Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
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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 |
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Bela Lugosi as Broadways Dracula Deluxe KitPublished:
On the heels of all the other great releases, Frank Winspur and Moebius have added a "Deluxe" version of Bela Lugosi as Dracula; IPMS reviewed the kit. I'll concentrate this review on the differences and there are quite a few. The first obvious one is that our friendly neighborhood vampire has found himself a lovely female victim. She is passed out from fear in a lovely gown and fits right up against Bela. This did necessitate a change in the position of Dracula's arms and cape to accommodate the second figure. last, the base has an added column and a bat and rat. The victim in this case is a young lady and constructed from 18 pieces with the arms, legs, head and hair being multiple pieces. The pieces were all assembled and pieced together. It… more |
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P-61 A/B Compressed Air CylindersPublished:
Quickboost has issued this set of 12 Compressed Air Cylinders for the Great Wall Hobby P-61A/B. There are 12 cylinders perfectly case in grey resin and attached to a single carrier at the bottom. Cast guards are in place to make sure no damage is done. Removal is simple in just cutting the cylinders from there base with a sprue cutter and removing a few faint seam lines. I ran into something unusual at this point. Most Quickboost parts are drop in replacements for the somewhat deficient kit parts. I went over the GWH kit instructions several times looking for the parts to be replaced and found nothing. A couple visits to Internet sites located nothing showing where the cylinders belong. I was lucky enough to have a pilot handbook and started going over it in earnest. I think I… more |
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Luna Tactical Reconnaissance LUM-168 CamelPublished:
As a bit of background, and from Wikipedia, the Maschinen Krieger universe is a science fiction universe created by Japanese artist and sculptor Kow Yokoyama in the 1980s. The franchise originally began as the science fiction series SF3D which ran as monthly installments in the Japanese hobby magazine Hobby Japan from 1982 to 1985. To develop the storyline, Kow Yokoyama collaborated with Hiroshi Ichimura as… more |
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Ju87 Stuka Seats with BeltsPublished:
Hasegawa's 1/48th scale kit of the Stuka is a gem with great fit and detail and there are several aftermarket parts available for it. One thing that is lacking in the basic kit is seats with belts. Quickboost latest issue has that covered and is a two piece set with the pilots seats and gunners seat as separate parts. The parts are Quickboost's excellent, bubble and flash free gray resin. To use the parts is simple, cut the mold block off of each and sand. I want to address the two parts individually. The attached photos of the pilot seat show the enormous improvement that the Quickboost seat is with its corrected shape, seat belts and much finer detail. in a word, the kit part is wrong and Quickboost fixes it in spades. The gunners seat has the seat belts and the open… more |
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F-5E/F Ejection SeatsPublished:
AFV surprised a lot of people with a aircraft release as they normally do military vehicles. The f-5E/F series us superb and has all the needed detail for a great build. As with a lot of kits, the one thing they have trouble replicating is the ejection seat. Quickboost to the rescue with two sets of seats. one is for the single seat F-5e and one set for the two seat F-5F. The seats are the same in both sets which is why I combined the review. The casting quality is all the we have come to expect with no flash, zero bubbles and that nice firm dark gray resin. The comparison in the photo of the kit seat versus the Quickboost show just how much better the Quickboost seat is and it includes all the belts. The addition to the kit is simple, cut of the casting block, paint the seat… more |