Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
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Hs-129B-2 Winter Camouflage Limited EditionPublished:
The Henschel Hs-129 was a purpose-built ground attack plane which was designed for destroying tanks and attacking enemy emplacements. It wielded several versions of a 30mm cannon and had an armored cockpit and engines to allow for close air support of troops. Hasegawa has reissued its excellent Henschel Hs-129B-2 kit with the needed decals to make two winter camouflage schemes. The kit comes with nine gray sprues and a clear sprue and a new set of decals. There is also a small poly cap sprue which is used to hold the propellers onto the engine faces. The panel lines are great and the kit is flash free. The first thing that you realize with this kit is how small the actual plane was – it had a wing span of 47 feet, which is only slightly larger than a P-47. Because I can… more |
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F-35B Lightning IIPublished:
Kitty Hawk Models continues their great releases with an F-35B Lightning II. The F-35 is a development from the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter) program and is a short/vertical takeoff and landing plane with bomb, cannon, and missile capability. This version, the “B”, is designed for use by the US Marine Corps and various overseas navies. It does not include a tail hook or foldable wings like later versions. The kit itself is in dark gray plastic with no flash and excellent panel lines. There are six sprues plus separate parts for the upper and lower fuselage and a forward cockpit piece. There is also an excellent clear sprue which is very thing and crisp. Last are two decal sheets and the instructions. Looking over the instructions, you need to decide which configuration you… more |
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Su-27/Su-30 Pitot TubePublished:
This fine metal pitot tube is from Master Model, based in Poland. For those of you who have never heard of the company, they produce finely machined gun barrels, pitot tubes, and the like for aircraft, and also have a great line of metal gun barrels for ships in all scales. This particular part is a single milled pitot tube for the nose of the Trumpeter Su-27 or Su-30. Adding it to the kit requires nothing more than gluing it in place. I have included a picture comparing the kit piece to the Master Model piece and the Zactomodels piece. I have also added the Master Models pitot to my kit nose (which is the replacement nose from Chris Wilson and Zactomodels) – the fit is perfect. Highly recommended! This is a great replacement for the kit part (much less clunky) and is… more |
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He-162 Replacement Landing GearPublished:
From Ross McMillan and Scale Aircraft Conversions comes this nice little set of replacement landing gear from Tamiya’s 1/48 He-162 Salamander. The set consists of two main gear struts, two torque links, one nose gear strut, one lower half of the nose gear strut, and one retraction strut for the main landing gear. Each of the parts is well cast in white metal. The parts are a direct replacement for the kit parts. They fit well and provide more strength. I have included shots of the kit parts and SAC gears they duplicate. If you want to add more strength, these are perfect. Recommended. My thanks to Ross McMillan at Scale Aircraft Conversions and IPMS/USA for the chance to review this great gear. |
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F-8E, J Crusader Pitot TubePublished:
Master Model continues their new releases with a replacement pitot tube for the Trumpeter range of F-8 Crusader kits. This particular piece fits either the E or J models. The part is a finely milled, one-piece pitot tube that directly replaces the kit part. As you can see from the pictures, it is light years beyond the kits plastic part, having the correct shape and size. Adding it to the kit is simple – drop it in with no cutting and you’re done. For a mere $4.00, this is needed. It corrects the kit part and adds strength to the piece. If you are building one of the Trumpeter F-8's, you need to add this piece. Recommended! My thanks to Master Models and IPMS/USA for the chance to review this item. |
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F/A-18E VFA-195 Dambuster CAG Chippy Ho 2011 DecalsPublished:
VFA-195 is one of the naval F-18 squadrons people usually don’t remember until either one of two things happens. First, they are called the “Dambusters” after their successful destruction of the Hwacheon Dam in North Korea. Even more recognizable is their “Chippy Ho” scheme of green and black with the large eagles head. They have been carrying some form of this scheme on the CAG aircraft for about 25 years. The squadron was formed many years ago flying Avengers but worked their way up to F-18’s in the 1980’s and to the newer F-18E/F Super Hornet in the 2010. The Dambusters are based at NAF Atsugi, Japan DXM Decals has issued the latest Chippy Ho markings for the F/A-18E Super Hornet which were for the 2011 markings aboard the USS George Washington. The decals come with a full… more |
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F/A-18E VFA-137 Kestrels CAG 2011 DecalsPublished:
Being a Naval Aviation fan, I am always on the lookout for new markings and schemes. One of the more interesting schemes to come out in the last few years is the digital camouflage scheme work by the CAG of VFA-137, “The Kestrels”. I have always liked VFA-137 schemes (maybe it is the groups nickname, the Flying Buttcheeks) and some of their markings have been produced in 1/48th scale by several different manufacturers. The Kestrels are based at NAS Lemoore in California and started flying F-18A’s and have transitioned all the way to the new F-18E’s. DXM Decals has produced one of the ultimate set of decals for the F-18E in that it replicates the digital camouflage scheme perfectly with decals. For those that have never heard of DXM decals, they are based in Taiwan and… more |
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B-25J 345th BG Air Apaches DecalsPublished:
Eagle Editions has released a 1/32 scale sheet for the pending HK Models B-25 “Strafer” which represent the 345th Bomb Group, the Air Apaches. For those who don’t know, the Air Apaches were a Bomb Group based in New Guinea in WWII who flew the B-25J. They flew missions against shipping, ground emplacements, and flak positions using the B-25 bomber not only for its intended purpose but also for strafing almost anything. One thing they also had was very distinctively marked ships. The tails were marked with stylized Indians and the planes marked as bats, parrots, and many other things with great nose art. A modeler’s dream come true. HK Models’ B-25J Strafer is reviewed here at http://web.ipmsusa3.org/content/b-25j-strafer… more |
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B-25H DecalsPublished:
Eagle Editions’ newest decal release is three choices for the yet-to-be-released HK Models’ 1/32nd B-25H. This version of the B-25 will have a 75mm canon in the nose along with the remainder of the cheek guns, turret, and all the aft guns. The H version also required a cockpit design due to the shorter nose and length of the canon which made the designers relocate the topside gun turret more toward the nose. This accounted for the visual changes to the exterior. The plane was designed to strafe and hit targets with its forward facing guns and cannon. In practice, the slow fire rate of the cannon compared to the guns meant that the previous strafe versions ended up doing the same or more damage. HK Models has announced a 1/32nd B-25H due in 2013 with a part number of 01E00. It… more |
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Hs-129 Landing GearPublished:
Scale Aircraft Conversions continues their prolific run at supplying modelers well cast metal gear with this latest offering for the Hasegawa Hs-129 kit which has been freshly released in a winter camouflage screen. The Hs-129 was the WWII Luftwaffe equivalent of the A-10 Warthog. The Hs-129 was small for a 2-engine attack plane with a wingspan of slightly over 46 feet. Consider that a P-51 had a wingspan of 37 feet for only one engine – this was a small plane! Hasegawa first released this kit about 12 years ago and it still holds up well with a new reissue in winter camouflage. SAC’s gear consists of two main landing gear struts, two retraction arms, two separate torque links, and a complete new tailwheel. All are well cast and strong duplicates of the kit parts with slight… more |