Bob LaBouy
Reviews By Author
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Marston Mat Landing StripPublished:
Background of Marston MattingI realize that I recently completed a companion review of this similar M8A1 landing matting and do not wish to rehash the same ground. However, if you’re interested, I urge you to read that narrative as well, as the background and history of the Marston mat system is one that should be of historical and modeling interest for many of us. I should also point out that this modern style of Marston matting is not the type with the circular holes, but rather the narrow-slit types of surface design. The original WW II type (with holes) can be found in the… more |
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Flying Colors Bookazine Collection: 2Published:
This is another colorful book (in a larger series) by the well-known aviation artist, Richard J Caruana. I recommend that you review one or more of the biographical sketches of Mr. Caruana, who was born and resides in Malta. The well-known artist has the distinction (amongst other aspects of his life) having published a 15-volume history of the Italian Air Force, numerous Scale Aviation Modeling, Scale Models, and Osprey books (amongst others), and has designed 89 stamps for the country of Malta. This Bookazine Collection: 2 is richly packed with 48 pages of full-color illustrations and the inside cover B&W drawings of the Hawker Hart and Hawker Siddeley Harrier in 1/72nd scale. The full-color profiles include: the Morane-Saulnier… more |
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F-4E/G Landing Gear SetPublished:
This is not my first review of a Detail & Wonder after-market landing gear set. And, as previously noted, this landing gear ‘Upgrade Set’ continues to set a very high bar in terms of both accuracy, price, and overall quality.Thanks for taking a few minutes to read these notes. I am attaching several color scans to illustrate the first three pages of the instructions. Hopefully, aside from my amateurish scanning efforts, this will provide several insights as to the quality of the D&W instructions. Not only are they in red, black, and white colors, but these provide specific instructions as to where you should cut them to achieve the desired result when removing the surrounding structure and using small blue cutting indicators to show where the larger pieces are to be… more |
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Operation 'Dragoon' and BeyondPublished:
Hope you understand if this review contains some insight into the After The Battle standard presentations. These books, of which there are now over 86 issues (and this number does not count the WWI, Military, Aviation, Maritime or Ancient History books), take a photographic trip through the battles or campaigns named (e.g. Arnhem, Bastogne, Omaha Beach). These publications take great pains to compare the war time photographs to modern day images of the same location, which in most cases still stand today. Most of the titles are available as eBooks, Audiobooks, DVDs, and the original magazines. My interest stems from several aspects in my life, including my father, who was a participant in several Pacific landings and invasions in South Korea and in Lebanon. My wife and I have… more |
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M8A1 Landing MatPublished:
The BuildAs you initially open this… more |
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F-4B Phantom II Landing Gear Upgrade Set and F-4B/C/D Exhaust Nozzles Upgrade SetPublished:
3D basics: I really fell down the rabbit hole in this respect and very quickly found a whole bunch of information about the ‘art’ of 3D printing and other basics. While I can’t say I’ve mastered anything, I suggest that you consider these URLs as a jumping off point: Tom's 3D for basic information, Plugnplay3D, and 3D Printer Anatomy: 50 parts in 5 minutes (Basics). Reviewer's ObservationsIt should be noted that these two aftermarket sets are intended for the… more |
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P-47 Thunderbolt Masking SetPublished:
Please note: this is a companion review for the Hawaiian Air Depot masks; here is the review for the MiniArt P-47D. MiniArt and Hawaiian Air Depot Link to product on company site: https://miniart-models.com/product/48001-p-47d-25re-thunderbolt-advanced-kit/ Hawaiian Air DepotThis review is for an… more |
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P-47D-25RE Thunderbolt - Advanced KitPublished:
A Very Brief History the P-47A great deal of information and data is readily available online about the legendary P-47, often referred to as ‘Juggernaut’ or just the ‘Jug.’ The thousands of women and men working around the United States produced over 15,683 P-47s with the P-47s accounting for over astounding 7,000 enemy aircraft losses,86,000 railway cars, 9,000 locomotives, 6,000 armored fighting vehicles and 68,000 trucks. You can easily spend hours reading about the exploits of the P-47 and many of the well-known pilots who flew them. The P-47’s maximum weight capacity was almost 17,000 pounds, compared to the P-51’s at 12,000 pounds, an increase of approximately 5,000 pounds or 41% more than the Mustang. It’s eight .50 caliber guns carried 3,500 rounds compared with the 1,… more |
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Krankenpanzerwagen Sd.Kfz. 251/8 Ausf. A WW II German AmbulancePublished:
A Very Brief History the KrankenpanzerwagenThe Krankenpanzerwagen is another lesser-known version of the Sd.Kfz. 251 and as such a lightly armored semi-tracked vehicle—in plain English, it’s an ambulance. From the manufacturer’s webpage, this is how ICM describes this vehicle:
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F4U1A/2 CorsairPublished:
Overall Evaluation‘Move over, there’s a new sheriff in town’ – at least as quarter scale Corsairs are concerned. As I have built this F4U-2 kit, I am overjoyed with the kit’s attention to details and overall accuracy. As I previously said: Almost any way you slice it, this is a beautiful kit! And, for the price, you receive two beautiful Corsair kits. These kits are highly recommended both for newer builders interested in the Corsair as well as those who felt the best such kit was the other Japanese company. Now we have a higher bar and it’s a great set of Corsairs. Now, as for the review itself- A Very Brief History the Corsair [from manufacturer’s website]
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