Dan Brown
Reviews By Author
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F-35C LightningPublished:
The F-35 Lightning II is an American single-seat multi-role aircraft developed through the Joint Strike Fighter program. The F-35C is the third airframe from this program to enter operational service. It was specifically designed to fill the role of a carrier-operated long range stealth strike fighter. It differs from the other previous variants by having larger wings for slower landing speeds and increased payloads, folding outer wings, a catapult capable twin-wheel nose gear, and a stronger tail hook for arrested landings. The F-35C entered service in August of 2021, with the first squadron of F-35Cs from VFA-147 on the carrier USS Carl Vinson. This new release from Trumpeter is the first release of the F-35C in 1/32 scale. The impressively large box contains 15 parts trees… more |
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FAUN L900/D667 Hard Top CabPublished:
The FAUN L900 was in production from 1937 to 1939. They were primarily used by the German Army as tank transporters. The heavy Faun L900 with the 10to sd.Ah. 115 Trailer could transport two Panzer I's or II's and the other early war smaller and lighter tanks and AFV's. The heavy Faun L900 had a max cargo capacity of 10,000 kg and at the end of the war they were still in service. The large numbers of these vehicles that were available in the post-war period combined with their utility meant that quite a few were converted for civilian use. This new release from Das Werk covers the hard top version of this vehicle. This kit is a rerelease of the Das Werk kit, DW35003, which was for the soft top truck and included the Sd.Ah.115 trailer. It includes new parts to correct some issues… more |
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HH-60H 'Rescue Hawk'Published:
The HH-60H “Rescue Hawk” was first developed in the 1990s as a rescue variant of the SH-60F “Sea Hawk”. Two versions were developed at this time, the HH-60H for the US Navy and the HH-60J for the US Coast Guard. For its search and rescue role it is equipped with long range fuel tanks, a FLIR Sensor and a few defensive countermeasures. It can also support anti-surface operations by mounting up to 4 AGM-114 Hellfire missiles on special pylons. Since it is based on the SH-60F, the HH-60H retained the ability to operate from small flight decks and be folded up to fit in deck hangars. It’s last year in service with the Navy was 2019. This new kit from Kitty Hawk is the latest in Kitty Hawk’s line of Seahawk variants. The previous version being the MH-60R. The basis for this release… more |
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Su-27UB Flanker-CPublished:
The Su-27 entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1985 and the primary role was long range interdiction of American bombers. Originally, this airframe was developed as a single seat fighter under the the designation, SU-27K. This was later adapted for use by the Navy for carrier trials and entered active service in 1991. While the carrier trails were ongoing, a two seat trainer version was developed, starting in 1989. This new kit by Kitty Hawk is the third in a batch of recent Su-27 releases and covers the two seat version of this important fighter. The basis for these releases is the new tooled kit from Kitty Hawk released in 2017. Several new sprues add parts to cover the many options available for this kit. The kit comes in a large and very colorful box that features… more |
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German 3.7cm Pak 35/36 auf Pz.Kpfw 35R[f]Published:
The R35 was a small, light infantry tank that was originally designed by Renault for the French Army. After the fall of Paris, many of these tanks were captured and pressed into service by the German forces. These were used as either second line tanks or they were modified for other rolls. The particular vehicle covered by this new kit from Hobby Boss covers a vehicle that has been modified to carry the 3.7cm Pak 35/36. The kit comes packaged in a small box with a colorful print of the vehicle on the box top. In the box are 6 sprues of light tan plastic, a PE sheet, two sprues of tracks, a small decal sheet, and separate parts for the hull. The parts are well detailed and well molded. There were no flash issues noted. The instructions are pretty typical for Hobby Boss, there… more |
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F-4EJ KAI Phantom II Phantom Forever 2020Published:
The F-4 Phantom II is a two-seat, twin engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet fighter. The airframe was originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonald Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the Navy and was later adapted for use as a land-based aircraft. In 1968 the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), elected to replace the F-86F with a modified version of the F-4E. This new designation became the F-4EJ and became the main fighter of the JASDF until it was replaced with the F-15J. The last squadron to fly the F-4EJ Kai was the 7th Air Wing based in Ibaraki Prefecture. This new special edition kit from Zoukei-Mura depicts an aircraft in the commemorative markings for “Phantom Forever 2020”, this squadron’s final flight of this venerable aircraft. … more |
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Russian K-4386 Typhoon-VDV Armored VehiclePublished:
The Typhoon family of vehicles that have been in service since 2014. These vehicles serve a number of different functions and the main goal of the program is to provide a new united platform for all Russian armored wheeled vehicles. All of the vehicles in the Typhoon grouping have been designed as Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected armored vehicles. This new kit from Meng covers the newest member of this family, the K-4386 Typhoon-VDV. This vehicle was specifically designed to be dropped into war zones with the Russian Airborne Forces. It has been designed to be light, lightly armored and heavily armed for its size. As usual with new Meng releases, the box includes an impressive collection of extremely well molded sprues with no visible mold issues or flash. There are five sprues… more |
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Wargames Terrain & Buildings North Africa and the Middle EastPublished:
This new book is the second in a series for Wargaming terrain published by Pen & Sword. This book specifically focuses on buildings and terrain for Africa and the Middle East. The structure of this book is based on an introduction to the author’s techniques for building terrain for war-gaming. The book starts with an overview of important tools that a modeler will need to complete builds for their games. This is followed by sections that focus on the paints and materials that are used in the individual builds. After the introduction, the bulk of this book is taken up by a series of builds that are intended to show off a range of techniques for building buildings. There are four main sections, each section focuses on a specific type of building or terrain and… more |
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Dauphin II SA. 365NPublished:
The Aerospatiale SA. 365 Dauphin II is a twin engined helicopter produced in France for the French Navy and for export depending on the version. This airframe has been adapted for number of rolls, serving everything from law enforcement and air ambulance services to corporate transport. The first release of this kit from Kitty Hawk was in 2013 and this new release covers a number of different versions, all in a search and rescue roll from around the world. As I mentioned above the base kit for this release is the original Kitty Hawk kit from 2013. Several new sprues add parts to cover the many options available for this kit. The kit comes in a large and very colorful box that features an image of the helicopter in the colorful French Naval markings. Included in the box are 10… more |
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British Army Centurion Mk 1 Main Battle TankPublished:
In late 1943 the British Cabinet of War submitted a request for a new cruiser tank that could counter the threat of the German 88mm cannon. This tank was to be named the A41 and by May of 1944 20 preproduction A41s had rolled off the production line. This vehicle was also called the Centurion Mk 1 and in April of 1945, six of these new tanks were deployed to Germany for field trials. Unfortunately, this was too late for these vehicles to see active service but the Centurion, in a number of different versions, formed the backbone of the British Cold War main battle tank core. This new release from AFV club adapts their base Centurion kit, first released in 2006, to cover this very first preproduction version of this important tank. I actually reviewed a previous version of this… more |