Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
|
Scale Aircraft Modelling, Vol. 37, Issue 5Published:
Scale Aircraft Modelling's July 2015 issue focuses on some of the classic British era with everything from new kits, scratchbuilds and older kits. The articles start with a test shot build of Revell's 1/72 C-54/DC-4 by Andy McCabe. The over 300 parts are assembled into a gorgeous military transport and the kits looks to be a must have. Rick Greenwood builds Kinetic's 1/48 AMX kit and reports the overall fit of the kit is good but he did sand down the slightly pronounced rivets on the rear of the plane. He also reported a slight color issue with some of the decals but the result is very good. Valom's 1/72 Bristol Bombay Mk. I is built by Ernie Lee. This is a mixed media kit with limited run plastic, resin engines and photoetch frets. The finished kit is nice and… more |
|
Luftwaffe Fighter PilotPublished:
For those unfamiliar, Ultracast from Canada does a series of aftermarket parts and pieces for planes but also, makes some beautiful figures and in this case, it is a 1/32 German Luftwaffe Fighter pilot in 1/32nd scale. The kit comes in six parts and is very well sculpted by Mike Good. The kit has two different heads - one with a flying helmet and one with an officers hat. The parts are cast in light tan resin with minimal to no seam line. I chose to go with the officers hat and mounted the head on a paint stick to hold it. I then added the arms and puttied the seams and mounted that on a painting stick to hold it. The arms seams were filled with Squadron white putty and then smooth with a Q-tip wet with lacquer thinner. I left off the holster for later. Once dry, all the pieces… more |
|
McDonnel F3H DemonPublished:
If you have never have had the chance to review one of Guidelines Warpaint series, here’s a brief description. First they provide a complete and detailed history of the subject including a complete production list of air frames, Squadron which used the plane along with a list of serial numbers and codes and a comprehensive specification list covering the technical aspects of the plane. By this, they have the historians covered. Secondly, they have 1:72nd scale multiple view plans. Also included are detail pictures, pages of superb color camouflage drawings and photography in color and black and white. There is also a list of kits, decal and accessory list. Modelers are covered too. The Demon book starts with the development jets , No. 58 and 60 that led to the F3H Demon. There… more |
|
PBY-5A Exterior DetailsPublished:
Revell’s PBY-5A Catalina has been around for 20 years now and I have seen quite a few built and it looks large and impressive when finished. The kit comes in two styles- the “-5” who has no wheel wells and the “-5A” which does. Eduard has released sets for the PBY-5A which allow improvements to the entire airframe. This set (#48827) addresses exterior details. The first thing addressed by the photoetched set are the engines which are missing their wiring harnesses. These are well done and easily added but do take some time to get all the wires attached to the cylinders. There is also some grating for the air coolers. The floats and wing ends get a little more detail with inspection ports on the wings and tie down points on the floats. I am surprised these aren't… more |
|
North American RA-5C VigilantePublished:
If you have never have had the chance to review one of Guidelines Warpaint series, here’s a brief description. First they provide a complete and detailed history of the subject including a complete production list of air frames, squadrons which used the planes along with a list of serial numbers and codes, and a comprehensive specification list covering the technical aspects of the plane. With this they have the historians covered. Secondly, they have 1:72nd scale multiple view plans. Also included are detail pictures, pages of superb color camouflage drawings, and photography in color and black and white. There is also a list of kits, decals, and accessory list. Modelers are covered too. The subject of volume 97 is the North American Vigilante. This was an aircraft of… more |
|
D-704 Buddy Pod - Aerial Refueling StorePublished:
The D-704 Buddy Pod was an aerial refueling pod used for many aircraft to refuel others in addition to the purpose built tankers of today. The military still uses an updated version of this pod to provide in-flight refueling. It contains approximately 300 gallons of fuel. Scale Aircraft Conversions has produced one in 1/32 scale for use with the kits listed above. The kit is simple as it consists of two parts- the body of the pod in resin and the spinner in white metal. There are engraved panels lines a set of decals too. Prep work is minimal and here is where I screwed up. In the in-package shots, you can see a ring that is shown on the back of the pod. The instructions do not show this there, so I trimmed it off and sanded it smooth. Wrong. This represents the drogue and… more |
|
Mechatro WeGo Aka and Kiiro (2 Kits)Published:
Mechatro WeGo robots are not as well known here as they are in Japan where the series has been a hit for a while now and their world continues to grow. Simply put, they are personal robots meant to carry children anywhere and everywhere. Here’s the detail from the web site: “Direct from Japan’s Chubu Mechatronics, Mechatro WeGo mechatrobots have taken the world by storm! These innovative, child-sized transports are the world’s smallest mechatrobots, built for carrying kids to school, soccer practice – and everywhere else in between. Mechatrobots have made carpooling obsolete, leaving parents with more time to take care of everyday errands. The only thing mechatrobots are missing? An alarm that ensures the kids are home in time for dinner!” They come in a variety of… more |
|
PBY-5A FloatsPublished:
Eduard continues releases for Revell/Monograms 1/48 PBY-5A with a set designed to enhance the floats. This set is one large photoetch brass sheet with 39 pieces dominated by large sheets to be added to the floats. While some of the other PE sets are specifically for the "-5A" version, this looks like it will fit the "-5" also. The kits has quite good detail in most places but one place it is lacking is the floats on each wing tip. The bays that the floats fold into is devoid of any detail. Also, one die of the floats has very fine detail while the other side is again devoid of detail. These two deficiencies by providing full details for the floats bays and the floats themselves. The first thing to mention is that this set requires no surgery to add- it is simply added… more |
|
Scale Aircraft Modelling, Vol. 37, Issue 4Published:
As Gary Hatcher states in the editorial, the dust is settling from the transition in editors and they are striking a balance between modelling, reference and history with modelling having the lead. This edition is chocked full of detailed articles on all types of planes. The lead article is a test shot build of IBG's RWD 8 PWS by Karl Robinson. The final results are great and as this is their first aircraft, Polish manufacturer IBG comes out strong with this kit and bodes well for the future. Karl shows off his rigging skill as well. Richard Mason previews Revell of Germany's 1/72 C-54 Skymaster with shots of the sprue and a history of the plane itself. The kit has a full interior and it builds similar to the RoG C-17. The kit looks great and I can't wait to see it show… more |
|
WWII USMC Seated Fighter Pilot Gregory "Pappy" BoyingtonPublished:
Ultracast has issued a figure than can be used in Tamiya's 1/32 F4U-1a Corsair and they picked one of my favorite subject, Pappy Boyington. The kit comes in seven well cast tan resin pieces- two arms, two legs, torso, head and chin strap. The castings are excellent with minimal to no mold lines. And the sculpt is by Mike Good and is superb. I started the build by freeing the pasts from the casting blocks with a razor saw. A few scrapes with the back of a knife and the seams were gone. I added the arms and the legs and had small gaps. I used Squadron white putty to fill in the seams and smoothed with a lacquer thinner. Once dry, I primer with Alclad gray primer. I started with the flesh which is only the face. I have started using Scale 75 paints and really like them.… more |