IPMS Number
26328
Charles Landrum
Reviews By Author
|
Mirage 2000B/C/D/N Opened Exhaust NozzlePublished: December 31, 2012 There are four manufacturers of 1/48 scale kits of the Mirage 2000 – Airfix/Heller, Italeri, Kinetic, Monogram, and, of course, the re-boxing of the Heller kit by Eduard. All of these kits have poorly detailed exhaust nozzles, except the Eduard re-boxing which provides PE to overhaul the engine to a more convincing replica, the exterior exhaust petals being particularly noteworthy. Enter Aires… more |
|
F-101 Voodoo Pitot TubePublished: December 15, 2012 Prominent on the nose of the F-101 Voodoo is a large pitot tube, which in 1/48 scale extends 1 1/16 inches (27mm). From a modeling perspective, such a large 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 mold lines and ensure that the cross-section is round. Lastly, such a large pitot… more |
|
Yak-38 Forger Pitot TubePublished: December 10, 2012 As with most Soviet-designed aircraft, the Yak-38 Forger has a nose pitot tube. While not as prominent as the pitot tubes on the MiG and Sukhoi bureau aircraft, the pitot is still visibly right in front and on top of the nose. As with previous detail sets in this line, Quickboost provides multiples of the same pitot, no doubt because the pitot is one of the most vulnerable parts to damage… more |
|
Yak-38 Forger AntennasPublished: December 10, 2012 ***Note: the packaging of this set indicates that it is antennas. In fact, the details are pitot tubes and angle of attack indicators. As with most Soviet designed aircraft, the Yak-38 Forger had numerous antennas and pitot tubes protruding from the airframe. Hobby Boss has included all them in their nice kit of the Forger. But there are limitations in the injection molding process and… more |
|
KMGU-2 Russian Submunition DispenserPublished: December 9, 2012 The Soviet intervention in Afghanistan in December, 1979, and the ensuing 10-year conflict tested the ways and means of the Soviet military machine. As the United States military discovered earlier in Vietnam, the tactics and weapons developed for a cold war confrontation in Europe were ill-suited for a counter-insurgency. Afghanistan became the impetus for innovation. As the Soviets shifted… more |
|
Normandy StreetPublished: November 13, 2012 MiniArt has been prodigious in producing accessories for armor dioramas. Though I am primarily a ship and aircraft modeler, I couldn’t help but notice the endless stream of new releases in vehicles, buildings, and figures. So when this kit came up for review, I decided to take the plunge and try a new genre. I used to be a model RR enthusiast, so this was not my first building kit, but it… more |
|
USS Freedom LCS-1Published: October 1, 2012 BackgroundThe Littoral Combat Ship is the Navy’s latest controversial shipbuilding program. What was originally designed to be a winner-take-all competition is now a ship construction program with two distinct classes. The LCS-1 USS Freedom Class is a more traditionally designed mono-hull, while the LCS-2 USS Independence Class is the trimaran hull form. Those of us with longer… more |
|
F-16D Block 40 Cockpit SetPublished: August 18, 2012 As a modeler afflicted with AMS, the one aftermarket detail that I have the greatest weakness for is a resin cockpit. This is especially true for jet cockpits, where I find it difficult to duplicate the detail. So when Aires made this cockpit available for review, I was excited, having a Kinetic F-16D on the shelf. In general, I find Aires cockpits to be very detailed, pretty accurate, and… more |
|
Yak-38 Forger Correct Vertical Engine and CoverPublished: July 16, 2012 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. Unlike the Harrier, which relied on a single engine to provide all of the vertical thrust, the Forger had two dedicated lift engines behind the pilot to assist with VTOL. The engines were… more |
|
The Space Shuttle: Celebrating Thirty Years of NASA’s First Space PlanePublished: July 16, 2012 With the recent retirement and consignment of the Shuttle fleet to museums around the country, it is nice to see a book that is a retrospective on the program. This book is ambitious in its scope, covering the entire program from the early testing of lifting bodies to the final mission of Atlantis (STS-135) in July, 2011, in just 300 pages. It is more photographic history than narrative and,… more |