Blaine Singleton
Reviews By Author
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The Douglas A-1 SkyraiderPublished:
Back by popular demand, the Douglas A-1 Skyraider comprehensive guide, is a third edition reprint. The Skyraider is best known for its never-ending ordinance delivery load on ground attack missions and supporting Search Air Rescues over the jungles of Vietnam, it was born with neither of those capabilities in mind. The Skyraider started out as a replacement of the SBD Dauntless and eventually the SB2C Helldiver. In June of 1944 Chief Designer Ed Heinemann suggested revamping the entire design and by March of 1945 had a completely different design. Skyraiders served in the US Navy and Air Force as well as other nations air forces such as France, Gabon, Chad, and South Vietnam. The book is soft bound with 168 pages, 11 chapters, several black and white photographs… more |
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Supermarine Walrus MK1Published:
HistoryThe Supermarine Walrus (originally known as the Supermarine Seagull V) was a British single-engine amphibious biplane reconnaissance aircraft designed by R.J. Mitchell and first flown in 1933. Designed for use as a fleet spotter to be catapult launched from cruisers or battleships, the Walrus was later employed in other roles, notably as a rescue aircraft for aircrew in the sea. In the Box
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Legends of Warfare P-47 ThunderboltPublished:
IntroductionAmong the iconic aircraft of World War II, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt not only was physically the biggest single-engine fighter, it also had and enormous impact on history. P-47’s were flown by 132 US Army Air Force squadrons during the Second World War, but they were not flown only by Americans. The Aircraft also served with sixteen British Royal Air Force squadrons and four French squadrons, as well as Brazilian, Chinese, and Mexican squadrons attached to US units. The Soviet air force also prominently flew Thunderbolts, through the exact number of squadrons equipped with the massive fighter is uncertain. The AuthorDavid Doyle’s earliest published works appeared in periodicals aimed at the hobby of historic military vehicle… more |
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Cetus MK3 Extended 3D PrinterPublished:
If you have ever been interested in 3D printing, then this printer will get you started. 3D printers take a plastic filament material and melt it into an extruding nozzle, then ejected on to a moving build plate forms an object, so as the material cools it hardens. 3D printers can use several materials to melt plastic and create objects of different plastic type materials. I have no experience with 3D printing but have always been intrigued about the idea. I have experienced times when a special tool or part would be good to have, but there is nothing available. Now if I think about the part I can design it and at the same time learn a new skill of 3D printing. I will be honest and say the kicker for designing a part was the last time I knocked over my Tamiya cement… more |
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Sherman Tanks (U.S. Army, North-Western Europe, 1944-1945)Published:
IntroductionThe aim of this innovative new series is to provide modelmakers and tank enthusiasts with a new standard of primarily visual reference of both full-size tanks and their scale models. Each book will contain detailed technical information imparted through drawings and photographs while the meticulously researched full-color profiles will provide a complete reference for paint schemes and markings, in addition every volume of TankCraft series will feature summaries of design histories and operational careers, and reviews of available kits. Each book is devoted to an iconic tank type – chosen for its popularity as a modelling subject – and the series will provide coverage across a range of different criteria, showcasing the best of the world’s tank types and… more |
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ROCAF S-2A/E/G TrackerPublished:
HistoryThe S-2 Tracker carried an internal torpedo bay capable of carrying tow lightweight torpedoes or one nuclear depth charge. There were six underwing hard points for rocket pods and conventional depth charges or up to four additional torpedoes. A ventrally-mounted retractable radome for AN/APS-38 radar and Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) AN/ASQ-8 mounted on an extendable rear mounted boom were also fitted. In the BoxInstructionsThe instruction booklet was divided into eight pages of clearly marked parts and their construction sequence. Illustrations for the parts and their construction sequence were very clear and crisp. The instructions contained 49 separate steps to complete the model. Included with the instructions is a drawing for paint and… more |
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Me 262A-1A Landing Gear for AirfixPublished:
Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) produces white metal replacement parts for kits in a variety of scales. Some of their landing gear sets are for a variety of kits and some sets are designed for a specific model. The white metal sets are designed to support the weight of a specific model without warping that can be seen with kit styrene landing gear. The parts are for the Airfix Me-262 are well cast and had no flash or other area that needed to be sanded. I bent one of the struts when removing from the sprue but could straighten it out easily. I had to put heavier weight in the front of the jet than anticipated so it would not be a tail sitter and the SAC landing gear stood up to the weight very well. When gluing the landing gear to the aircraft I used CA and the parts… more |
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Mission Models Paint Part 2 (Clear Coats)Published:
This part 2 of a three-part review of Mission Models paints.The Clear Coats Shortly after releasing their second round of paint colors Mission Models released three clear coat products to protect the paint once it has been applied to a model. The Clear coatings are Flat Clear, Semi-Gloss Clear and Gloss Clear. All clear coats are mixed with the Mission Models thinner and depending what you use the clears coats for, the thinner proportions mix is varied, I found 30% thinner to the clear worked best for me. The Polyurethane may be used with the clear coat as it is with the paint products. Let the clear coats dry for minimum 3 hours and they are ready for applications of any masking material. Spraying the clears are done by setting your airbrush air… more |
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Mission Models Paint, Part 3 (Metallics)Published:
This will be the third of a three-part review of Mission Models paints. The MetallicsMission Models has four new metallic paints, White Aluminum, Dark Aluminum, Duraluminum and Silver. For this paint test I sprayed Mission White Primer after cleaning and degreasing the test surface. If you use gray or black primer you can get a variance of tonal quality for each of the metallic paints making them very versatile. I decided to paint the White Aluminum and Dark Aluminum for this review. As you can see in the accompanying pictures the paints are very durable. Once laid down they will not pull up with masking tape and have a nice metallic sheen. To test the ability of the paint to cover an area that’s been scratched or damaged, I started… more |
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Mission Models Paint- Part 1 (Thinner, Polyurethane, Primer and Paint)Published:
Company OverviewMission Model paints – a new way to think about painting. This review focuses on using Mission Models acrylic paints. I will present a ground up approach to the steps I follow to get the best finish from this new line of primers and paints. Mission Models Paints is a relative newcomer to the model paint market with 118 custom colors for armor, ships, aircraft and cars in the line. An additional 75 colors will be added soon. What are Benefits to using the paints? They have a high pigment density, no chemical odor, are easy to work with, and have great opacity with little tendency to run, sag, or spider when sprayed. And, they’re environmentally safe. An additional benefit is that when sprayed, more paint is concentrated on the area being… more |