Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
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Horten Ho-229: Part 1 - Preview, Engines and Main FramePublished:
Zoukei-Mura is relatively new on the model making front as far as time goes but they have set a new standard for modeling with their philosophy of having the internal detail be included in their planes. They have also chosen extremely desired and interesting subjects and the latest 1/32nd scale offering is a Horten Ho-229 jet- their first jet. The Ho-229 (sometimes called the Go-229) was an all wing aircraft propelled by two jet engines deep in the fuselage. It has somewhat the look of a B-2 Spirit. It was purposely designed to allow for minimal radar detection with 1000kg load of bombs, a 1000 kph top speed and a range of 1000 km. It might have been close to those numbers if mass produced. Zoukei Mura’s kit is a masterpiece and the first kit in 1/32 of this plane. I am not… more |
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Scale Aircraft Modelling, Vol. 36, Issue 9Published:
Each issue of Scale Aircraft Modeling has the same basic design and format. That's not a bad thing as it is jam packed with superb aircraft builds and tips. There does seem to be a trend to add more feature articles and that is a very good thing as the builds are superb. In this issue, there are five feature articles, an Aviation in Profile piece, and six Compact Build Reviews. The Feature articles for this issue start with Jay Laverty's build review of the Fisher Models 1/32nd F7U Cutlass. He details some upgrades to the wheel wells and how to handle such a large resin kit. A good description of his way to get a true white base coat sprayed is also a highlight of the article. Next up is Mr. Laverty's continuing build of the new Airfix 1/24th Scale Typhoon. In this… more |
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Ladders for F-105F/GPublished:
What's a decent diorama builder to do if you want to pose your plane with a boarding ladder? Plusmodel to the rescue! They have recently released a series of 1/48th scale boarding ladders for several planes. This one if for a F-105F/G (the two seat version) and could be used with either the Hobbyboss or Revell kits and it is INJECTION MOLDED!!!!! There are two sprues (one for each ladder) that contain 8 parts each. There is a nice instruction set and assembly is simple, but requires some patience to get things lined up properly. I started construction by removing the parts and giving them a quick sand to get rid of small seam lines. I added the two brackets to the back taking time to square things up. I let these dry then added the two curved side rails and let the entire… more |
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Wheel Chocks for MiG-29 and Other Russian AirplanesPublished:
HAD Models from Hungary has its own line of resin and photoetch and this set is an example of how superb their parts can be. Set 132001 is a set of wheel chocks meant for Mig-29's, but would work with any 1/32nd scale Russian planes. The set consists of two resin parts for the majority of the chock and 6 photoetch pieces. Four make up the braces and two are the ends with the claw-like grabbers, which prevent the chock from moving. Assembly is done by removing the casting block from the resin chock bodies. Next two of the braces are bent into channel shapes. A hold and fold is excellent for this. Lastly, the front part is bent so the grabbing fingers bend down. All three of these are glued in place on the bottom via their excellent instructions. Super glue is a must for adhesion… more |
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F-101A/C VoodooPublished:
If you are like me, natural metal aircraft give you the shakes. But they are so awesome looking and the color schemes are fantastic, so when the KittyHawk Model F-101 came out, I could not resist. Let say a few things up front. If you are looking for review saying things are silly or ridiculous with the kit or how the third minor inlet was left off, you might want to go elsewhere. I am not going to use childish language in a review of the kit. On the other hand, if you want to find out how it fits, how to correct some issues, and how to get some paint on the plane, let’s dive in together. KittyHawk’s kit comes on seven light-gray styrene sprues which have great surface detail, however, there are large sprue gates, and the plastic is fairly soft. In the box there are also kit… more |
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F-101 A/C VoodooPublished:
Caracal Models continues its prodigious releases of superb decals with a Kittyhawk Models F-101 Voodoo. The decal set includes a large sheet with markings for four planes and stencils for one plane. The smaller second sheet is the needed stars and bars and a smaller yet third sheet has the corrected FB numbers for the bottom of the plane. The decals are perfectly printed by Cartograf and in register. Also included are beautifully printed full color instructions. If you have never used a Caracal sheet, this is one of their specialties in that each kit has a profile and shows much needed information to make sure they are placed correctly along with color call outs and tips on getting it just right! An example on these sheets the instructions for the fuel stencils being on one side only… more |
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F-101 Speed BrakesPublished:
Kittyhawk Models F-101 was highly anticipated and in most cases, it delivers a modern tooling of a desirable aircraft with many options. One of these is open speed brakes. The kits parts consist of an entire speed brake as one molding with the actuator as a separate piece. Looking at the attached pictures, the kit part has severe molding sink marks. This could be due to pulling to quickly before cooling or one of several other reasons. The speed brakes are pretty smooth and they could be fixed with CA or putty and made to work. Aires has given us an alternative with their set 4634 which replicates the speed brakes with even more detail and a better actuator. Aires parts are molded in their now familiar gray resin with a total of four parts- two speed brakes and two actuators.… more |
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Scale Aircraft Modeling, Vol. 36, Issue 8Published:
Each issue of Scale Aircraft Modeling has the same basic design and format. That's not a bad thing as it is jam packed with superb aircraft builds and tips. In this issue, there are four feature articles, an Aviation in Profile piece, and five Compact Build Reviews. The Feature articles for this issue starts with Jay Laverty's build review of the KittyHawk Models 1/48th scale F-101A/C. natural metal finishes are tough but Mr. Laverty does justice to the kit! There are great tips about working with photoetch and preparing for the metal finish as well as using Alclad. This really hit home with me as I am almost done with the IPMS review kit of this aircraft. Next up is Mr. Laverty's build of the hot new Airfix 1/24th Scale Typhoon. This is a large kit and will be built in… more |
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F-101 Voodoo Landing Gear SetPublished:
Scale Aircraft Conversions continues its line of white metal gear with a replacement set for the KittyHawk F-101 Voodoo. The Voodoo is a large, heavy plane, and this set will keep it upright. The set is cast in SAC’s traditional white metal and consists of 13 parts with minimal to no seam lines. All the parts of the kit gear are replicated in white metal perfectly. For the main gear, the wheel hubs are integral to the strut, and this arrangement is replicated in SAC’s version. The interior bracing is also replicated and attached to the retraction strut. The front gear is more complicated, consisting of six parts plus the retraction strut. The KittyHawk parts are very fine and the plastic is moderately soft. Thus, as you can see in the pictures, one part of the kit’s… more |
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A3D-2 Exterior SetPublished:
Eduard’s A3D-2 Exterior Set, number 48793, address some of the shortcomings of the Trumpeter 1/48 scale A-3D kit with additions to the slats on the outer wing, the tail hook area, the crew door, and the speed brakes. There are also additions to the windshield wiper and the back of the engine pylons. The speed brakes in the kit are nice; however, they lack surface detail, such as rivets and boxes. Eduard corrects this by adding five panels to the interior of the speed brake that have superb relief-etched rivets and lines. These panels require a couple of small bumps to be removed and then glued back into place. The speed brake housing gets a similar treatment with two parts each. One requires some bending, and the easiest way to start the bend is to use the kit’s plastic part as… more |