Charles Landrum
Reviews By Author
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KAB-500L 500 KG Laser-Guided BombsPublished:
To those who model Soviet era and modern Russian aircraft there has been a welcome proliferation of weapons which have emerged on the market, so we have something to hang on aircraft models other than rocket launchers and dumb bombs. Unlike the west, the Soviet, and now Russian military is not known for the use of smart ordnance, and rare were the pictures of them fitted. But a wide range of weapons exist for specialized missions and the pictures coming from Syria show smart weapons being hung. A new manufacturer from Russia has come on the scene to offer perhaps the widest range of munitions than we have seen so far on the market – Advanced Modeling (AM). Multi-media kits with cleanly cast in gray, durable resin; the detail is superb. This set provides a pair of 500kg… more |
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Betab-500ShP Concrete Piercing BombPublished:
To those who model Soviet era and modern Russian aircraft there has been a welcome proliferation of weapons which have emerged on the market, so we have something to hang on aircraft models other than rocket launchers and dumb bombs. Unlike the west, the Soviet and now Russian military is not known for the use of smart ordnance, and rare were the pictures of them fitted. But a wide range of weapons exist for specialized missions and the pictures coming from Syria show smart weapons being hung. A new manufacturer from Russia has come on the scene to offer perhaps the widest range of munitions than we have seen so far on the market – Advanced Modeling (AM). Multi-media kits with cleanly cast in gray, durable resin; the detail is superb. The casting are so well done that I could… more |
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PBK500U SPBE 500 kg Cluster BombPublished:
To those who model Soviet era and modern Russian aircraft there has been a welcome proliferation of weapons which have emerged on the market, so we have something to hang on aircraft models other than rocket launchers and dumb bombs. Unlike the west, the Soviet and now Russian military is not known for the use of smart ordnance, and rare were the pictures of them fitted. But a wide range of weapons exist for specialized missions and the pictures coming from Syria show smart weapons being hung. A new manufacturer from Russia has come on the scene to offer perhaps the widest range of munitions than we have seen so far on the market – Advanced Modeling (AM). Multi-media kits with cleanly cast in gray, durable resin and the detail is superb. This set provides a pair of… more |
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British Guided Missile DestroyersPublished:
To most readers of a certain age, the Falklands Conflict was a watershed event which tested the resolve, capabilities, and persistence of the Royal Navy and the Nation. It was a bloody affair at sea; the Royal Navy suffered immensely and yet still prevailed. The loss of the Type 42 HMS Sheffield to Exocet missiles shocked naval professionals and called into serious question Royal Navy air defense capabilities. Other air defense ships suffered as well. The County Class ships – HMS Antrim and HMS Glamorgan (which survived an Exocet hit) were damaged and another Type 42, HMS Coventry, was lost. The conflict also highlighted inherent design issues with the Type 42 and Royal Navy damage control readiness. Lessons were learnt and during Operation Granby (the British component to Operation… more |
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L-39 Albatros Pitot TubesPublished:
Master Model continues to provide delicate turned metal parts which not only provide greater detail closer to scale, but in the case of pitot tubes, are far more resilient during handling. For the modeler who chooses to take a model to a show or club meeting, indestructability is a consideration during the modeling process. The MPM/Special Hobby 1/48 L-39 Albatros is back on the market after a long hiatus. The kit provides the aircraft’s two pitot tubes as separate moldings which are then glued to the leading edge of the wing. The pitot tubes are rather non-descript and require clean up to use. Master Model fortunately has released this set of two tubes as replacements. These are nicely turned pieces with all of the subtlety of the real tube. To use them, the modeler just needs… more |
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L-29 Delfin PitotsPublished:
Master Model continues to provide delicate turned metal parts which not only provide greater detail closer to scale, but in the case of pitot tubes, are far more resilient during handling. For the modeler who chooses to take a model to a show or club meeting, indestructability is a consideration during the modeling process. The AMK L-29 Delfin, is a beautiful kit with excellent detail and fit. The two pitot tubes are nicely shaped and molded to the wing upper halves and prove to be resilient during handling; my finished model still has them intact. This offering by Master Model provides an option for those who either like to add their pitot tubes later or may have broken one or both off. This Master Model set provides two tubes, enough for one aircraft. The turned tubes are… more |
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Soviet Pilot - The Cold War PeriodPublished:
Aires in their AEROBONUS line has started offering resin aircrew figures. This is a great initiative, because there have not been a lot of quality aircrew and ground figures for those of us who want to add one to a plane or scene; a figure can give a model context and a better sense of scale. This product lines includes pilot which are seated (molded to the ejection seat), standing and in the case of this review, climbing into the cockpit. What is nice about a climbing pilot is that you get the sense of animation as well as scale without the pilot obscuring all of the work you may have put into the cockpit. This particular figure represents an early Cold War pilot suitable for first generation jets including the Yak-15, Yak-17, Mig-9, Mig-15, Mig-17 and Il-28. It is crisply… more |
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L-29 Nitrogen Nose BayPublished:
The AMK L-29 is a superb kit with great detail and options for display. One option is to pose open the nitrogen bay in the nose with a forward opening cover as was seen during pre-flight servicing. While the kit nose base is detailed, Aires offers additional detail cast into these resin replacement pieces for the bay and the cover. I have included pictures of the resin parts and a comparison with the kit pieces (darker gray). Neither the kit nor the Aires set provides the prop for the cover. The nose area in the kit is a complex build up with one piece molded to form the top of the nose well and the floor of the nitrogen bay. The rear bulkhead of the kit extends the height of the fuselage and is both the back wall of the wheel well and the nitrogen bay. The resin replacement… more |
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F4U-5 Corsair Wheels and MasksPublished:
There enough other issues with the Hobby Boss late Corsairs, including the landing gear doors and openings that you might not notice that the kit wheels are rather poor looking, enough so that you might want to replace the. There is a lot of competition in the market for resin replacement wheels, but Aires has produced their own offering, and this set includes what other set don’t, wheel masks. This set is target to the F4U-5, but it will work equally as well for any of the Hobby Boss late Corsairs, and for the kits by Hasegawa as well. I don’t have the Hobby Boss -5, but have a -4 so my review is in comparison to this kit. The Hobby Boss kit offers fully inflated wheels molded in two halves with anemic tread. The Aires wheels are also fully inflated and have a distinct radial… more |
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Spitfire Mk. XVI Dual ComboPublished:
My thanks to Eduard for providing this kit and my sincere apology for the length of time it took to complete the review. My excuse – I was savoring the building of both aircraft. By now the terrific reputation of the Eduard Spitfires is well established, they are superbly detailed, accurate and buildable. So I will not cover the same ground by other reviewers, IPMS/USA or elsewhere. With this combo Eduard releases its first bubble top spitfire, providing many more options for late and post war Spitfire Fans and they present a lot of choices, so many so that it is hard to choose which schemes to model. In this package are two complete profi-pack kits, one with the high back and one with the new low back. The plastic of the hi-back kit is the same as their previous Mk IX releases… more |