Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
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A6M5 Gun BarrelsPublished:
Tamiya has issued some of the most spectacular 1/32nd scale kits that have ever been made. One of these was the A6M5 Zero (Model 52) which raised the bar yet again. The kit is excellent but Quickboost shows it can make it better. This set includes two perfectly cast gun barrels for the 7.7mm guns above the engine cowling and two 20mm cannons for the wings. There is no assembly, prime and paint the parts and install and you are done. Comparing the parts to the kits parts, several things are evident. First, the two wing cannons are more representative of the real thing as Quickboost has them narrower than the plastic can be made. The 7.7mm guns have beautiful jacket details and much finer muzzle details than the kit parts. For $6.50, this is a superb upgrade to an already… more |
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Wheel Chocks for Russian PlanesPublished:
HAD Models is based in Budapest, Hungary and has an excellent selection of laser cut wood, photoetch and resin parts. This particular piece is a 1/32nd wheel chock for Russian planes. This is four individual pieces of photoetch. The main part is bent six times to get the main shape. The back piece is bent to shape and fit into its spaces. I used a Hold and Fold for the majority of the bends and rolled the back piece around a wooden dowel to get the approximate shape. I let the glue dry thoroughly and the started trimming the bent face piece back. When it was close, I sanded the brass parts back until I could putty them smooth. It then primed with Alclad gray primer. The pictures show a nice orange color so I used Italeri international Orange and got it nice and glossy. I added… more |
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A-7D Corsair Ejection Seat with Seat BeltsPublished:
Quickboost released two seats for Trumpeter's 1/32 A-7 series. This seat is the Escapac 1G-2 Ejections seat used in the A-7D variants. Quickboost previously released a later version of the SJU-8A seat for late A-7E which is reviewed here: http://web.ipmsusa3.org/content/7e-corsair-ii-late-ejection-seat-seat-b… The seat for the A-7D is four perfectly cast parts. The seat is the major part with two side cylinders and the tab between the headrest being separate. Cleanup takes almost nothing and the parts glue right in place. For a reference to this seat, you can check out the pictures here: http://www.primeportal.net/hangar/… more |
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GBU-12 Paveway II BombsPublished:
The GBU-12 Paveway II is a laser guided bomb based on the 500 lb. general purpose bomb with an added head and fins. they have been around since 1976 and model have had versions of them probably since about that time. Eduard has issued a set of four GBu-12's in their Brassin resin line. The set comprises four tail sections, four bodies, four seeker hears with 2 different variants and four sets if front fins for a total of 32 well cast resin parts. Also is included is a small but well printed decal sheet with 13 decals per bomb. Preparation of most parts is simple - the bomb bodies are cut off square and the fins trimmed carefully taking care to make sure the pins for attachment are left on the fins. Next, choose which seeker hear you need and trim off the extra. You then need to… more |
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Luftwaffe Camouflages (Air Series) PaintPublished:
AK Interactive makes all sorts of very nice modeling materials from books to weathering items to paints. This review covers their Luftwaffe Camouflages from their Air Series. Inside you will find eight 17 ml eyedropper bottles of paint specifically matched to WWII Luftwaffe colors. The following colors are included:
These can be used on many Luftwaffe planes, for example, Bf 109s, Fw 190s, Me 410s and He 219s. Most of these are early war colors. The paints are acrylic and are made by Vallejo. They are very fine grained and result in a medium-flat finish. AK recommends their AK712 thinner. Not having this, I tried… more |
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A6M2b S.A. Detail SetPublished:
Eduard's set 73467 is meant to detail Tamiya's 1/72 A6M2b. The set addresses the cockpit, the wheel wells, the engine and adds dropped flaps. This is done with two superb frets of photoetch. One is the standard set and addresses the flaps and wheel wells and engine with 61 parts. The second fret is colorized and covers the cockpit and miscellaneous parts with 66 parts. All are beautifully done. Starting with the cockpit, there are three things that make a huge difference. First is the superb seat. it is scale thin and has the needed holes. It takes a little roll to get the right shape. Added to that are fantastic seat belts. Second are the side walls and panels. it is preprinted and also adds to the cockpit. Last is the instrument panel which is a little work of art. All of… more |
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Iron Man Mark 42 Prehensile SuitPublished:
Dragon Models have gotten license for several movies one of them is the Avengers/Iron Man series. This is in their 1/24 series and is the Iron Man Mk 42 Prehensile Suit. This suit is noticeably more gold colored than the more common suits. The kit is seven pieces for the suit with only the back and front torso needing glued together. A base is included and also has an attachment of the flames that are coming out of the left foot. The only construction is to trap the arms, legs and head between the torso parts. The arms, legs and head are solid molded. These have light seam lines that need sanded. To make painting simpler, I cut off the tabs that trapped the parts and glued the torso together. This allowed the main parts to be slid into place after painting. After the prep work… more |
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Scale Aircraft Modelling, Vol. 36, Issue 7Published:
Each issue of Scale Aircraft Modeling has been a basic design and format but they changed it up with the last issue. In this issue, there are five feature articles, an Aviation in Profile piece, and five Compact Build Reviews. The Feature articles for this issue start with Jay Laverty's build review of the Trumpeter 1/48 Westland Whirlwind Mk I. The kit is built and shows no issues. The majority of the article concentrates on the superb weathering done to replicate V HE which showed a lot of chipping. Mr. Laverty also corrects the markings, adds Barracuda cast wheels and uses ComArt's excellent weathering set. The result is spectacular! Next up is Mr. Laverty's build of Planet models 1/48 Westland Welkin. This is a good size all resin kit and it is finished superbly in… more |
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German 8.8cm Submarine GunPublished:
At the start of WWII, the U-boat packs operated with impunity in the North Atlantic and while their torpedoes sunk a lot of ships, their deck guns did a lot of damage also. This ended with the advent or air patrols and small carriers. Eduard has produced an excellent resin and photoetch kit of the 8.8cm gun used on the Type VII U-boats. My only recommendation is to check references in that on the later Type VII's, the gun was removed due to its ineffectiveness due to the threat of aircraft. Eduard kit consists of 14 perfect resin parts and 15 photoetch parts on a single fret. The first dozen of these parts actually forms the gun sight alone. Fit is excellent but the parts are small with some being 2mm long and requiring bends. The rest of the gun assembly is smooth with the… more |
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AGM-65 MaverickPublished:
Eduard's Brassin resin line continues adding top quality armament with this latest release, an AGM-65 Maverick in 1/48th scale. The set contains parts for 2 missiles and consists of 10 gray resin parts, 2 clear resin parts for the seeker cover and a set of decals. The parts allow for three versions to be built, the B, E or H and have decals to cover all the types along with an excellent painting guide. Construction of the missile is not difficult but requires a soft touch as the fins are scale thin and can be snapped easily. I cut the fins loose and trimmed off below them and then cut the main plug off the bottom. I did the same with the rear fins which are a separate piece. You want these pieces to be square so they align well when gluing. Mine required a small dab of putty… more |