Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
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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 |
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Bathroom AccessoriesPublished:
Hauler-Brengun continues on its path to help modelers everywhere add realism and interest to their dioramas with this latest set, a complete bathroom in 1/35 scale. The set is perfectly cast in gray resin with 26 total pieces. The pieces are broken down as follows:
Cast is very good. I did have a little breakage on one lamp arm but it was a snap to replace with metal. Everything is included to set up a scale model bathroom! Construction starts, like most resin kits, with cleaning up the parts. There are some very small part such of… more |
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Scale Aircraft Modelling, Vol. 36, Issue 12Published:
I get excited when the new issues of Scale Aircraft Modeling arrive. This issue had a large surprise upfront in that the editor, Jay Laverty, has moved on and they are in search of a new editor. The good news is that Neil Robinson, frequent builder and previous editor has stepped in to keep the great article coming. While the previous formats have been consistent, this interim issue is a collections of great articles an aviation in profile plus two bonus profile sets and all the expected news on new releases and current in stock materials. To start, the Aviation in profile series has eleven pages of coverage of the North American T-2 Buckeye. There are bunches of different color schemes including the trainer colors but also camouflage version of Greek use as well as some really… more |
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Iron Man 3 - Iron PatriotPublished:
Dragon continues its Marvel figures with the Iron Patriot from Iron Man 3. Let me say right up front that this is one of the finest molded figure kits I have ever seen. Dragon uses the same slide mold technology they use on their armor on their figures. For example, the lower legs are one tubular piece. The kit is 80 flash free excellent gray parts with 2 clear parts, three vinyl parts, a metal piece and a large base. The plastic is excellent and sand beautifully which is important because he is metallic. Construction starts with subassemblies; two arms, the main body, two legs and the head. Some parts are trapped between others so test fit things. The main body is built around a central core and the fit is superb. By test fitting pieces, you will find that some seams don’t… more |
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The Big Fellow - Michael CollinsPublished:
Shamrock Miniatures out of Ireland is led by Daniel Batta and offers excellent figures in lines ranging from historical to fantasy. The subject of this review is Michael Collins -"The Big Fellow". Michael Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance, Director of Information, and (TD) for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Adjutant General, Director of Intelligence, and Director of Organization and Arms Procurement for the IRA, President of the Irish Republican Brotherhood from November 1920 until his death, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. He was nick named "The Big Fellow". The most authoritative record of the name comes from his family, stating that he was so called by them while still a child. It had been a… more |
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Radio R-123 Set for Russian TanksPublished:
HAD Models has introduced a 1/35 scale Radio which represents the kind found in Russian tanks from 1900 to 1980 but also could be applicable to present times also. The set consists of two cast resin part and three pieces of photoetch. The resin and photoetch are very well done and initial building is simple. The two radio bodies are removed from their casting blocks and sanded smooth. The photoetch is trimmed and added. One piece on the larger set to represent a base with vibration pads and two pieces on the smaller radio to represent the same thing. That’s all she wrote for construction. There are no particular directions for painting put there is a very nice color insert showing a picture of the actual radios. They appear to be a light gray and that is what I went with to get… more |
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A-1D (AD-4) Skyraider cockpit setPublished:
Aires continues it release for the recent bounty of 1/32 Skyraider with a cockpit set for the Trumpeter AD-4 kit. The set consists of 7 gray resin parts, all of which are perfectly cast. One of these, the gun sight, is not used for the Trumpeter kit. The set also has a photoetch fret with 26 pieces with the instrument panel and seat belts making up the majority. Lastly, there is a film sheet with the instruments printed on it and having parts for a gun sight which is also not used. Preparation is fairly straightforward with the main cockpit floor needing the aft pour sprue removed. In this step, you need to be careful of the knobs on the throttles and any other protruding parts of the instrument panels. They are fragile and I broke off a few and had to scratch build them. The… more |
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Cage Masts for "Big Five" Colorado/Tennessee-class BattleshipsPublished:
One problem that has plagued ship modelers for years is trying to replicate the “cage” masts which first appeared on the South Carolina battleship series. Kits have tried to replicate them in plastic and it just can’t duplicate the fineness. Photoetch has been done but it requires a deft hand to bend and even then, it’s flat. Enter 3D Model Parts. This set contains two masts for USS Colorado/Tennessee class ships which require both masts. The masts are done in orange plastic and come two to a set packed in a sturdy plastic tube in a pouch. Instructions include where to cut. These are printed parts and printing is starting to make a real inroad to the hobby. To use them, all you need to do is snip away the excess plastic and then gently sand and you’re done. The masts are about… more |
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404 Squadron Beaufighters: Black Friday PlusPublished:
For any who have missed it, Aviaeology is a company out of Canada producing decals specific to many Canadian themed subjects. This set of for 404 Squadron Beaufighters and comes in all scales but this the 1/72nd version. The first thing that hits you when you purchase one of their sets is the detail provided to replicate specific aircraft. The research going into these decals is second to none. This set includes markings for twelve different aircraft in a variety of schemes. Here’s a quick list:
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A-4N Wings of WittmundPublished:
Bob Sanchez and TwoBobs latest release is beautiful set of markings for the Hasegawa A-4N, which covers planes from Wittmund Germany owned by BAE systems. Curious about that? No problem- Twobobs has the following history included: "BAE Systems operates (6) ex-Israeli Air Force A-4N aircraft in Wittmund, Germany. These aircraft fly tow banner, Ground Control Intercept and Close Air Support training missions in support of NATO in Europe." There even more explanation on the decals sheet. The sheet contains markings for four white painted planes with numbers N431FS, N432FS, N434FS and N437FS. Markings are included to allow the making of two planes that look great in all white and their colorful markings. The remaining two planes that BAE also operates are… more |