Chad Richmond
Reviews By Author
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F-100F Interior Zoom S.APublished:
Eduard's color etch sets are really great looking and this one is no exception. This set is made for Trumpeter's 1/72nd F-100F and, when you first look at it, you wonder "where does all of this stuff go?" This set is also self-adhesive, which actually ends up being more trouble than advantage. By the time I had cut a few parts from the fret, I had basically destroyed the backing paper and the adhesive was no longer effective. But, that didn’t slow me down. Gator Glue to the rescue! The cockpit gray of the consoles and instrument panels is more of a light blue than anything related to cockpit gray. I could not find anything in all of my paints that was a close match, so I mixed my own. Don't ask me for the formula, because I have no idea, except that it came close. The… more |
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T-55 EnigmaPublished:
Between 1958 and 1981, Iraq received more than 3300 T-54/T-55’s from the Soviet Union, East Germany, Poland, Egypt, Romania, and China. Even though the basic tank design had become obsolete in the 1980’s, Iraq, like most owners of the T-54/55, continually attempted to make upgrades in their aging fleet of armor. Prior to the Gulf War, the Iraqis came up with the “Enigma” design, which was nothing more than bolting on extra armor blocks on the glacis and turret to provide extra protection. These were nothing more than hollow welded boxes that were bolted on. A counter-balance arm was required on the rear of the turret because of the extra weight on the front of the turret. The exact number of “Enigma” modifications is unknown, but they were all in the Iraqi 5th Mechanized… more |
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USN F-4 Exhaust Nozzles (Late)Published:
When Eduard started their "Brassin" series of detail parts, they really raised the bar for aftermarket detail manufacturers. Burner cans and exhausts, regardless of the scale, have always been an area that was badly in need of assistance, even with kits like Tamiya's F-4J Phantom. That seam down the middle of tubular structures has always been a modeler's nightmare. Eduard's Brassin series has done a fantastic job of taking care of that problem and has taken even resin casting to a new level. The later F-4 burner cans are complete, well detailed, and they fit! Unlike many aftermarket parts and detail sets, you don't have to do a lot of trimming and thinning to get them to fit. They are one-for-one replacements for the kit parts. You get fourteen resin parts that are… more |
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Windsock Worldwide, Vol. 27, No. 5 - September/October 2011Published:
This copy of Windsock Worldwide is typical of every other issue I have had in my hand. I have read every word and learned something new and hated that there wasn’t any more. Including the covers, there’s 36 pages of high quality, heavy, glossy pages packed with information. Unlike most U.S. hobby publications, which are half advertisements and half articles, there are only two pages of ads in this magazine. The main article is a build/review of Wingnut Wings’ new Pfalz D.XII in 1/32nd scale. There are thirty-one pictures of the model and its components during the construction process and an additional seven photos of an actual Pfalz D.XII. The rear cover includes photos of two pieces of original covering. The article takes you step-by-step through the build with lots of… more |
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P-51 Mustang Decals Pt. 2Published:
This is the second Lifelike Decals release for Tamiya’s new 1/32nd scale P-51, and it also gives two markings for the Revell 1/32nd scale P-51B. Maybe Tamiya will give us a gift sometime soon of a new P-51B, too. The selections are:
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P-51 Mustang Decals Pt. 1Published:
Tamiya’s new 1/32nd scale P-51 has created a surge of new decals for that subject, and Lifelike Decals have done their part, as well. This sheet provides markings for four colorful Mustangs, three from the European Theater and one from the Pacific Theater:
Two 8.3 X 11.7 color instruction sheets give a short history of each aircraft and its pilot,… more |
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WWI Spandau Light Machine Gun 08/15Published:
When you look at any of Master Model’s brass gun barrels, you always marvel at what you see. The detail is remarkable regardless of the scale, and the price is hard to believe because it is so low. One of the things that always bothersed me in German WWI aircraft, almost as much as rigging, was annealing and rolling that stupid cooling jacket on Spandau machine guns. And when I finally get it rolled, I had to join it somehow. Soldering is supposed to be how you do it, but I have yet to be successful. So, I ended up with a very soft brass roll that was barely held together on the bottom by superglue. It was guaranteed, at some time during the build, to get dented or just plain squashed. Master Model comes to the rescue with one-piece, turned and perforated cooling jackets and exquisite… more |
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HH-60J Jayhawk USCG part 1Published:
Part 1For years I have had the desire to build a U.S. Coast Guard MH-60J, but just couldn’t convince myself to buy all of the resin conversion parts needed or, God forbid, do some real modeling and do some scratch building. A very good friend of mine, Dave Riley, was a rescue swimmer for the Coast Guard at the Coast Guard Aviation Center in Mobile, before a mysterious bacterial infection turned him into a quad amputee. He took me through the aviation facility and I got to crawl all over the MH-60’s with my camera blazing away. I now knew I had to model one of these unique helicopters with its bright blue interior and red bags and baskets filling every bit of the interior. Along comes Skunk Model Workshop with an HH-60J. The fact that it is a re-boxed Italeri HH-60 with some… more |
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F-15E ElevatorsPublished:
Aires Stabilators are made for any of the Academy 1/48th scale F-15E kits. They are a one-for-one replacement for Academy kits, but can also be used on Revell kits. They are perfectly cast in a light tan resin, and require no cleanup, except on the mounting stubs, which are also cast slightly larger than the hole on the fuselage. There are very few differences between the kit parts and the Aires parts, except for panel lines and shapes. Two horizontal panel lines that are present on the kit stabilators are missing on the Aires castings, one of which should be present, by all drawings and pictures I have looked at. In looking at my references and walk around photos, the shape of the stiffener at the root of the stabilator is incorrect, and should just be a rivet pattern, not a separate… more |
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Luftwaffe InstrumentsPublished:
Airscale, a British company, has really been cranking out the instrument decals of late, and they are really very well done. On this particular sheet there are fifty-one separate instruments for World War Two Luftwaffe aircraft. There are many instruments that I have never seen before, and sadly, there is only one of each instrument. They are crisply printed in black and white, and each instrument is a separate decal. There is a considerable amount of excess film, when you consider just how small that instrument bezel is going to be. In this scale, the instruments can easily be trimmed from the film. Of course, they can always be punched out, using your favorite punch set, but I never seem to get them lined up perfectly. The sheet is small, but there is a lot on it. You also get… more |