Charles Landrum
Reviews By Author
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FAB-250 TS Soviet BombsPublished:
The FAB-250 is a general purpose dumb bomb with is widely manufactured and exported, similar to the US 500lb bomb. The have been widely used in the conflicts along the Russian (Soviet) border in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Nagarno-Kharabak and Georgia. You frequently see them carried on Russian multiple ejector racks. While they are available in numerous kits, Aires had release their version in an aftermarket package. This set is crisply patterned and cast with very this fin detail in durable resin. The bombs have a nice shape, but lack some lug detail found on injection molded bombs included by OEZ/KOPRO in their kits. Since I don’t know the purpose of these lugs I can’t comment on their presence, but I have seen them in photos. The fit of the bomb to the fin is perfect, but some… more |
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SPPU-22 Soviet Gun PodsPublished:
One of the more impressive Soviet/Russian weapon systems is the SPPU-22 gun pod. With two twin 23mm cannons it is used to strafe ground targets and can be adjusted from the cockpit to fire horizontal or up to 30 degrees down angle. Typically two are carried on an aircraft. A tactic peculiar to the Russian way of war is to mount the pods so that one faces forward and one aft. The aircraft can then fly down a line hitting targets coming and going – it has to be demoralizing to the recipients.; Up to now the only source for these gun pods was the KOPRO (ex-OEZ) Su-25. The kit supplied pods are actually pretty detailed, but the gun system itself is very weak and would need to be scratchbuilt. Aires in their new Aerobonus line has released a new series of Soviet/Russian aftermarket… more |
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Russo - Japanese Naval War 1904-1905: vol. 2Published:
My thanks to Roger Wallsgrove, Editor-in-Chief of Mushroom Model Publications, who provided this review sample. I have had the pleasure of meeting him and his team at Nationals. The Russo-Japanese War was the opening salvo in a series of conflicts that would dominate the first half of the 20thcentury and upend the status quo of the world’s great powers. Waged at the height of European colonial period, it would signal Japan’s entry onto the world’s stage and portend the demise of the Russian Empire 12 years later. Russia, like Turkey was a “sick man” of Europe and Japan was ready to wrest control of the Far East from Moscow’s influence. The series of Japanese victories and the decimation of the Russian Navy shocked the world and provided a stage for President Theodore… more |
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USN 5"/38 Barrels without Blast bagsPublished:
For any modeler, but especially ship modelers, it is hard to achieve a realistic effect when gun barrels are out of round, warped or fail to have the right taper and shape; which is often the case with styrene injected or resin barrels. With smaller caliber guns and in smaller scales the barrels are often too fragile to handle. For these reasons turned metal barrels are an attractive alternative. Master Models continues to release well-priced brass barrels for the discriminating ship modeler. While it is not my preferred scale, I have built ship models in 1/700. One of the greatest frustrations is the thickness of the barrels for the small caliber guns. They are just too hard to mold in that scale and so the ship’s guns look clunky and odd. Master Model once again has stepped in… more |
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Scharnhorst Gun Tubes With and Without Blast BagsPublished:
For any modeler, but especially ship modelers, it is hard to achieve a realistic effect when gun barrels are out of round, warped or fail to have the right taper and shape; which is often the case with styrene injected or resin barrels. With smaller caliber guns and in smaller scales the barrels are often too fragile to handle. For these reasons turned metal barrels are an attractive alternative. Master Models continues to release well-priced brass barrels for the discriminating ship modeler. Without a doubt, Dragon’s Smartkit of the Scharnhorst is a real gem with a superb level of detail thanks to its CAD designer. The gun mounts are very detailed and the molded barrels, with the slide mold technology, are quite nice in this scale, including bored muzzles. Dragon has packed the… more |
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Borodino-Russian WWI [sic] Battleship Gun TubesPublished:
For any modeler, but especially ship modelers, it is hard to achieve a realistic effect when gun barrels are out of round, warped or fail to have the right taper and shape; which is often the case with styrene injected or resin barrels. With smaller caliber guns and in smaller scales the barrels are often too fragile to handle. For these reasons turned metal barrels are an attractive alternative. Master Models continues to release well-priced brass barrels for the discriminating ship modeler. This barrel set is for Zveda’s Borodino, a catastrophic loss during the Battle of Tushima Straits in the Russo-Japanese War. The set replaces all of the barrels in the kit from the main battery to the small caliber guns. The size is to proper scale and the shape and the… more |
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B-13 Russian Rocket PodsPublished:
Two Mikes has built a business by offering details for jet aircraft that few if any companies offer. As I undertook a build review of the 1/48 Eduard Su-25 kit (ex-OEZ, now KOPRO plastic), owner Mike Reeves generously provided two of his details sets toward the effort Given the variety of weapons carried by Soviet/Russian aircraft, it is surprising that there is not a greater selection for the modeler in 1/48. Two Mikes has stepped in a started variety to the ordnance available, in this case the B-13 rocket launcher. The B-13 was first fielded in the late 1980s and came about out of military necessity when the Soviet Air Force found that their inventory of air to ground rockets lacked the punch to penetrate the caves and stone dwellings of Afghanistan. A decision was made to… more |
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Su-25 Intake & Exhaust Covers (Late)Published:
Two Mikes has built a business by offering details for jet aircraft that few if any companies offer. As I undertook a build review of the 1/48 Eduard Su-25 kit (ex-OEZ, now KOPRO plastic), owner Mike Reeves generously provided two of his details sets toward the effort. FOD covers on a model can serve two functions, they can add more realism in displaying the aircraft, and they can help deal with a troublesome problem. The engine compartment of this Su-25, while it builds up fully, is problematic. The plastic includes a complete intake and exhaust trunk and the front and rear of the engine. The problem lies in the fact that the kit trunks taper into a narrow tube as they pass over the wheel well and provide a set of engine parts closer to 1/72 in size. On the real aircraft the… more |
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Su-25 Frogfoot Landing GearPublished:
Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) has been releasing a large selection of metal replacement landing gear that are essentially metal copies of the kit landing gear. These are helpful when you have a lot of weight bearing down on the plastic landing gear. This set is a direct copy of the detailed landing on the Revell (ex-Monogram) Frogfoot. SAC generously provided a review sample to replace the landing gear in the Eduard Kit (KOPRO/Ex-OEZ Plastic) which is rather under-detailed. With the SAC set you receive all of the same parts as are provided in the Revell kit and they are a direct copy. I did notice that one pair of actuating rods were not completely molded, missing the attachment point. This was a minor issue and easily fixed. You will need to clean up the mold lines with a… more |
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Mirage 2000 Pitot TubePublished:
I like the Mirage family of jets, they just look fast. An interesting feature is the bulbous nose probe out in front of the radome. In plastic this is a hard part to clean up – I have suffered these trials with the Heller Mirage 2000 and the Italeri Mirage F.1. The Mirage 2000 was the Eduard re-release that I built for IPMS review. Well, the nose probe was a casualty of the road on my way to its first contest entry! I made the repair, but it looked a bit short and then it was subsequently lost. The Model Master probe is far more petite and prototypical, so I was eager to try this brass replacement and restore my Mirage to its visual glory! Installation was easy. I remove the base of the old probe, filed back the nose to match the taper of the base of the probe, drilled a hole… more |