Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
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Olkhovskiy Torpedo (two seat)Published:
When this first came up for review, I’ll admit I never heard of this plane or company which is intriguing. A little quick research and I found that this was one of the first Russian monoplanes and it had an interesting difference with many planes - no ailerons. The ends of the wing bias because of their tether tension control wiring. That was enough for me. Omega Models located in the Czech Republic makes limited run resin models of lesser known subject. This kit comes in cream colored resin in 23 pieces with decals, instructions and a length of wire. My first action was to wash the parts with dish detergent to remove any mold release and let dry. Next, I separated the parts from casting blocks and sanded down the minimal seam lines. All this prep work is critical as finding… more |
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Depth Charge Mk. 54Published:
One of the under recognized armaments for after market has been the depth charge. It is fairly simple to find missiles, bombs and other under wing things all very well done and in most scales but not so much depth charges. Brengun has issued a set (which looks like a rerelease of the Attack Hobby set) of the Mk. 54 Depth Charge in 1/72nd scale. Looking at the set, you get two gray resin blocks which contain the depth charge body and the nose pin for the front arming propeller. There is also a photoetch fret containing 18 pieces, a set of decals and the instructions for assembly, painting and decaling the set. Assembly starts with cutting the depth charges free- make sure the front is flat. You will need to drill a hole here for the front arming pole.… more |
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Dog House with DogPublished:
One thing I find very refreshing amongst the modeling community is some of the ideas that come out and this one caught my attention immediately- a dog and his (or her?) doghouse. The set is very simple and comes as five parts. The doghouse is cast as one piece and the roof is separate. The dog, a burn drum and a milk container also come. All are cast perfectly and the only preparation was washing the parts and removing the casting blocks. In looking at this review, I could have just painted the parts but it just begged for a little base and a diorama. So before paint, I grabbed a little wood plaque and added some groundwork with Durham’s Water Putty. I impressed the doghouse and drum into it and grabbed a 1/32nd scale pilot and pushed in some shoe prints and let… more |
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MiG-25PU Foxbat-CPublished:
Kitty Hawk continues their release of the MiG-25 line with the MiG-25 PU Foxbat-C version. This version was a 2 seat conversion trainer for the MiG-25 P interceptors. It has a new nose section with 2 separate cockpits and has no combat capability. Looking in the box, you get lots of sprues. There are sixteen gray sprues with well done parts with nice engraved panel lines. There is also two decals sheets representing the four markings included. There are resin parts supplied for the landing gear, cockpits and two superb pilot figures. Lastly, there is one sheet of photoetch. The markings allow the building of:
IPMS/USA did a… more |
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AIM-9X Sidewinder (2pcs)Published:
The AIM-9X is the latest version of the venerable Sidewinder first used in 1956. If you are going to build a modern jet past 2003, it probably would have carried the AIM-9X. For modelers, AIM-9X missiles are scarce in the 1/32nd scale range. Brengun comes to the rescue with two superbly cast examples in set 32039. Inside the package, you will find one casting block containing the missile body and two different motor sections- one for training and one live. There are two of these blocks to make two missiles. Also included is a PE fret for the fins, two cast seeker head covers, and a magnificent clear casting for the seeker heads. Lastly, a complete set of decals is included. Assembly is straightforward and the only decision you need to make up front is live or… more |
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British Rifleman vs French Skirmisher- Peninsular War and Waterloo 1808-1815Published:
The book is set up to introduce the groups involved- British Light Infantry versus French Light Infantry (Skirmishers). Each group has the specifics from recruitment, formation of the group and morale discussed along with very well detailed drawings of each soldier showing their weapons, dress and equipment. One thing detailed early on was the use of muskets versus rifles. The British used Baker riffles with smaller rounds, rifled barrels and an increased range. He French used a Charleville Dragoon Musket with larger caliber rounds and no rifling. There are specific sections on the training of each group, its weapons and their command and control strategy. The table of contents looks like this:
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Hungarian Armored Fighting Vehicles in the Second World WarPublished:
The coverage of WWII in print has been profound covering many aspects or the Untied States, Britain and Germany in the European theater. What hasn’t been covered as well is the remainder of the Axis powers and their contributions and participation in the conflict. Writer Eduardo Manuel Gil Martínez aims to correct part of that with this book covering Hungarian Armor in WWII. The book covers from prewar to the end of WWII with superb period black and white photos and an explanation of the people, battles, and equipment involved. The table of contents looks like this:
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Detail & Scale F/A-18E & F/A-18F Super HornetPublished:
Detail and Scale is an iconic brand in the aircraft modeling world. Bert Kinzey and friends have been putting out top quality aircraft books for decades and this latest release covering the F/A-18E & F/A-18F Super Hornet and the EA-18G Growler is no exception. Also, this is version two as the original was released back in the early 2000’s. The book is available in two formats- traditional book and electronic e-book. This review covers the paperback version. Let’s dive in and see why these books are meant for both aircraft enthusiasts and modelers. Let’s start with the table of contents:
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P-47D-25 Cockpit SetPublished:
Hasegawa’s 1/32nd scale P-47D-25 is a great kit with good fit and form but like most of Hasegawa’s kits, they leave some room for improvement. In this case, the cockpit is Ok OOB but Eduard has produced a single fret of colorized photoetch that will bump the cockpit to the next level. Inside the package, you’ll find one fret of colorized photoetch with 40 parts that address improvements to the instrument panel, the cockpit sidewalls and the rudder pedals. Two pages of instructions detail the installation including a little surgery on the kit parts. The instrument panel is made from 17 parts. It is basically a two part affair with the back being dials with a clear raised “lens” for each instrument. When sandwiched with the front section, it is awesome. One trick I… more |
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P-47D-25 SeatbeltsPublished:
Hasegawa’s 1/32nd scale P-47D is a wonderful kit with great shape and like many Hasegawa kits is basic in some areas. One of those areas is seat belts. The cockpit opening is smallish, and the seat is prominent and there is no provision of any kind for a seat belt. Eduard to the rescue with set 33234, a seat of belts made specifically for the Hasegawa P-47D-25. Inside the package is a single sheet of instructions with a fret of colorized photoetch which has nine parts with three spares included. The shoulder harnesses are one piece and the are four. Start by cutting the parts from the sprue and sanding off any nibs. The should harnesses have a bend on each buckle. The lap belts have a pad and latch installed on the left belt; nothing n the right belt. … more |