Charles Landrum
Reviews By Author
Mig-23M Flogger B AntennasPublished: May 23, 2013 Note: the packaging of this set indicates that it is antennas. In fact the details are antennas and pitot tubes. As with most Soviet designed aircraft, the Mig-23 Flogger has numerous antennas and pitot tubes protruding from the airframe. Trumpeter has included all of them in their nice kit of the Flogger, but there are limitations in the injection molding process and you can only get… more |
|
Mig-23 Flogger Pitot TubePublished: May 21, 2013 Prominent on the nose of the Mig-23 Flogger is a pitot tube. From a modeling perspective a nose pitot presents several challenges. First you hope that the part is not bent, broken or molded out of round. Surviving that, you then need to remove the pitot from the sprue, remove the mold lines and ensure that the cross section is round. Lastly, a nose pitot tube becomes a transportation liability… more |
|
Mig-23 Flogger Gun BarrelsPublished: May 21, 2013 Prominent on the underside of the Mig-23 is the twin GSH-23 twin barrel 23mm cannon which can be used air to air or air to ground. The Trumpeter 1/48 Mig-23M and Mig-23MF kits provide multiple parts to create the cannon – the L34 for the fairing, PE parts 2 and 3 for the shell ejection chutes and part C2 which consists of the twin cannon barrel. Once covered by the fairing, the only portion of… more |
|
F-14 Alpha Probe and Angle of Attack ProbePublished: May 12, 2013 I would like to thank Master Model for this review sample. Master Model has been literally “turning” out numerous metal details for the model maker. This latest offering is the Alpha Probe and angle of attack probe for the F-14 in 1/48. The alpha probe is the pitot at the forward end of the radome. For a model this is a very vulnerable place and no doubt, like me, you have managed to… more |
|
Mig-23 Wheel WellsPublished: May 12, 2013 The Trumpeter Mig-23M and MF kits in 1/48 finally give the modeler an alternative to the Esci Mig-23/27 family of kits. While it has its own issues, the Trumpeter kit renders the other one obsolete. One problem with the Trumpeter kit are the main wheel wells. Trumpeter’s wells are under detailed and worse yet are symmetrical from port to starboard. This is not the case with the Mig-23; the… more |
|
USS Lexington CV-2, Squadron at SeaPublished: April 25, 2013 USS Lexington (CV-2) and her sister USS Saratoga (CV-3) played a critical role in the development of the modern naval aviation and the way the US Navy wields air power. Built on the hulls of battlecruisers cancelled in the 1920s under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty, Lexington and Saratoga were far more different and innovative than the first US aircraft carrier, USS Langley CV-1, and… more |
|
Soviet PAG-14 Airfield PlatesPublished: February 11, 2013 One of ICM’s most recent offering is a set of PAG-14 Airfield plates used in the construction of airfields by the Soviet Union at home and in the Warsaw Pact nations. This particular set is for 1/48th scale. Knowing little of Soviet airfield construction – and what I did know centered on the use of hexagonal blocks for construction – I conducted online research into the PAG-14 plates. My first… more |
|
Yak-38 Forger A (Mid-Production) CockpitPublished: January 21, 2013 The Yak-38 Forger was considered by many to be the Soviet Harrier. Like in the West, Soviet aircraft design bureaus were fascinated by the potential of VSTOL aircraft and undertook their own developmental efforts. The Forger was borne out of a requirement for a VSTOL fighter for the Soviet Navy to take to sea on the Kiev Class ships. The Kiev Class was technically not an aircraft carrier, but… more |
|
Soviet UB-16 Rocket PodsPublished: December 31, 2012 There is probably no more uniquely a Soviet/Russian weapons system than the unguided rocket – think Katyusha. Their use, on a smaller scale, extended to Soviet concepts of close air support with aerial unguided rockets. Whereas in Western air forces the unguided rocket is a thing of the past in favor of precision munitions, they remain a staple with most Soviet/Russian-influenced air forces.… more |
|
Soviet Training Unit UZR-60 Missiles with Transport BoxPublished: December 31, 2012 The R-60 (AA-8 Aphid) is a Soviet/Russian short range infrared (IR) homing air-to-air missile. It has been fielded for 35 years and is widely used by a variety of Soviet/Russian manufacturer aircraft. For attack aircraft, it is their primary means of self-defense. The UZR-60 is the training variant of the R-60, distinguished by its lack of rear delta fins and the three black bands designating… more |