Charles Landrum
Reviews By Author
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AREOS Reconnaissance NG PodPublished:
Available directly from L’Arsenal USA or L’Arsenal Models. I would like to thank Tony Bunch and Jacques Druel for this review sample, and IPMS for allowing me to review it. As a fan of the Armee de L’Air and the Aeronavale, I was happy to receive something new to hang from my Rafale models. L’Arsenal, more familiar to ship modelers, also offers a good number of aircraft details through their Aero line of products. The AREOS Reco NG pod is their latest offering in 1/48. To be honest though, I had to do a little research since I was not familiar with the AREOS pod. It is just now being fielded – the Armee de L’air having ordered twelve pods for it Rafale B and C fighters, and the Aeronavale eight for its Rafale M. The debut role for the pod was during the NATO intervention… more |
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Yak-38 Forger Air IntakesPublished:
The Yak-38 Forger was the Soviet Union’s equivalent to the Harrier. Built to operate from the KIEV Class Aircraft-Carrying Cruiser, the Forger provided limited air defense and anti-surface ship capability. The Forger relied on the main engine to provide the forward thrust and the lift capability for the rear fuselage. Unlike the Harrier, it had two dedicated lift engines behind the pilot to assist with VTOL. Like the Harrier, the Forger had spring-loaded blow-in doors in the intakes to provide more air during takeoff and landings. And, like the Harriers, when the Forger was shut down, these doors could often be found in the open position. I have provided an image from a Soviet State Publication on the Navy of the period that shows the open intakes to good effect. Unfortunately, the… more |
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MiG-27 Flogger D CannonPublished:
The MiG-27 is a dedicated ground attack variant of the MiG-23 that was built for the Soviet Air Forces. Unlike the MiG-23BN ground attack variant, which still carries the GSh-23L two-barreled 23mm cannon, the MiG-27 instead is fitted with a six-barreled GSh-6-30 Gatling-type 30 millimeter cannon. Unlike the 23mm gun, the 30mm is not shrouded by a cover and so the barrels are fully exposed. The only 1/48 scale kit of this aircraft is the former ESCI kit now made by ITALERI and it does come with a 30mm Gatling gun. It is molded in two halves and the seams must be cleaned up. The detail is rather simplistic and the barrels a little large. Given its visible position, it really needs greater detail. Quickboost now offers a replacement cannon which is a simple one-for-one swap out –… more |
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MiG-21MF ProfipackPublished:
Aftermarket products used
ConstructionA lot has been said up to and after the release of the Eduard MiG-21family; this kit is the first of the releases. The MF was one of the more common airframes with the Soviet Air Force and the air forces of the Warsaw Pact. I agree with the seemingly majority opinion that this is the best MiG-21 kit in 1/48. However, there are some idiosyncrasies with the kit that I would like to see changed. This being Eduard,… more |
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Su-22m4 FitterPublished:
Aftermarket products used:
I have to once again applaud Eduard for re-releasing essentially sound kits and providing the details and decals to greatly improve the plastic straight out of the box. This is the second boxing by Eduard of the Su-22, the first being the Su-22M3 (no air scoop at the base of the tail). The base kit is the Kopro (formerly OEZ) kit of the Su-22. It was and is the only game in town for the Su-22 in this scale. The base kit has some weak areas (engine, cockpit, lack of flare packs, and aligned nose well opening), but it is essentially a pretty accurate airframe. OEZ/Kopro uses the same fuselage for both aircraft – it… more |
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Yangtze River Gunboats 1900-49Published:
The current rise of Chinese naval power stands in stark contrast to the period from 1900 – 1940 when China had no real Navy and lay prostrate before powerful nations which had unfettered access to its ports and inland waterways. A weak and fading dynasty and competing warlords (including the Communists) did nothing to reassure foreign interests, which led to additional intervention. Like other places in the world, the waterways of China were the highways on which goods moved in and out of the interior of the country. One river stood out in its size and importance – the Yangtze (a western interpretation of the river’s many names). Western business interests and missionaries took advantage of the Yangtze to penetrate far into the interior and the river was the principal line of… more |
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Three Cockpit Details for the 1/32 Trumpeter Mig-23Published:
Aires has continued in its release of enhancements for the family of Trumpeter MiG-23 kits. Here is a look at what is now available for the cockpit. The first set, a multimedia KM-1 Ejection seat can be used not only for the MiG-23 but also the MiG-21. The other two sets are each unique to a specific variant of the MiG-23, the ML and the MF. Each of these sets is up to the standard that we expect from Aires.
Aires has released its 1/32 KM-1 as a separate detail set which includes resin and a PE sheet. The KM-1 is superbly detailed and very realistic. The seat compares well to photographs I have and is suitably busy with wiring and plumbing. The back of the seat includes the… more |
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Afterburner Decal SetsPublished:
Wow, the team at Afterburner Decals has been busy! If you like modern US Navy aircraft, then you are no doubt familiar with Afterburner decals. These latest two decal sheets will not disappoint. Colorful and artistic, the schemes provide some of the latest markings being flown on the family of Super Hornets that are now dominating flight decks on both the East Coast and the West Coast. Between the two, the East Coast CAG aircraft have the edge in color and artwork. The fact that the instruction sheet backgrounds are Blue and Gold, is a nice touch of detail. These are dense sheets, packed with eye-popping graphics; so much so that each set has multiple decal sheets. These are composite markings, layered by the printer, Cartograf. Cartograf decals have minimal carrier film, are… more |
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Phantom FG.1/FGR.2 Auxiliary Air Intake by AiresPublished:
On the underside of the F-4 Phantom and the British variants are two doors astride the centerline which open outward. These two small doors always open when the landing gear extended to provide extra cooling air to flow to the engines. The underside of the wing in all of the Hasegawa kits has these doors molded open, revealing the hollow void of the fuselage. Now in fairness, when the model is displayed on its landing gear, especially with stores, the emptiness is not that noticeable. But if you are a modeler who does not like open voids, Aires has a solution. This particular set is designed for the Spey powered British Phantoms, but Aires offers them for the USN and USAF variants as well; I am unsure of the differences if any. This is a modest set, providing 6 pieces cast in… more |
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B-13L Soviet Rocket LauncherPublished:
The B-13L rocket launcher was developed out of the Soviet experience in Afghanistan because the existing rocket systems lacked the punch to take-down stone houses, rock walls or cave openings. The ubiquitous 122mm rocket had the requisite explosive weight to do the job. So necessity being the mother of invention, the B-13L was developed to air launch to the 122mm rocket. The system was fielded in 1988, the final year of the conflict and it remains in the inventories of Russia and its current and former patron states. Aires has released the B-13L as an aftermarket accessory. This is not the first one on the market, but it is distinctly different in several ways. The launcher is well tooled and cleanly cast in two halves, front and back, with nice surface detail. It includes a… more |