Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
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Scale Aircraft Modelling, Vol. 35, Issue 10Published:
Each issue of Scale Aircraft Modeling follows a basic design and format. There are usually two Feature Articles, an Aviation in Profile piece, industry news and a series of Compact Build Reviews. The Feature articles for this issue covers a Ex-Adversaries Reunited and A Model 1/72 Mil-Mi-10 Heavy Lift Helo. The Ex-Adversaries build is Tamiya 1/48 Spitfire Mk Vb and FW190A-3 built in after war markings of the Turkish Air Force. The build covers weathering and construction and uses TigerHead decals for the markings. . The other Feature article takes A Models 1/72nd Mi-10 which is super detailed. This build, by Brain Wakeman, makes the entire issue. First, he started with a limited run kit which presents issues for modelers. Second, there is a fair amount of scratch… more |
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F/A-18E Super Hornet 'VFA-27 Royal Maces 2013'Published:
Hasegawa continues its releases of the F/A-18 Super Hornet series with a limited edition set for VFA-27 the "Royal Maces 2013", who are part of CVW-5 aboard the USS George Washington. The basic kit components have remained the same since 2006 when this series was released and IPMS/USA has been lucky enough to review the kit several times. That being said, this is a superb kit that makes an excellent representation of the Navy's newest workhorse. I did add one thing to it - TwoMikes resin intakes. I know TwoMikes is on a hiatus at the moment but their intakes are mandatory for this kit. They are white, fit perfectly and they are visible. The kit includes nine sprues of perfect gray plastic, two sprues of clear parts and one sprue of poly caps. The kit has the option for folding… more |
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LAU-3 US Navy Rocket ContainerPublished:
Aerobonus latest release is the LAU-3 US Navy Rocket Container. The LAU-series was generally used by the fixed-wing aircraft of the Air Force and Navy. The -3 version delivered 19 air-launched 2.75 FFAR rockets either individually, in sequence, or all at once. This set depicts the Navy version. Looking at various planes, I found pictures of the F4J Fury and Skyraider with these rockets on the pylons, and I am sure there are more, including Phantoms. This set contains 10 resin parts to make 2 pods. There is also a small decal sheet to cover the markings. There are tail cones and nose cones included. Research shows that these were not in use towards the end of the war. Color is white for Navy use, with the front and back plates being unpainted steel. Construction is… more |
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YF-23 Black WidowPublished:
Northrop's YF-22 was the direct competitor to the F-22 Raptor that the Air Force elected to purchase. Two prototypes were built- one in gray and the other in black. Hobbyboss has released the first quarter scale kit and it is a beauty. The kit is 94 parts with the upper and lower fuselage being one large piece each. Engraving is good. Most of the parts go toward the landing gear bays and landing gear. There is a clear canopy and windscreen. No option for opening it is available. There is a small decal sheet and full color paint guide in the kit representing the gray prototype only. Construction starts in a nicely detailed cockpit and includes a separate throttle, rudder pedals and stick. The seat is decent- the belts are molded in and acceptable for injection molded. The area… more |
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Me-262 Wheels and HubsPublished:
Eduard starting producing resin recently and started producing some superb wheels for different kits. This set is for Me-262's and can be used on Tamiya, DML or Monogram kits. In the package, you get 9 beautiful resin pieces- there add shows different resin for the wheel and hubs but they are all perfectly cast dark gray resin. All you need to do is remove the pour stubs and you are ready to go. The hubs are cast separately and I love this. Typical German wheels were black hubs and dark gray rubber wheels. This makes painting that scheme simple. Also, the tread pattern is beautiful as shown in the close-up shots. Lets' compare some of the kit wheels out there. I have included a couple comparison shots of the Trimaster/Dragon/DML vs. Tamiya vs. Eduard. Eduard is the… more |
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T-28 Control Lever and Rudder PedalsPublished:
Quickboost adds another set of upgrade part to its line for the Roden T-28 series. In this example, the add two upgraded control stick and four upgraded rudder pedals. the parts are cast perfectly in Aires gray resin. The control sticks have a web of film that has to be removed. No instructions are included as these are direct replacement parts. Removal is simple. Cut the parts free and trim as needed and use. I will warn you, the control sticks are very thin and fragile and even with the good quality of resin, I snapped one off at the base. Its an easy fix but still, a light touch is required. I have included comparison shots of the Roden parts. The Quickboost sticks are finer and have no ejection pin marks. The rudder pedals from Quickboost have a better tread pattern… more |
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Heinkel He-219 UhuPublished:
First, a little background. The He-219 Uhu was a purpose designed night fighter and also the first operational aircraft to have ejection seats. The plane had an advanced VHF radar, a 385 mph top speed, excellent armament and good range. It was not available in quantity however which is probably a blessing for the bombers flying at night. Revell's kit consists of 12 light gray sprues of medium soft styrene with 2 clear sprues. There is a large booklet of instructions and a large decal sheet. There is some small amount of flash on the sprues. The decal sheet gives you options for four planes:
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P-61B Black Widows- 414th, 418th and 422nd NFSPublished:
Super Scale International through Squadron Products continues its decal releases for HobbyBoss' excellent 1/32 P-61 with a set for three options for P-61B's. Inside the package, you get a page of full color instructions and a nicely done decal sheet printed by Cartograf.
The instruction sheet contains paint and more black. The planes are:
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P-61B Black Widow Decals- 548th NFS, Iwo JimaPublished:
If you want to dress up HobbyBoss' excellent 1/32 P-61, Superscale decals give you three options for P-61B's based on Iwo Jima from the 548th NFS. Inside the package, you get a page of full color instructions and a nicely done decal sheet printed by Cartograf. The instruction sheet contains paint and marking schemes for three planes all of which are black with red spinners and cowlings which match the red plane numbers. The planes are:
There are placement guides for the excellent nose art and unit markings and also the national insignia. The nose art in two cases are very well done pin-up girls.… more |
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Kawasaki Ki-100 Otsu Part 1Published:
Lifelike has produced this set of decals for he recent RS Models Ki-100 kit. They can also be used for the FineMolds kit but the producer does not that there might need to be some modification. In the package, there is one decal sheet which covers the five aircraft. The decals are printed by Cartograf and beautiful, in register and colorful. Also included is the sheet with five full color profiles of the aircraft and their histories and information which is wonderfully researched. Last is a page indicating the paint colors and also the stencil placement and reference sources. The planes covered are:
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