Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
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F-14A Stencils and DataPublished:
Furball Aero-Design has issued a new 1/48th scale sheet specifically for all the F-14 Tomcat models currently on the market. This sheet includes all the various stenciling and data which cover the plane on top/bottom and both sides. It includes both stencils for both the Gull Gray over white scheme, as well as, the Tactical Paint scheme and there are enough stencils to do both. Inside the package, you will find a 3 x 6-inch decal sheet printed by Microscale and double-sided color instructions. This sheet has all the needed profiles to add the decals with one side being gray/white and the other tactical. Markings also include the drop tank, ejection seat and slime light decals. The decals are thin and well printed but as they say, the proof is in the pudding so I wanted to… more |
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F-14 "VF-111 Sundowners Anthology"Published:
With the release of the wonderful Tamiya F-14A kit, the decals are coming from Furball Aero-Design to dress up your kit with some of the most striking and memorable markings. This set is titled “Sundowners Anthology” and covers the F-14A as flown by VF-111 Sundowners that cruises with the USS Carl Vinson and USS Kitty Hawk. VFA-111 can trace its history back all the way to 1942 flying Grumman Wildcats. The set includes markings for nineteen (yup, nineteen) VF-111 F-14A’s and covers all of the major and some minor schemes flown by the squadron. Inside the package, you will find seven full color pages of profiles for each aircraft with detail about the paintings and markings and other significant things such as configurations for each plane. Color call-outs for each scheme are… more |
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Phantoms Eagles & Knights-USMC F-4B Phantoms in the Vietnam WarPublished:
AOA Decals focuses on the Marine Corps and the Vietnam era and for this limited release, the focus is on a 1/32nd scale sheet for a USMC F-4B Phantom from VMFA-115 Silver Eagles and VMFA-314 Black Knights focusing on the 1968-1973 time frame. The set is designed for the Tamiya 1/32nd F-4J using a “B” conversion (not included). I am aware of several B conversions on the market put out by the defunct Meteor Productions, CAM and GT Resin. These are quite extensive conversions but build not great looking final kits. Inside the packaging, you will find full color profiles for all eight sets of markings. All aircraft were light gull gray over white with white control surfaces. Any exceptions or additions are noted at the individual aircraft profiles. Specific marking details are also… more |
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Prewar Spitfire Decal SetPublished:
Iliad Design from Canada is a stalwart name in decals for WWII era aircraft and this set is a rerelease of their Prewar Spitfires sheet which was one of their earlier releases and sold out quickly. To up the ante, this set has additional markings not found in the first set. This set covers six Spitfire Mk. I’s from the 1938-39 time frame. Let’s look at the markings first. Each of the six has top side camouflage listed as either A or B patterns of standard British camo- dark earth and dark green. Four use the A and 2 use the B camo and they are called out in the instructions. The bottom colors are also specific to the plane with one being aluminum, white and black with combinations specific to each plane. Also of note, three of the six use the two-bladed wood prop which is found… more |
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German Submarine 8.8cm GunPublished:
When Trumpeter announced they were releasing a 1/48 scale Type VII U-boat, many were amazed and skeptical. The kit would be huge and Trumpeter has had delays in the past. The U-boat has come out and I am pleased to say it is large and well detailed for a plastic kit with a full interior. One part of the kit is its 8.8cm deck gun and it’s nice. Eduard saw an opportunity for a great upgrade and issued a full resin and photoetch deck gun for the massive kit. This set consists of 38 excellent resin parts and a small photoetch fret of 22 small pieces. Casting is top notch- no air bubbles and the resin Eduard uses is tough and a little flexible which is excellent to handle. Preparation is the key to this project and speed is your enemy. There are lots of small parts and thin parts.… more |
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VMFA-334 Falcons: Lovebug 5 - USMC F-4J Phantom in the Vietnam War & JapanPublished:
AOA Decals continues their excellent releases focused on USN/USMC subject from the Vietnam war period with this release for the 1/32 Tamiya F-4J Phantom and representing a specific VMFA-334 Phantom, BuNo. 5565 with a call sign of “Lovebug” (and you gotta love that). The markings represent the Lovebug in Vietnam during 1960-69 and later in Japan 1969. One thing that always stands out with AOA decals is the depth of their research. This scheme has been issued in the past but had some issues primarily with the falcon insignias and the modex numbers which are too small on previous releases. AOA is good enough to have a picture of the Lovebug on the cover and both markings look perfect. Also, there is information on adding fuel tanks as far as which pylon and markings, walkways and… more |
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German U-Boat FlagsPublished:
The Revell 1/72 U-boat kit has been out a while and is a wonderful kit. Coming from Germany, one of its foibles is that the flag has no swastika due to the laws. There have been several replacements but very little else in the markings arena for the actual kit. Eduard to the rescue with its colorized photoetch. This set contains fourteen different flags for the U-boat including:
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Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka Model 22Published:
Note: There is an additional photoetch set for this- BRL48081 (Product Link) which includes a much better seat, vents, and plates. The Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka was one of Japans last ditch Kamikaze weapons. It was a purpose-built, rocket-powered human-guided aircraft. The model 22 was to be powered by a TSU-11 thermojet (pulse jet) engine that increased the effective range of previous Ohka’s. This also reduced the size of the warhead to 600kg. The intent was to launch this from a P1Y3 Frances bomber and sink shipping. These never saw action but were produced and… more |
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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 |