Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
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UMM VojTech Hand Sanding Bar XLPublished:
John Vojtech made a big splash at several nationals a while back with his magnificent builds of a B-2 and C-130 to name a few. To build these models, John actually fabricated some of his own tools and over the years has refined them and is now selling them. This UMM-USA tool is the VojTech Hand Sanding Bar. These bars come in five convenient sizes: Extra Large, Large, Medium, Small, and Fine. Made from polished aluminum and with 6 flat surfaces, these tools are useful in many applications. The part reviewed here is the extra-large bar. Using it is simplicity itself. Get a piece of the appropriate sandpaper cut a strip the width of the sanding bar or a little less. Wrap the sandpaper around the bar of the side you need. One end of the sanding bar is longer and comes to a sharper… more |
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The Intruders SandboxPublished:
AOA Decals continues their releases for Trumpeters 1/32 A-6 and in this the A-6E version. The decals included cover all three squadrons from the Operation Prairie Fire (March 1986) and Dorado Canyon (April 1986) missions in Libya, and also two squadrons from Desert Storm from Jan. to Feb. 1991. The markings included are:
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Scale Aircraft Modelling, Vol. 37, Issue 6Published:
Scale Aircraft Modelling's August 2015 issue continues its fine history and modelling articles with everything from new kits, scratchbuilds and older kits. The articles start with an Academy 1/48 F-4J Phantom built by Bill Clark. He adds Hypersonic Models canopy set and Quickboost resin seats to build an RAF Phantom in a unique turquoise scheme. The finished build looks great. Andy McCabe builds Revell's 1/144 747-8F in Cargolux markings. The kit is built on a stand with an excellent paint job. Airliners and cargo planes never seem to get enough attention and this is a wonderful article covering just such a subject. Meng Models 1/72 Kayaba Katsuodori Ramjet fighter is built by Mike Williams. Not only does he do an excellent review of the kit, he fits it to a… more |
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Intruders from the BeachPublished:
AOA Decals has released its first 1/72 scale sheet which is a scaled down version in many ways of the 1/32 scale sheet. AOA indicates that the reason the company formed was to fill the large void in decal coverage of Marine Corps Intruder accomplishments during the Vietnam War. There are a couple things that hit you when you first open the package. First, the number of options is staggering - 64 marking options of 45 different aircraft. These include:
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Intruders from the BeachPublished:
Modelers everywhere clamored for years when Trumpeter announced the release of a 1/32 A-6 Intruder. When it did arrive, the kit was very nice and has been virtually ignored by decal manufacturers everywhere…until now. AOA Decals has released the first of its sets designed for the Trumpeter 1/32 A-6A Intruder. AOA indicates that the reason the company formed was to fill the large void in decal coverage of Marine Corps Intruder accomplishments during the Vietnam War. There are a couple things that hit you when you first open the package. First, the number of options is staggering - 23 marking options of 14 different aircraft. These include:
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |