Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
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Ki-84 Hayate Part 2Published:
Lifelike Decals continues its superb line of 1/72 decals with 5 options for the Hasegawa kit. The decals are perfectly in register and are printed by Cartograf. The instruction sheets are superb being full color and having side profiles of all five aircraft. There is also a very thoroughly research paint scheme and stencil instructions. The five aircraft represent the following:
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USN/USMC Phantom II Walkways Decals #1Published:
Superscale Decals is now owned by the excellent people at Squadron Products, and their latest release is this sheet containing four different sets of walkways for 1/48th scale Phantoms. Both the wing and top of fuselage walkways are included. The set is printed by Cartograf and is beautifully in register and glossy. The sets included are:
The instructions are well done, in color, and show the needed location of the decals. This set is highly recommended and will go really well with older Phantom kits or the newer… more |
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F-4B Phantom II VF-32 “Swordsmen” DecalsPublished:
Super Scale (Squadron Products) has released and excellent new set of decals for the Academy F-4B Phantom. This set covers an F-4B from the VF-32 Swordsmen aboard the USS John F. Kennedy (CFA-67) circa 1970. The decals come with a single sheet of colorful decals and include the markings for BuNo 152972. The national insignia are also included, along with some specific stencils. The decals are printed by Cartograf and are perfectly in register and very colorful. The highlights are the large yellow/black tail flashes and sword on the rudder. The intake warnings are colorful and also included. These decals are a great addition to the excellent Academy kit. Highly recommended. My thanks to Squadron Products and IPMS/USA for the chance to review these decals. |
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California License Plate 1963-2012 DecalsPublished:
Warbird Decals is known just for that, its airplane and warbird decals. This release is a new venture and is for 1/24 scale cars. It features California license plates from between 1963 and 2012, and comes with the background on the color and style changes. This set contains 112 license plates covering the different styles. Eight of these are pre-lettered, but the remaining 104 are blank. Below this are the letters you use to customize the plates to your liking. To customize a plate, pick the appropriate letters and color and cut them out. Warbird has provided a line indicating where the lettering should be located. Drop the letters on the plate (and there are great instructions on how to accomplish this) and let dry. The decal can then be applied with your own customized… more |
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S-2A TrackerPublished:
Kinetic’s second release of their S-2 Tracker series is the "A" version. This was a redesignation of the S2F-1, occurring in 1961. The early Trackers also had some differences in the horizontal stabs and the nacelles. This kit has all that on eight nicely made gray sprues with a clear sprue and a large decals sheet. The first note I want to make is follow the directions and watch your part numbers. There are multiple noses, nacelles, and other parts. You also have the options to fold the wings, which I did to save shelf space. There are also a couple areas to address. The cockpit is very bland and although you can see a lot, it could use a little love. Also, the very prominent spotlight on the wing is not there at all, and you can purchase an aftermarket set or… more |
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F-14D Super TomcatPublished:
Hobby Boss continues its F-14 series with a modern F-14D. The kit is large. There are 27 sprues of well-defined gray plastic, along with vinyl tires, a photoetch fret, one sprue of clear parts, and three decal sheets. Ten of the sprues are for weapons, including two GBU-12, two fuel tanks, four Mk-82's, four GBU-31's, six AIM54's, four AIM-7's and two AIM-9's. The kit features an open gun bay, refueling probe, two complete engines (that can't be seen), and a complete optional radar. When this kit came out, the first thing that attracted me was the markings. The VF-101 markings with a black tail and white grim reaper were excellent, but then I noticed that the second markings were from VF-213 aboard the USS Carl Vinson where my son is stationed, so it became a no-brainer. Also,… more |
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S2F-1 Tracker DecalsPublished:
Caracal Models started to release decals in 2011 and has released some of the neatest and best markings to come out in the last couple years. Kinetic’s S2 Tracker is a neat kit and everyone I have seen build is exactly the same color – gull gray over white. While that's an attractive scheme, Caracal Models dug deep and gave modelers another option. The Trackers on these sheets have decals for two S2F-1’s with the large radar above the cockpit but in overall gloss sea blue. There are two separate markings:
Both planes are overall blue with black anti-glare panel and deicer boots. The radome is also tan. The decals come in a single sheet and are… more |
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Scale Aircraft Modelling, Vol. 35, Issue 9Published:
The November issue of Scale Aircraft Modelling is another excellent piece of scale art. There are the usual two Feature Articles, an Aviation in Profile piece, industry news, and a series of Compact Build Reviews. The two feature articles for this issue are a 1/32nd scale build of the HobbyBoss P-61 Black Widow and a 1/72nd scale build of Airfix's Lancaster B.III Dambuster. The HobbyBoss P-61 build by James Ashton goes into some detail of the build and adds True Details Wheels and Kits-World Decals. Where this article really shines is in the description of weathering and painting. The articles details paint chipping using the AK interactive chipping system, and also the post-shading and using the oils to weather. The effects are superb and the article is lavishly… more |
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F-105D Thunderstick IIPublished:
Revell has reissued a modified version of their venerable F-105D kit. This time, they have added the larger spine necessary to make the Thunderstick II conversion. This allowed a better visual and blind bombing capability by adding electronics which were housed in the larger spine. The Revell kit has 87 parts and there is little to no flash. There are two clear parts and the HUD. The plastic is a nice gray color and the panel lines are raised. The build starts with the cockpit, which is nicely detailed and has a nice instrument panel. Color hints for the kit’s parts are given in colors, but there are no FS numbers, which would be handy. The FS colors are listed for the airframe colors but not the interior or details. The seat has molded-in belts and good detail. The front wheel… more |
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US Navy Multiple Ejector Rack MER-7Published:
The US Navy Multiple Ejector Rack MER-7 is a weapon suspension unit that attaches to an aircraft's main racks (pylons or hard points) and can carry up to six weapons, such as a variety of bombs. This is currently used by the Navy only, as, according to sources, the Air Force quit using them in the 1990's. They have been used on the A-6 to F-105's. The parts are extremely well detailed and cast in the normal grey resin. The racks are cast in one part. All you need to do is separate them from the casting blocks, sand, and you are ready. The remainder of the parts, 28, are the shackles to attach the bombs to the MER and the shackles to attach the MER to the pylon. These need some cleaning and are small, so careful removal and clean up is required. It isn't difficult, but they are… more |