Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
|
Outrider Mosquito F.II & FB.IVs - 333 SqnPublished:
Aviaeology describes themselves on their EBay store as producers of well researched books, decals, decals 'n docs sets, and docs primarily for scale aircraft model makers who work in 1/24, 1/32, 1/48, and 1/72 scales. This is a great description of Aviaeology as they produce first rate decals with exhaustive research and all geared towards modelers. This set covers 333 Squadron of Mosquito F.II’s and FB.VI’s from 1943-45 and specifically covers 8 different airframes. They are:
|
|
F-15 A/B/C/D Resin Wheel SetPublished:
This set of wheels from Res-IM in the Czech Republic is a replacement for the wheels on Revell’s 1/32nd scale F-15B or Tamiya or Revell’s 1/32nd scale F-15C. They are different on the “E” version so this set is specifically made for the “A/B/C/D” versions out there. The set comes in a small sturdy box with the two main wheels on one casting block and the nose wheel on a separate casting block. Casting is excellent and the detail o the wheels include the logo and name of the manufacturer. These wheels appear to be more to scale than the kits as they are a little narrower also. To prep the parts, cut them loose and get rid of the casting plug. I ended up rescribing the tire tread with a PE saw where the casting block meets. Also note that the main gear has… more |
|
Combat Scooters Part 4 - USN/USMC A-4E/F Skyhawks in the Vietnam WarPublished:
AOA Decals specializes in Navy and Marine Corps subjects from the Vietnam era. This particular sheet focuses on Trumpeters very nice 1/32nd scale A-4 kit and is Part 4 of the Scooter decals. This set is similar to the first three parts with coverage of USN/USMC A-4’s with three choices of colorful squadrons and also a choice of aircraft with and without the later avionics hump. There are also different time periods represented for each of the squadrons so there are a total of six options. The options are:
|
|
CBU 103/104/105 WCMDPublished:
Most people around modern airplane models are aware of the cluster bomb dispensers that have been used for a while now. They are basically carriers of many smaller sub munitions that open and spread the smaller bombs over a wider area. In this case, the WCMD (Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser) is a tail kit for cluster bombs (CBU-87, 89 & 97) which convert the normal cluster bombs by adding a different tail unit to allow corrections to trajectory based on wind changes allowing for more accurate dispersal. They were first dropped from a B-52 in Afghanistan in 2002. They are currently use on F-16C and F-15E. Videoaviation.com has issued a set of these munitions. The set comes with front and back parts for four bo0mbs and two sprues of lugs for the attachment points. Also… more |
|
SH-3H Sea King Seats with Safety BeltsPublished:
Hasegawa’s 1/48th scale Sea King is a wonderful kit and there have been a few releases of aftermarket for it but nothing lately. Quickboost and Aires surprised us with one of their latest releases, a pair of pilot seats in the Quickboost line as replacement for the kits seats. The set comes with two casting blocks which contains the seats and two side rails each. There are instructions included also. Assembly is maybe 10 minutes worth. Cut the seat from the casting blocks and sand the bottom even with the bottom of the seat. Carefully cut the two side rails loose and glue in place. I primed the seat with Alclad gray. There are no painting instructions and a quick search of the Internet shows the seats gray, black and khaki drab and more than that I suspect. I… more |
|
VF-143 Pukin' Dogs: Taproom 102 USN F-4J Phantom in the Vietnam WarPublished:
AOA Decals has filled another void in the decal world by producing a set for VF-143 Pukin’, and covers one specific airframe, BuNo 155887, call sign “Taproom”. The decals cover three cruises:
One note directly from their web site caught my attention. For the 1972-73 cruise, this aircraft also bore the name of VF-143's XO, CDR Harley Hall, who sadly become the last Navy combat loss on 27 January 1973 flying Taproom 113 and last American to be listed as POW. While his RIO was later released, there is still controversy and contradictions surrounding the ultimate fate of CDR Hall. CDR Hall was previously Blue Angels Officer-In-Charge/Flight Leader (Plane 1), he and his Blue Angel team were featured in the… more |
|
F-15C Repo EaglesPublished:
Two Bobs has been giving us awesome decals for a very long time now, and this latest set is designed for the wonderful Tamiya 1/32 F-15C kit. These markings represent the F-15C’s from the 65th Aggressor Squadron from Nellis AFB. When this was squadron was disbanded, the F-15’s were sent to various ANG squadrons. The planes from this sheet were sent to the 144th FW in Fresno, CA hence the “repo” Eagles name. These planes still retained their aggressor markings. Inside the package, you get markings for one of two Eagles - one in tan camouflage and one in gray/green camouflage, and one set of stencils printed on two sheets by Microscale. The printing is wonderful, and Microscale is a great choice for printing. Also included are color profiles, both left and right side… more |
|
McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II, Part 1Published:
Zoukei-Mura first showed this kit at the 2015 IPMS Nationals and again this year in Columbia. Well, the kit has finally arrived and its beautiful. Many might have been a little skeptical with the other kits but it’s a Phantom and one of the most iconic planes made so a new kit is always welcome. In this part, we’ll look at what’s in the box and then get some parts built and painted starting with the cockpit. In the box, the molding is excellent with engraved panel lines and rivet detail. The upper fuselage is split in the middle and has a separate insert to cover the spine (indicating more versions are coming too!). The bottom is one piece and has the same excellent engraving. The one thing that really grabbed my attention is the depth of the sprues. Most of us are used to flat… more |
|
F/A-18A/B/C/D Hornet Landing GearPublished:
Hot on the heels of the release of the new Kinetic 1/48 F-18C, Scale Aircraft conversions has released a set of replacement gear in white metal. The set comprises 12 parts and includes both the main and nose landing gear. A couple notes on the SAC parts: The kit nose gear leg has several ejector pin marks and the top of the main strut is two parts. The SAC kit has no ejector pin marks and the main leg is a single solid part. You will need to drill out the main leg to attach the top section but that’s simple. Second, that main gear are complete replacement parts, but the nose gear will have to have several parts added, such as the nose gear light and the landing lights. Assembly is straightforward except as noted above - follow the kit instructions. I smooth sanded all… more |
|
US Navy & USMC Colors From 70's to PresentPublished:
Vallejo makes several different types of paints- some for hand brushing, some for detailing and some pre-thinned for air brushing. Model Air is a range of liquid acrylic colors developed especially for airbrushing and has very finely ground pigments and an acrylic resin which has been designed for durability. The set reviewed here is for modern US Navy Colors and contains eight 17ml squeeze bottles of:
This… more |