Chris Smith
Reviews By Author
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GAU 8 Avenger Gun & Pitot PEPublished:
HistoryDeveloped in parallel with the AX program which eventually led to the A-10 Thunderbolt II the General Electric GAU-8 "Avenger" was designed as a tank killer. The seven-barrel 30 mm cannon can fire over 3000 rounds a minute. When coupled with depleted uranium cored ammunition this weapon can penetrate most known armor. During my time in the USAF I was posted with the 23rd TAC who flew the shark mouthed A-10s of Flying Tiger fame. Part of my duties required maintenance visits to the firing range where I got to see these weapons awesome power first hand. A number of model companies have produced the A-10 in 1/48 scale and while the airframes are very good in most cases the gun is a solid piece without hollow barrels. Scratch building a GAU-8 is certainly possible but not… more |
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Sukhoi Su-22 M3/M4 Fitter FPublished:
HistoryDeveloped from the delta wing Su-7 the Su-17/22 NATO code name "Fitter", the design incorporated a swing wing to reduce landing speeds. Interestingly the swing-wing was limited to the outboard portion of the wing allowing the landing gear and fixed weapon pylons to remain unchanged. Kitty Hawk has given us the Su-22 M3/4 in this boxing. The Su-22 is the export version of the SU-17 and you get no less than seven marking options for German (pre and post-cold war), IRAQ, Czech, Polish, Syria and Vietnamese aircraft. Perhaps the most memorable moment involving this aircraft is the encounter two Libyan Fitters had with US F-14s on August 19, 1981, in during which the Tomcats prevailed. Although it's not the most elegant of designs its always been my favorite cold war era… more |
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Bf 109F-4Published:
Entering service in June 1941, the Bf 109F (Friedrich) corrected some of the limitations revealed in the Battle of Britain, namely the ability to carry extra fuel in a drop tank under the centerline. Other distinguishing features included strutless tail planes and a refined nose profile. Personally, I always associated the Friedrich with Hans-Joachim Marseille who scored many of his 158 victories in this version of Messerschmitt's ubiquitous fighter. This kit is another in the "Weekend Edition" series from Eduard. As with the other kits I've built in this series I didn't finish this one in a weekend, but if you really devoted a weekend to it you probably could. But why? I say that because this is one to savoir. While the box art is not exactly inspiring, the kit inside is.… more |
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Bf 109F-4 WeekendPublished:
This is a detail set for the excellent Bf 109F-4 (kit84146) from Eduard that I wrote up in a separate review. Another in the "Zoom" sets this includes the instrument panel, rudder pedals, seat harnesses and other small cockpit details. There are radiator faces for front and back, screens for the tropical filter and the actuator arms for the filter cap. One important addition is the tail reinforcement strips added to the "F" series aircraft after a structural weakness was revealed. Topping off the set are some details for the canopy and antennas. As with all the Zoom sets I've used from Eduard this one is worth the instrument panel and seat harnesses alone. I used all but the tiniest parts and am really happy with the results. Highly recommended the addition to an already… more |
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P-38 H/J Lighting "European Theatre"Published:
Yet another rebox of a familiar kit from Hasegawa. This time we're treated to two P-38s with limited edition "European Theater” decals representing the early H model "Texas Ranger" flown by Lt. Col Jack Jenkins and a J model "Jenne" flown by Capt. Roy Scrutchfield. The later regalia is very familiar to those of us who built the Monogram kit from years ago. The kits are old Hasegawa molds with raised panel lines and basic cockpits but they still look good. To maximize the molds, Hasegawa lets the builder do the surgery to convert the as molded J variant into an H. That is facilitated by an indented section on the backside of the nacelles guiding where the cut should be. Once I cut those away I found the new nacelle parts didn't quite line up and I had to resort to some plastic… more |
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2014 Mustang GTPublished:
In 2010 Ford introduced a restyled Mustang known internally as the S-197 platform. The fifth generation of the iconic pony car featured design cues from the 1960s fastback including a body shape with hard edges, scalloped side panels and hooded headlights for a more aggressive look. As it turned out, this generation would mark the return of the Mustang muscle car. In 2011 the GT version featured the return of a much improved 5.0 Liter Coyote V-8. This dual overhead cam 32 valve power plant made over 400hp in its normally aspirated form. The S-197 platform was also the basis for the return of the infamous Boss 302 (2012-2013). This kit represents the last year of S-197 body style that was replaced by the current S-550 body style in 2015. In the last few years I’ve reviewed a number of… more |
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Dornier Do 17z vs. Boulton Paul Defiant Mk 1Published:
HistoryOn 26th of August 1940 during the Battle of Britain, the two aircraft represented in this kit met over the English coast, during which the Do-17z would fall victim to the guns of the Defiant, and the Defiant itself would fall victim to escorting Me 109s moments later. Two of the four German crew were lost in the encounter. The Defiant’s crew survived a crash landing. Fast forward to 2013 when an underwater survey revealed this very Do-17 in shallow sand off the English coast. In an extraordinary effort the RAF museum sponsored an expedition to raise the wreckage from its watery grave. (Click here for the Recovery article). It will eventually be placed in the… more |
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Do-17 Metal Landing GearPublished:
This set (SAC #72120) replaces the main gear legs and retraction struts along with the tail wheel. You have to use the kit main wheels and fenders. You get five metal reproductions of the kit parts in the usual soft white metal. That’s where my difficulty with this set started. Airfix has done an excellent job of reproducing very delicate landing gear parts in plastic. The main gear legs trap the main wheels and the flexible properties of the plastic parts help. It also really helps when you install the gear parts into the finished gear wells. There’s a lot of fiddling once the parts are the bay and again the plastic assisted by snapping back to its original shape. The metal parts on the other hand, bent and were very difficult to realign once the glue set. For… more |
Defiant Mk. I Metal Landing GearPublished:
Another of the many sets from SAC that I’ve used. Like those this one (SAC #72110) reproduces the kit parts in soft white metal with one exception, the tail wheel part leaves a gap over the tire that looks more refined then the kit part. Test fit the main wheels on their mounts because that is the point the part was cast from. When you cut it from the sprue, it needs some file work to get a good fit. The metal parts in this case have the advantage of allowing slight adjustments once they’re in place. That’s helpful because this aircraft has some strange angles in the gear mounts. In the photos I’ve installed one Airfix and one SAC main gear leg for comparison. This set is a nice addition to a nice little kit. Thank you IPMS and SAC for the sample. |
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Defiant Mk. I Rounded ExhaustPublished:
This is direct replacement for the Airfix part. At first glance you might question why a replacement is needed as the kit part is actually very nice. Upon closer examination you’ll see that Aires has spared the trouble of drilling out the exhaust tips to represent the open ends of the pipes. It’s worth the price of admission if you what to avoid that tedious task. The parts are easy to get off the casting block and a perfect match for the mounting holes on the base kit. Aires also makes another set with fishtail ends (set # QB 72 483) reviewed elsewhere in this site that don’t come in the Airfix kit. Thanks to Aires for improving an already great kit. |