Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
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Scale Aircraft Modelling, Vol. 37, Issue 2Published:
New editor Gary Hatcher takes over the reins of Scale Aircraft Modeling and make some changes immediately in the format of the magazine. One thing you'll notice right away is the change to much more history interspersed with the modeling. Another interesting note is that many of the articles no longer have white backgrounds going to grey or blue gray in several articles. This is a first issue with these changes. The old structure and build types are gone and this concentrates more on feature articles. For this issue, the first feature article by Tony O'Toole is refurbishment of a converted Airfix Stirling C.Mk.V. The article takes you through stripping the paint off, updating the engines with resin ones. He finishes it off with a nice paint scheme and subtle weathering. … more |
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Saab A32A LansenPublished:
Saab has been a Swedish company for a very long time. The Lansen was one of their earlier developments in the jet age, its first test flight occurring in 1952. The A32A version was specifically designed for ground-attack and maritime-strikes. 287 aircraft were built between 1955 and 1957, and the airframe was not retired until 1978. Tarangus is a Swedish company specializing in Swedish aviation. Founded in 2009, they have already started a tradition of excellent kits and attractive subjects. The kits are limited run injection molding and are flash-free with excellent engraved panel lines. There are two versions of the Lansen kit available. This review is for the A32A version. The kit comes with 3 gray sprue, a clear sprue, and two resin seats. The panel lines are very well done… more |
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A-6 Wheels and HubsPublished:
Eduard continues its release of improved resin wheels with a set designed for the Hobby Boss A-6 Intruder. The set consists of eight beautifully case resin pieces, a wheel mask set and a set of great instructions. The wheel hubs are cast separately for the main gear with the front wheels being cast as one piece each. The masks included are normal kabuki tape masks and will help the front wheels. When I look for replacement wheels, I look for two things. First, are they an improvement over the kits parts? Second, how well are they made and cast? In the first instance, you can see from the close ups that the wheels are head and shoulders above the kit parts. As you can see from the comparison, the braking mechanism is a very distinct improvement. The tires have names on them and… more |
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F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Exhaust Nozzles - ClosedPublished:
Aires has issued several styles of exhausts for the current 1/48th scale kits on the market. These kits have either open or closed nozzles and for either the Hasegawa or Revell kit. So there are four sets in total. This set is for the Hasegawa series of F/A-18E/F kits and has closed nozzles. The set consists of six parts- two flame holders, two exhaust tubes and two closed nozzles. Casting is perfect. There are no flaws or blemishes. The set is simplicity to use by removing the casting blocks from each of the six pieces, three per side. You can see in the comparison shots that the detail is much higher in the resin parts. The interior of the afterburner petals is much better and has the correct shape. … more |
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Scale Aircraft Modelling, Vol. 37, Issue 1Published:
Neil Robinson takes his second go around as interim editor and comes up with a second great issue. While the previous formats have been consistent, this interim issue is a collections of great articles and two aviation in profile and all the expected news on new releases and current in stock materials. There is also a really nice review of the Nuremberg Show Report. The first article is an excellent upgrade of Revell's 1/72 Halifax built as a 6 group RCAF Halifax B.II Series IA built by Tony O'Toole. Changes include filling in some windows and reconfiguring others along with using a Freightdog set. The results are superb. Bonus real pictures and a history of the plane were included. Andy Scott builds Revell's wonderful 1/48 Ventura as a Mark II. Alley Cats OOP blistered… more |
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OV-10A Bronco DecalsPublished:
A somewhat neglected kit of a very interesting aircraft, Testors 1/48 OV-10 gets an excellent decal set from Caracal Models. For those unfamiliar with the plane, the OV-10 was designed for counter-insurgency (COIN) operations and served the US military with distinction from the Vietnam War to the first Gulf War. It is a tough plane for operating in difficult situations. This set of decals covers the Air Force, Navy, Marines and also the Venezuelan Air Force with marking for 11 planes. They are:
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Mig-21 MascotPublished:
Aires, as part of their Aerobonus line, has started issuing 90mm figures of mascots for popular planes or units. These have included the stinging bee for the Skyraider of VA-176 and the tomcat from VFA-31 for the F-14. They continue this with a mascot for the Mig-21 which is a caricature of a Mig-21 pilot in a full flight suit. I could find no further information about what unit it might represent or what specific pilot is featured. The KitThe parts break down is simple - the body and the head. Take your time separating the casting blocks - they are beefy. Once separated, there are some seams on the inner legs that need sanded and you’re ready for some paint. I primed the kit with Alclad gray primer and set it aside to dry. PaintingThe color… more |
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Messerschmitt Me-262Published:
Fujimi has issued a Me-262 A-1A in 1/144 scale. I have built all the other scales from 1/72 to 1/32 and when this came up for review, I couldn’t resist. He kit comes with two gray sprues holding 21 parts and a small clear sprue with two canopies. A nice decal sheet with markings for one plane, a Me-262 A-1a Yellow 5 from 9/KG(J) 6 in April 1945. The instructions are on the back of the box along with a paint scheme and color references. The colors are wrong in a couple cases as the plane should be RLM76 on the bottom and RLM 81/82 on top with lots of mottling down the sides. The kit is fairly simple with the fuselage being two halves and the wing being a solid one piece. The engines are four pieces- front and back and two sides. They are handed to fit the angle of the wings. Fit… more |
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Intruders from the Beach DecalsPublished:
This is AOA Decals first release and it is a home run right from the start. The decals are titled “Intruders from the Beach” and cover USMC Intruders in the Vietnam War. They are intended for the 1/48 scale Hobbyboss A-6A. There are two large decals sheets provided- the first is color and includes the markings for all the aircraft in this set plus national insignia and a full set of stencils which are reviewed elsewhere on the IPMS/USA Reviews web site. The second sheet is all black and contains all the black markings plus tail codes, squadron markings and BuNo’s. Both sheets are perfectly in register and printed by Cartograf which is a great start. Also included is a mini CD which has the PDF file with the instructions. I wondered why a mini CD instead… more |
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Intruder Airframe Stencils (High-Viz) A-6A, A-6E, A-6E TRAM, & KA-6DPublished:
AOA Decals is new and a very welcome addition to the realms of decal manufacturers. Their first set of releases are for the Hobbyboss 1/48 A-6A kits. This review is specific to their Intruder Airframe Stencils which are made for High-Viz gray over white schemes. The stencils are applicable to A-6E, A-6E TRAM and KA-6D also. There are enough stencils to do one airframe. A first inspection of the approximately 1/3 size sheet revels perfect alignment and great color. They are printed by Cartograf which is great. The instructions are six pages of superb direction and show the different locations for the A-6E and KA-6D stencils. The first thing I noticed with this set is how comprehensive it is as far as covering the entire aircraft. By that, I mean that the following is fully… more |