They are truly one of the best resin casters out there. Their attention to detail is magnificent and the prices are reasonable to boot. This time up is a look at the burner cans for the Hobby Boss Tornado's. They look more towards the ones on the GR/4s then the ones on the Fighter /Interceptor variant but I could be wrong.

There are 6 great cast parts. 3 of each make up the burner assemblies for the Tornadoes twin engines. The engraving is second to none and the fit of the resin parts is superb. Aires gives you a kind of instruction sheet with installation pics and a few notes. Most of you who buy these already know the deal so I won’t dwell on it. No photoetch is in the set, nor is it needed. Just read the simple… more