Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
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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 |
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Shopping CartPublished:
Hauler Brengun makes some of the most innovative kits of unique things around which can be used in all sorts of dioramas. In this instance, it's a 1/35th scale shopping cart! The kit is simple- one sheet of nice photoetch, which has a dozen parts- one for he main cart plus a set and the fold out part that holds the seat plus a safety chain and four wheels. There is also a resin sprue with 5 wheels (an extra) and a resin handle along with the company’s logo. A nice set of instructions is also included. The biggest thing with building this kit is to make sure you get the large photoetch part folded correctly. If you do, you seal the seams. I used super glue, but in hindsight, soldering would be better. You then add the seat and inner part (if you have ever seen a grocery cart,… more |
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Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II - GAU-8 Avenger gun tip and Pitot TubePublished:
Hot on the heels of their 1/48 scale release, Master Models has released a 1/32 scale version of the GAU-8 Avenger gun tip for the Trumpeter A-10. Also included is a corrected pitot tube. The set is straightforward with a sheet of photoetch for the front and back of the gun barrel, a turned brass center post, seven turned gun barrels, a brass main gun housing and a turned pitot tube. I included several shots of the main gun housing with its holes as it is a work of art. Finely made and with the holes made perfectly. Assembly is done by adding the back plate and gluing the brass center post into its hole. The only tricky part is next when the front cap is added- you must make sure the holes align for the barrels. I did this by adding the end cover and holding it up to… more |
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The Carthaginians 6th–2nd Century BCPublished:
Osprey's Elite series covers many historical subjects. This is book 201 and covers the Carthaginians between the 6th and 2nd century BC. The author states several facts in the beginning in that this book is a study of the Carthaginians armament and military culture and much studying is left to do as the culture and records were destroyed by the Romans. Also, he notes that the book will attempt to represent how Carthaginian Warriors might have looked based on the current state of knowledge. From a modelers perspective, this will be most useful. The book is broken down into the following sections:
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Forces of the Hanseatic League 13th–15th CenturiesPublished:
Osprey's Forces of the Hanseatic League is book 494 in their Men-at-Arms series. This book deals with the history of the Hanseatic League from the 13th to the 15th centuries. The Hanseatic League was a commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and their market towns that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe. It stretched from the Baltic to the North Sea and inland during the Late Middle Ages. Chapters include:
Addendums include a section of further reading recommendations and commentaries on the color plates. The book starts with a… more |
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HS-3/1 KrankenschlittensPublished:
The Krankenschlittens was one type of a variety of German Ambulance used during WWII. In this example, Hauler has given us a horse drawn sled type. The ambulance consisted of a shed constructed on a wooden frame with sled runners underneath drawn by a two-horse team. Hauler has replicated this rare piece with 32 excellent resin parts and a photoetch frame of 40 pieces in 1/35th scale. The resin is perfectly cast with no issues. There are significant casting blocks that need to be removed. To start, I removed all the of the resin pieces from the casting blocks. The smaller pieces were easy. Take your time with the pieces for the shed- it needs to be square and I slightly over sanded which caused a lot of work. The most difficult part to remove is the poles that go out in front.… more |
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Axis Midget SubmarinesPublished:
While most people know of the Gray Wolves and the story of the U-Boat packs, not many know of the war waged by the Axis by the midget submarines. Osprey's latest book can correct that fact. Axis Midget Submarines covers just what the title says, midget submarines from Italy, Germany and Japan. Each section follows a similar format. First, the history and countries doctrine of war are covered. Next, there is a section covering the development and types of midget subs used. The war time service record is then covered and also their prototypes and concept ideas. Each part is then summarized by an analysis and conclusion for each type. Lets take a look at Germany's section. It starts up with a discussion of Germanys late entry in the midget submarine war and its initial… more |
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Electric Intruders- EA-6A in USN & USMC ServicePublished:
Furball (Geoff Martin) has been producing some awesome decals and with this latest release, he addresses a venerable kit, Revell's EA-6A Electric Intruder. As a quick background, before the four seat EA-6B came into service to jam all those enemy radars, the Marines ordered 27 of the EA-6A Electric Intruders. They look like Intruders with Prowler tails! Revell's kit has been out a while but still can be built into a beauty and Furball has given us 11 superb schemes to dress the kit up. As with most Furball sets, you get five large color pages- a cover sheet, side profile sheets of all 11 jets, a sheet of wing marking locations and one sheet showing the stencils provided. All sheets have color call outs with the needed FS numbers. There is one large decal sheet with markings and… more |