Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
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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 |
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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 |