Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
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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 |
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Scale Aircraft Modelling, Vol. 36, Issue 6Published:
Each issue of Scale Aircraft Modeling has been a basic design and format but they changed it up with the last issue. There are some changes again in that while there were usually two Feature Articles, in this issue, there are five, an Aviation in Profile piece, and a usual series of Compact Build Reviews. The Feature articles for this issue start with a Hasegawa 1/48 A-7D Corsair II in bright Bicentennial markings by Karl Robinson. Special attention is paid to the paint scheme and producing the inert ordnance. Mr. Robinson also shows how to produce FOD guards and air show labels for the ordnance. Next up is the Hobbyboss 1/48 A-7D by Jay Laverty made up with TwoBobs "Molar Mauler" decals which have a huge set of teeth on each side of the intake. The kit is weathered and… more |
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NATO Pilot (1960's) Seated in AircraftPublished:
PJ Production of Belgium makes some awesome products and from figures to conversions in all the popular scales. This items is 1/32 NATO pilot seated in his aircraft. The kit is simple with three parts (two arms and body). Cut off the pour spouts and glue the arms on to start. I used a little Squadron white putty to insure the gaps were sealed and then cleaned the putty off with lacquer thinner for a smooth finish. The kit was primed and set aside to cure and we were ready to paint. Painting is straightforward. The face was painted with acrylics from Andrea an sealed. the uniform was base coated in NATO green. The mask base coated in black, the helmet in white and the gloves in dark tan. All of this was sealed and the detail painting was started with the lap belts and straps.… more |
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Static Dischargers for Sukhoi JetsPublished:
Master Models has started to issue static dischargers in all scale and types. As a bit of background, static dischargers or static wicks are used on aircraft to allow the continuous satisfactory operation of onboard navigation and radio communication systems during precipitation (p-static) conditions. if you look at any plane, they have these on the back of the wings, tails and horizontal stabs. This particular set is made for Sukhoi jets and in 1/32 scale. This would fit Su-27 and Su-7 for example. The set contains 14 pieces of very small (7mm or so) almost hair thin machined brass. As you can see in the picture, even the end is cupped out. Installation involves drilling out the appropriate spot and gluing the part on. To demonstrate, I used a Trumpeter Su-27 and you can see… more |