Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
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A-6E TRAM Undercarriage Detail SetPublished:
Trumpeter has issued two versions of their 1/32 A-6 Intruder which was on many peoples most wanted list. While the kit is expensive, it is well done, well detailed and builds into a great replica. Of course that doesn’t mean there is not some room for improvement. While the aftermarket has been slow coming, Eduard has issued sets for the A-6E TRAM version to spice up several areas of the kit. This set upgrades the under carriage and wheel wells and contains one large fret of photoetch parts for the kit. All three wheels wells are addressed and we can take a look at the nose gear well first. This is fairly well appointed in the kit but sidewall detail is lacking on the aft bulkhead. Eduard includes a very nicely done fix for the bulkhead and also half a dozen enhancements for… more |
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Mk.84 BombsPublished:
Eduard has produced a 1/32 scale version of the Mk.84 2000 lb. general purpose bomb and it’s the largest common bomb used in the military. Looking through my kits, there isn’t a good representation of this weapon in this configuration (there are plenty of laser guided versions) so this is a welcome option for modelers. Inside the package you will find parts to make two bombs. There are two front bomb halves and two rear fin sections. Also included are three different fuse options, a set of small photoetch rings for detailing the rear fin section of the bomb and a set of decals. Also included is a nice set of instructions in color. The decals come in either white markings or yellow. More on them later. Construction is simple. Remove the molding plug from the back of the… more |
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King Kong TriumphantPublished:
Round 2 and Polar Lights has begun releasing full resin kits with The Wicked Witch, Kane from Alien and this kit, King Kong Triumphant. All of these kits are made of cold cast resin. This kit represents King Kong after the fight with the T-rex standing triumphantly on top of his beaten opponent. The kit was sculpted by Gabriel Marquez and represents the "long face" Kong from the film as animated by Willis O'Brien. This kit is packed in perfect Styrofoam packaging with each piece nestling into a hole precut for it. The kit comes with Kong’s main body, his two arms, the base with the dead T-Rex and the dinosaurs left forearm. The kit has minimal to no seams with just a little clean up around the head of the dinosaur and a few in the fur. I prepped the kit using a Dremel with… more |
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SBD-5 Dauntless Limited EditionPublished:
Eduard continues its “full meal deal kits” this time with Accurate Miniatures 1/48th scale SBD-5. For those who haven’t seen them, Eduard takes a very good kit, adds resin, photoetch and masks and bundles it into one solid kit. Let’s look at the contents. First, the highly detailed Accurate Miniatures SBD-5 kit. The full kit is here with all the parts including optional position canopies, nice engine detail and wonderful engraved detail. There was the barest flash present on a couple parts only. The resin parts for this include the tires which have two optional outer hubs, a tail wheel and parts for the gun. The decals are from Cartograf and have five excellent options. Markings are provided for the following:
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Air Wing All Stars: Super Hornets Part IIIPublished:
Furball Aero Designs continues its fine efforts to bring modern, current plane markings to the masses with their latest release, Air Wing All Stars: Super Hornets Part II. This set includes six markings for the F/A-18E Super Hornet and one for the F/A-18F. The set is printed by Cartograf and is in perfect register. The markings included are for the following air frames:
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MK 20 RockeyePublished:
The Mk. 20 Rockeye is an unguided cluster bomb weapon and has been used since 1968. With this kind of longevity and the fact it is used by Navy, Air Force and Marines, it is not unusual to find this under the wing of many types of planes including A-10’s, F-15E’s and many others. Videoaviation continues it wonderful 1/32 scale armament releases with a set of 6 Mk. 20 Rockeyes. The Rockeyes are cast as two pieces – one for the tail fins and back, and the second the remainder of the weapon. Construction is simple. Sand the front and back free of their casting blocks and glue together. Putty the seam and prime and you are ready to paint. You have several options. First, you can place the RBF covers on the nose which entails a single cut and then adding the cover after painting.… more |
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F-104 Resin Wing PylonsPublished:
Hasegawa’s 1/48th scale F-104 kit has been around for a while and it is a very nice kit making the grade at many shows all over the world. One thing missing from the standard kit is any underwing pylons. Granted, there are a lot of pictures of F-104’s with any pylons attached but they were able to carry one under each wing and also a centerline pylon also. Eduard gives that option in spades with this newest release- a complete set of pylons for the entire airframe. Inside the package, you’ll find 25 beautiful resin cast parts, a photoetch fret with 25 detail parts for the pylons and also a full set of decals. This is a very comprehensive set for $14.95. Let’s take a little more detailed look at what the pylons are and what they are used for:
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HMS X-craft Submarine Photoetch SetPublished:
Merit quietly issued a 1/35 X-craft submarine and once I got my hands on it, I was impressed with both the molding and size of the kit. Still, there was some room for add-ons and improvements and Eduard has issued a photoetch sheet to help address some of the issues. Eduard’s sheet is composed of a single sheet with 30 superb parts. The sheet addresses the hatches on the top of the ship by replacing 6 individual parts and adding detail and texture. A little removal of the hinges and these go on smoothly. There are slight folds on four of the parts but this is easy to accomplish with a new #11 blade. Next, the kit propeller is undersized and Eduard uses the kit hub but has you wrap three individual blades around a dowel and add them to the hub. This takes a little… more |
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LAU-10/ A ZUNI Rocket PodsPublished:
Eduard continues their additions to the 1/32 scale line of armament with a pair of resin Lau-10 Zuni Rocket pods. These pods carried our 5” rockets with folding fins. There are multiple warhead configurations for these rockets. This set comes with one option which look s like standard high explosive. The set comes with fourteen perfectly cast resin pieces, a small photoetch fret and a set of decals for both pods. Prep work is pretty straightforward as casting blocks need removed from the main body, the front and back body ends and the rocket heads. Cast into the back body end are representations of the end of the rocket and its find. There are attached with super glue and fit is good. One thing to note before committing to paint is that the resin does need a good scrubbing with… more |
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MG 14/17 Parabellum WWI GunPublished:
A little background. The LMG Model MG 14/17 machine gun was a 7.92mm gun used on aircraft and Zeppelin in WWI. The 17 designation means that the gun was the 1917 version of this particular weapon. MG-14/17's were used very widely on German multi-seat aircraft throughout 1917 and 1918, particularly as the weapon for the rear gunner/observer on two seat planes. Eduard has produced a resin and photoetch replacement for kit parts representing this gun. Inside the package, you get parts for two guns. The resin parts consist of the stock, the gun itself, the ammo drum and the sight. The photoetch parts consist of the gun sight, handle, the sides of the ammo drum, the supports for the gun sight and the trigger assembly. Assembly takes some caution. The resin parts need to be… more |