Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
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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 |
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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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