Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
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Streamline Dreams - Ten Amazing Unbuilt Automobile Designs, 1916-1939Published:
Illustrator and automotive enthusiast Jarek Zichek has gone digging deeply into the history of automobiles. Instead of ones that actually were built, he focused on concept streamlined automobiles. While not a complete survey of every car made, Mr. Zichek narrowed his focus to pre-WWII and to cars which had at least a fragmentary plan view. The majority of the 3D models generated are based on patent drawings and there are inconsistencies throughout some of the drawings so research and interpretation had to fill in some of the missing gaps. The main body of the book consists of eight cars with reviews of the drawings that were used to generate the 3D models. Each car has multiple views as well as dimensions of the cars. Different color schemes are included especially if the car… more |
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Dallachy Strike Wing Beaufighters… 144, 455, and 489 SqnsPublished:
Aviaeology is very well known for their extensively researched decals covering a gamut of Canadian WWII subjects. This set continues that fine tradition by covering 1/48th scale Beaufighter Type TF.X’s from RAF Dallachy. RAF Dallachy is a closed air base located north of Edinburgh, Scotland on the North Sea. It was home to the RAF in WWII where it was used to harass and sink enemy shipping. The three squadrons covered in this set are Canadian (No. 144), Australian (No. 455) and New Zealand (No. 489) all flying the Beaufighter. The decal sheet covers 16 aircraft from these squadrons with markings for all planes but only National markings for one complete plane. Let’s take a look in the package. There are four separate decals sheets included. Two are standard size and include… more |
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Vietnamese SPADS Part 2 VNAF AD-6/A-1H Skyraiders in the Vietnam WarPublished:
AOA Decals specializes in top quality, thoroughly researched decal sheets from the Vietnam War era. This is wonderful with all the new kit releases, as there are now more options for markings. Inside the package, there are full color profiles and notes about all eleven sets of markings, and two large colorful decal sheets printed by Cartograf. The sheet covers South Vietnamese Air Force AD-6/A1-H Skyraiders in 1/32 scale, with the recommended kit being Trumpeter or Zoukei-Mura. Detail and notes abound in the set, including notes on each specific plane, its color and markings, and any specifics about the plane. In fact, two of the markings represent Skyraiders that were retrofitted with the Yankee extraction system. The time frame involved is from the early 1960’s to 1970. Minimal… more |
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Soviet Fighter Pilot with Seat for I-153Published:
Aerobonus and Aires continue their excellent pilot releases with this 1/48th scale Soviet fighter pilot for the ICM I-153. The set comes in four parts: the head, body molded to the seat, and two arms. Casting is flawless with crisp detail and no air bubbles or imperfections. Assembly is straightforward for the arms and head, cutting them easily from the pour block. The seat and body are not difficult but here’s a trick. Remove the head and arms and cut the pour block back to give access to the legs. Slowly trim them loose with a sharp knife and multiple score cuts or gently with a saw. Once done, cut the seat free and you and lightly sand the few seam lines and glue on the arms. I kept the head separate for painting. I used a slight dab of filler on the arms and a… more |
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A-1 Skyraider - 20mm Cannon Barrels and Pitot TubePublished:
Master Models out of Poland has issued several sets of parts for the many Skyraider kits and in all scales. This set includes replacement pitot tube and multiple option gun barrels without flash hiders for the family of 1/32 Skyraider’s. In this case, I will be giving it a test run on my Zoukei Mura kit. Inside the package, you will find one excellent pitot tube for the tail and twelve beautiful machined brass parts for the guns which include 4 main barrels and two different sets of muzzles which will allow you to replicate the guns you need. All muzzles have hollow ends to replicate the gun openings. The pictures below show the increased detail of the pitot tube. It is much finer and stronger that the kit part with no seam. The installation will be simple, just glue in… more |
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Dawn of Justice BatmobilePublished:
There have been many incarnations of the Batmobile from the 1940’s until the latest entry, the Dawn of Justice Batmobile. All of them are cool but this latest is sleeker, armed to the teeth and looks the part. Moebius has replicated this with this kit so let’s jump in and get it built. Looking through the instructions (gasp!), there are four major parts to the assembly- the chassis and wheels, the upper body, the cockpit and the spoilers/wings. Starting with the bottom, the motor and transmission housing are built and require a little putty. Make sure the seams are good on the transmission as once built, it is very visible. The rest of the suspension and side build really well and fit great. The two inner panels (parts 17 & 18) are painted black with silver details… more |
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Ki-61 Part 1Published:
Lifelike Decals out of Japan has issued a new sheet for the Ki-61 which states it’s for the Hasegawa kit. This also coincides with the release of Tamiya’s new Ki-61 kit also. Looking in the package, there are three color sheets. Once with the overall schemes, one with detailed information about the four included schemes and one for stencil placement. The decal sheet is very well printed and contains markings for two planes except for the wing walks. Also included is a small insert sheet to complete one of the planes. Decals are printed by Microscale. The markings included represent the following planes:
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F2H-2 Banshee Landing GearPublished:
Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) continues their replacement metal great releases with a set of metal gear for the Kitty Hawk F-2H Banshee. This white metal set is comprised of eight pieces and replaces both the nose gear as well as both main gear legs. Molding is excellent with only a hint of a seam which is easily sanded out. The main gear legs are direct replacements and are a drop in fit to the kit parts and will provide a nice sturdy base to the plane. The nose gear is a bit more complicated (as is the nose gear on the real Banshee) and is made up of the remaining six parts. I built the kit parts for comparison and I am very glad to have the SAC set as the kit landing gear retraction strut snapped when I cut it loose. The nose gear leg is assembled by adding the strut into… more |
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B-26 F/G MarauderPublished:
I have a confession to make. I love the B-26…no idea why, I just like the way it looks and the markings and so this review is a little bit of a love affair with a specific plane. So, when Hasegawa’s B-26 F/G came up for review, I jumped at the chance. Reviewing the kit in the box shows 12 sprues with two of those being clear. The clear parts not only include the canopies and windows but also the horizontal tails which is due to the small windows for the rear gunner which are next to the tail and small. In this way, the tiny windows are easier to mask and fit better. Also included is a set of poly caps for the props and a large set of decals covering three markings:
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TOPGUN Tigers and TalonsPublished:
The movie Top Gun, love it or hate it, raised a lot of interest in the Navy Fighter Weapons School and that interest was not lost on modelers, with the markings of the Adversary planes standing out. Furball has given us an enormous sheet of markings covering thirteen different schemes covering 12 different of F-5Es and F-5Fs between 1976 and 1986. Note that this is different from the smaller schemes as they just couldn’t fit the T-38’s on the sheet. There is great news in that the markings included are all airframes so you could build all thirteen planes included. The schemes included are:
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