Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
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S-2F Tracker EnginesPublished:
Another addition to the Quickboost line for the Kinetic S-2F Tracker is a replacement set of engines. The set comes with four parts – two engines and two holders. They are cast in familiar gray resin and are perfectly molded. The installation is simple. Assemble the nacelle as per kit instructions. Sand down the backing ring so it slides into the opening, paint it up and glue the engine in place, and then the cowling, and you're done. One thing noticeable in the comparison pictures is that the Quickboost engines are missing the rods connecting the valve covers and engines. They are easily made, and if you add ignition wires you have a superb upgrade. In summary, this is a more detailed simple upgrade which is cast perfectly and fits very well and is very visible on… more |
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F-8 Crusader Ejection SeatPublished:
Adding to the Quickboost line of 1/32nd scale ejection seats is this latest offering for the Trumpeter F-8 Crusader. The seat, cast in their normal gray resin, comes in two pieces. The main body and the pull ring are both perfectly cast, and the pull ring has a resin protector cast in front of it. To assemble, cut the bottom plug off the seat, trim the pull ring and attach it, and paint it up. As with all Quickboost seats, the belts are molded in and have a nice draping effect to them. I included several shots of the seat plus a shot of the kit seat and the Aires seat. The kit seat is styrene and does have a set of PE belts, and for a kit seat is pretty nice. The Aires seat is, not surprisingly, very similar to Quickboost's, but the belts are multiple PE parts, as well as some seat… more |
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F4U-1 Corsair, Part 3 – The FinalePublished:
After the last segment, the kit was ready for paint. There are three marking options included in the kit. I chose a tri-color screen from VF-17 aboard the USS Bunker Hill in 1943. To start painting, I wanted the bottom white to be hard and take some weathering. For this, I used decanted Tamiya lacquer from a spray can. This is just one of the many tricks I learned from Ed Kinney. I masked off the exhausts with Silly Putty and used a little red brown (just a couple drops) to tint the white away from pure white. This was sprayed in three coats and left to dry. The lacquer dried very quickly and very hard. At this time, the landing gear and the gear doors, the main flaps, and a bunch of miscellaneous parts were sprayed. Intermediate Blue was next, and Model Master was used with no… more |
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F4U-1 Corsair, Part 2 – Engines, Wings, and ThingsPublished:
Once I had the fuselage sealed up, it was time to build the engine. The engine is 46 pieces and the fit is excellent. One note – the parts and order of addition is specific. Also, take time and make sure alignment is good. The intake and exhaust pipes coming off the back of the front cylinders needed to be aligned where they slide over the exhaust pipes I mounted to the firewall in part 1. One thing missing was the ignition wires. I used 32-gauge wire and added them based on Internet pictures. Once the engine was complete, the front cowling and rings were attached. These were a little fiddly and support the remainder of the cowling, and need to be glued on firmly. The contact points are small, so make sure things are square and glued tightly. Lastly, there is the choice of open or… more |
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F4U-1 Corsair, Part 1 – Fuselage and CockpitPublished:
Wow. When this came in, I thought about first doing only a sprue review, but elected pass. Several other web sites have sprue shots, but to me, as a modeler, I want to see the build and not unassembled sprues. So I started right off building. A quick look at the kit: 17 sprues with 2 clear. The kit I had is the export version and has a clear cowling. This also includes the standard clear sprue, two sprues of pilots, and a stand. There are two PE frets, decals, and a masking set (not precut). There is also the gigantic instruction book. The kit is as nice as advertised – but enough preview, let’s glue and paint. Construction starts with the cockpit. The cockpit is faithfully products without a floor. There are about 40 parts, plus some options. Since there are differences… more |
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Sepecat Jaguar Gr.1/Gr.3Published:
The Jaguar GR.1/GR.3 is Kitty Hawk’s second release of the Sepecat Jaguar in 1/48th scale. There are many things in common with the first release. The molding is very well done, and the plane has a great shape. One thing off the bat you will need to watch for is the instructions. In my booklet of instructions (which have great color views of the entire plane and all schemes and the weapons), steps 19 and 20 were missing. These steps involve adding the wings and tail parts, as well as the location of several parts on the bottom and top. A quick e-mail to Kitty Hawk and they forwarded the missing steps – I have scanned them and attached them here. The second problem with the instructions is that several of the parts were very difficult to place and the directions were a little vague. A… more |
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T-45 Goshawk TrainerPublished:
I have always wanted to do a series of trainers, so when Kinetic announced this and it came up for review, I was ready to go. Add to that some excellent aftermarket from TwoMikes Resin (with new intakes and tail hook and fairings) and Caracal’s excellent sheet for the Salty Dogs, and we were off to the races. Bill Kluge did a fantastic job reviewing and building the kit here (IPMS Review) and I will concentrate on the way I fixed the kit and the add-ons. The cockpit is straightforward and looks respectable. Resin could enhance it, but I don't think it is necessary. I did replace the seats with Wolfpack resin seats as they have seat belts and the kit seats do not- I added these later. The front wheel well was added without incident. I built the intake trunks but used TwoMikes… more |
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US Air Force Tow Tractor & Missile CartPublished:
This kit actually comprises three kits for the price of one. There are two 1/48th scale Harlan tow tractors kits – two complete kits. Also included is one tow bar and a1/48th modern US/NATO missile cart with multiple configurations. The tow tractors are molded in light gray plastic and the cart and tow bar are molded in a dark gray-green. The parts are crisp and well done. There are no clear parts for the kit. The tow tractors are simple and there are only 8 parts total for the basic tractor. There are numerous small parts. First, I cemented the bottom halves and wheel wells in. A little filler was needed on the wheel wells. The top fits well, as does the front grill. I added all the tow hooks, fuel tanks and handholds as the entire tractor is yellow. I also added a little… more |
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T-45C Goshawk VT-22 “Golden Eagles” DecalsPublished:
On the heels of Kinetic's 1/48th release of the T-45 Goshawk comes Squadron Products Superscale Decal release of a full set of decals for the VT-22 "Golden Eagles." The scheme itself is excellent, with an eagle head flowing into red stripes decorating the back of the aircraft. There is one scheme on the sheet and it has excellent decals for the eagle, unit markings, and all the needed stencils. The decals are printed by Cartograf and are dense in color, thin in size, and perfectly in register. All national insignia and Navy markings are included. One of the reasons I jumped on this sheet when it arrived for review was the scheme. I could do an "in-box" review of the decal but that would be no fun, so I built the plane. I have reviewed the kit elsewhere, but since Bill Kluge… more |
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Ma.K. Space Type Interceptor Unmanned Großer Hund ALTAIRPublished:
The Maschinen Krieger universe is a science fiction universe created by Japanese artist and sculptor Kow Yokoyama in the 1980s. To develop the storyline, Kow Yokoyama collaborated with Hiroshi Ichimura as story editor and Kunitaka Imai as graphic designer. The three creators drew visual inspiration from their combined interest in World War I and World War II armor and aircraft, the American space program, and films such as Star Wars, Blade Runner and The Road Warrior. Inspired by the ILM model builders who worked on Star Wars, Yokoyama built the original models with parts from numerous kits, including armor, aircraft, and automobiles. He mostly concentrated on powered armor suits, but later included bipedal walking tanks and aircraft with anti-gravity systems. The Altair reviewed here… more |