Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
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Ship Display Base #4Published:
Coastal Kits specializes in display bases for models and has a wide ranger covering aircraft, armor, ships, railway and even sci-fi. From their website above, the bases are pre-printed with high quality imaging on a laminated wipeable matt vinyl surface which, unlike paper products, will not raise or bubble and are mounted on a durable 3mm foamex base. The base for this review is the Ship Display Base #4 which is 12” x 17” in size and printed with a nice ocean scene. It is an excellent size for 1/700 large ships or smaller ships in larger scales. Looking at what is in the package, it is a beautifully printed base on one side attached (as advertised) to the foamex board. The board is fairly flat but I suggest attaching to an even firmer board and taking the time to frame the… more |
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Mk. 82 Paveway II or Mk. 82 Bombs w/Mk. 15 Snake Eye FinsPublished:
Many or maybe even most know of the Mk.82 bomb- it’s been used for many years as the primary unguided, general purpose low drag bomb. It is convertible to precision guided with a seeker head and fins (which can make it a GBU-12 Paveway II or a GBU-38 JDAM) and this has seen use for many years. To make the bomb available for use at low level bomb runs and not have the plane hit by bomb fragments, the Mk.82 can be fitted with a special tail unit (the Mk. 15) which opens in a cruciform shape and slows the descent enough to allow the plane to be gone when the bomb explodes. This bomb is the Mk.82 with Mk.15 tail unit but it is commonly called the Mk. 82 Snake Eye. And that is what this review is about. Eduard’s 1/32nd scale set includes enough parts to make six Mk. 82… more |
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Lockheed Model L-200 Convoy Fighter The Original Proposal and Early Development of the XFV-1 Salmon Part 1Published:
Jared Zichek continues his in depth look at the US Navy Convoy Fighter competition of 1950 with this in depth look at the Lockheed Model L-200. As a bit of background, the US at the time was nervous about protecting convoys between the US and its allies after the rough go that convoys had early in WWII. The proposal was a request for a high-performance turboprop fighter to be based on those convoys and to protect them. Five companies participated including Convair, Goodyear, Martin, and Northrop as well as Lockheed. The most famous of this group was the Convair Pogo but thankfully Mr. Zichek has dug in to review the remaining one s and with that, this book focuses on Lockheed’s efforts. The book starts with the design features of the L-200 and one of the primary features is… more |
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GBU-39 with BRU-61 RackPublished:
One of the great things I have always found about modeling is that I never fail to learn something here and there. This set of the GBU-39 and the BRU-61 bomb rack caught my attention as, frankly, I had never heard of it. A quick Google and I was hooked and volunteered to review the set. The GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb is just that, a smaller 250 lb. weapon which is a precision guided glide bomb. Its intent is to allow aircraft to carry more weapons and destroy more targets. Think of it this way, a plane has four pylons for example. At a bomb per pylon, that’s four total. Using adapters, at two bombs per pylon, eight targets can be destroyed. Using the GBU-39 with BRU-61 rack, the plane can carry sixteen bombs and destroy sixteen targets. Adding to that, the effective range of… more |
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Multiple Ejector Rack (MER)Published:
The MER (Multiple Ejector Rack) is a weapons unit which attaches to an aircraft pylon and can hold up to six individual weapons such cluster bombs or standard dumb bombs. The US Air Force stopped using these in the early 1990’s but many pictures can be found with these attached to B-52’s, F-4’s, A-4’s, F-105’s, etc. In other words, they were used frequently. Many model kits have a simplified version of this but Eduard has upped the game with this release in 1/32nd scale. Eduard set comes with three complete MER’s and a total of 78 cast resin parts in their usual gray resin. There is also some wire to add for the connections also and a full set of markings to go with each one. Construction starts with a little clean-up and a choice. First, the main spar needs… more |
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Triple Ejector Rack (TER)Published:
The triple ejector rack (TER) has been used for many years and is a weapons suspension unit that attached to an aircraft pylon and allows for three weapons to be carried on that pylon. The United States has used TERS since the Vietnam War and they still a common sight on US aircraft along with many NATO air forces. The bombs are attached to the TER by mounting lugs and are stabilized by adjustable sway braces on the TER. Eduard has produced a resin set which includes part to make 5 TER’s in 1/32nd scale. The set is made of 50 parts of wonderfully cast resin and a small photoetch fret. Full color instructions and full markings are also included. Construction is straightforward. Remove the main body and bottom rack from there casting blocks and clean as needed… more |
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CBU-105 Cluster BombPublished:
The CBU-105 Cluster Bomb Dispenser was an improved version of the unguided CBU-97. The primary change was the including of a GPS system and tail fins to more accurately place the weapon. This also allows the interior bombs, BLU-108 submunitions to rain down and destroy tanks, antiaircraft and more. Eduard has produced a wonderfully detailed set of six resin cast CBU-105 bomb in this release. The set is cast in the standard Eduard gray resin. Prep work involved cutting the fins and the front bomb off the casting blocks, sanding smooth and then gluing together. One note, make sure you glue the rear fins on in the correct orientation- the drawings are excellent so follow them! I fixed any seams with putty smooth with lacquer thinner. This was then primed with Alclad gray primer… more |
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F-14 Weapons SetPublished:
Eduard has combined three wonderful resin sets into a combo set called the BigSin set for the Tamiya F-14A. I would think it would also work with other F-14’s but watch the variant so you could match it to the missile variants. The set comes in an excellent box with a full set of four AIM-54A Phoenix missiles, four AIM-7E Sparrow missiles and four AIM-9G/H Sidewinders with launch rails and seeker head covers. Each set comes with full stenciling and individual instructions in color including the color call outs for painting. Let’s look at the sets individually. The Sidewinders are comprised of 32 pieces including the launch rails. There is also a small photoetch set for adding detail to the rocket motor back of each missile. Four of those pieces are clear resin for the… more |
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Moebius BatgirlPublished:
Moebius Models has been a great boon to modeling especially those who like Sci-Fi, Monsters and Super Heroes. A while back they started producing figures based on the 1966 version of Batman. Currently Batman (Adam West), Cat Women (Julie Newmar), The Riddler (Frank Gorshin), Robin (Burt Ward) and The Penguin (Burgess Meredith) have wonderfully detail kits out. To really celebrate these, Moebius has issued their Batgirl kit as a 1/5th scale resin kit. The kit represents the late Yvonne Craig in all here glory with the red wig and green contacts as she was on the 1966 series. The kit is made of resin and housed in a beautiful box with each part in an individual Styrofoam slot so there is no rubbing or issues with broken parts. The finished kit is 16” tall and there are great… more |
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Mirage Pilot, 1960’sPublished:
PJ Productions from Belgium makes great aftermarket and figures in resin for aircraft modelers in all scales. This set is a resin Mirage Pilot wearing of the 1960's wearing the white suit named "habit de lumière" and the Garneau helmet T312 or the high-altitude helmet EFA T12. The figure is designed to fit either the Mirage IIIC or early IIIE in 1/32nd scale. The kit consists five cream colored resin parts- left and right arms, the body with legs and two head options. One is fully helmeted and the second is without so you have an option. The casting is good with only a few seams and no bubbles. I cut the arms off the casting blocks and used the back side of a #11 blade to get the seams removed followed by a light sanding. The same was done with the body and I chose… more |