Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
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F-18E/F Hornet Landing GearPublished:
New to the Scale Aircraft Conversions line is a set of gear for a Revell F-18E/F. The set comes in five pieces with the three main gear and two small retraction links all cast in sturdy white metal. I included pictures of the gear with its plastic counterparts and the detail is good. One issue I have had building F-18 kits in 1/48 or larger scale is there sometimes is a tendency to sag based on the way the main landing gear are configured. The attachment points on this gear have a key the attaches it to the fuselage via three points of contact and, being white metal, this should prevent any long term issues. I included some shots of them on the Revell kit for reference and fit is very good. One thing to note – these are for the Revell kit. They could be made to fit the Hasegawa… more |
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The Mole from "Thunderbirds"Published:
Nostalgia – there's nothing that warms the heart more at times. Being the age I am, I remember Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds, a marionette based Sci-Fi show which originally aired in 1965-66. The cool weapons and craft, the evil villains, the puppets – all very cool! Lately, Aoshima has been reissuing kits from the original series and this review will deal with my favorite, "The Mole." For those not knowing , the Mole is a 30-ton drilling machine with thermal imaging in the nose, made to rescue people trapped underground. It appears in 4 or 5 episodes. What's in the box? Lots of things. First off, the kit represents the Mole itself and its tracked transporter. It is meant to be motorized, with the transporter tracks moving and the Mole’s drill bit spinning. This creates… more |
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RQ-7B Shadow DronePublished:
The RQ-7 Shadow is a UAV used by the US Army and Marine Corps for surveying the battlefield for damage assessment and just about anything else. It is made to be compact and portable. It is launched by a pneumatic track and recovered with arresting gear similar to what’s used onboard aircraft carriers. Academy has offered a great diorama of this UAV. I could call it a kit but it comes with a base, two choices of pneumatic launchers, and two complete figures, so the term diorama is accurate. Also included are two sheets of decals – one with markings for the UAV and the second with digital camouflage for the figures. Assembly is a snap in that the entire UAV is 27 pieces. I needed a little filler around the sides of the fuselage, but that’s it. Be careful of the two tail booms!… more |
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PV-1 Ventura WheelsPublished:
More goodies from Eduard for the Revell 1/48 PV-1. In this review, we'll look at the Brassin wheels. Each set consists of two perfectly cast resin wheels with one hub molded in and a diamond tread. The second hub is separate. Also included is a PE fret with brake lines and covers if you need them for the outboard hub. A mask set is also included. Removing the wheel from the hub takes a bit of time as the pour stub wraps around 20% of the tire. The treads need to be engraved once the removal is complete. The rest of the installation was a breeze and they take paint well. I used the covers, as my version had them mounted. The set replaces the main wheels only. And they are much better that the kit wheels (see the shot I included) with much better tread design and accuracy. … more |
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P-61A/B External Fuel TankPublished:
When this item came up for review, I did a little research and found early P-61's didn't have a connection for the external fuel tanks (but they were soon added). Those thirsty engines needed more fuel for ferrying and long range runs, sond to accommodate that, they came up with a fuel tank with an aerodynamic fairing behind it that fit where the turret would ultimately end up. Great Wall's first release of the Black Widow is a perfect selection for Quickboost’s latest release, an external fuel tank. The set consists of two parts, a tank insert and the fairing behind it. Installation is simplicity itself. The main tank fits right into the hole which is blanked off normally. The aerodynamic fairing needs its flash sanded off and to be glued in place and, if you want, a fuel line could… more |
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Sci-Fi and Fantasy Modeller Volume 27Published:
Nothing makes for a great day than to get a fantastic magazine in the mail and no big plans for the evening! Issue number 27 of Sci-fi and Fantasy Modeller, which is published by Happy Medium Press in the United Kingdom, covers in-depth builds and reviews of Sci-fi subjects from vehicles to figures and back again. In Volume 27, there are 13 distinct articles covering this area of modeling and they are:
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PV-1 Ventura Cockpit and Interior UpgradePublished:
Eduard’s latest release for the Revell 1/48 PV-1 is a complete cockpit set which includes two frets. One of the frets is colorized and contains a new instrument panel and backing, seat belts, and lots of placards, panel faces, and levers for the cockpit. The second fret is standard metal with details for the gun turret, bottom gun, and other cockpit details, and is beautifully relief-etched. Starting with the seats, you need to remove the molded-in belts and paint the seats. There are also some brackets for the pilot’s seat. Once added and painted, the belts really make the seat look great. The cockpit is next, and here there are three places to sand flat – the instrument panel, the front of the main console, and the console between the seats. Easy stuff and it sets up for the… more |
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PV-1 Ventura Undercarriage and Wheel Well UpgradesPublished:
So how do you upgrade Revell’s beautiful new PV-1 Ventura? Well, one of the areas on the kit that isn’t bad but could use some love is the wheel wells and landing gear doors. Eduard has come out with two very nice PE sheets in this set to upgrade the kit. The frets address the main gear wells with replacement parts, added sidewall detail, and improved bulkheads. There are added covers and hooks not present in the kit, and all is relief-etched for a great look. One excellent thing they did was to have the main piece slide over the kit’s normal attachment points for the landing gear so you are still attaching the plastic to plastic for a nice, firm grip. One other point to note is that there is very little sanding or part removal to do. For the wheel wells, I only needed to… more |
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The Bride of FrankensteinPublished:
Every time I open a Moebius Models box, I am more amazed than the last time. Frank Winspur and Moebius’ latest offering is a first for the figure industry, a two-figure diorama taken from the James Whale 1935 classic The Bride of Frankenstein, depicting the scene where the Frankenstein Monster is attempting to holds his Bride’s hand. This is one of those rare cases in the movies where the sequel is as good or better than the original, and that is saying a lot. The monster was played by Boris Karloff (born William Henry Pratt) and the Bride by Elsa Lanchester (wife of Charles Laughton – she also plays Mary Shelly, writer of the original novel, in the movie’s opening scene). The first thing you will notice in the box is that is heavy – very heavy. Inside… more |
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A-6E TRAM Intruder, plus Cockpit Detail SetPublished:
A much anticipated new-tool kit from Kinetic supplied to IPMS by Lucky Model – this is a great day. Add to that the excellent colored PE set designed for the kit (also from Kinetic but produced by Eduard) and I am in plastic heaven. First, let’s look at the kit. There are ten light gray sprues with nice panel lines and no flash. There is also a clear sprue containing the windscreen and canopy. One thing noticed immediately is that the windscreen and canopy are both split down the middle. Also included are three sets of markings for VA-115. Two are different build numbers of the CAG plane with a black tail and spine. The last decal offering is a line bird… more |