Dave Morrissette
Reviews By Author
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EA-6B/EA-18G VAQ-129 Naval Centennial DecalsPublished:
As almost everyone is aware, this year is the 100th anniversary of Naval Aviation. Bob Sanchez and TwoBobs have set out to give the modeler everything he would need to replicate all the retro schemes for all the planes that are in service this year. That would be five different sets of decals, a high rez CD of over 800 pictures, and a CONA sticker. You can get all of this in TwoBobs’ excellent platinum set for a 20% savings or, if one the schemes is your fancy you can get them individually for $14.00. The subject of this review is the CONA set specifically for VAQ-129 Vikings based in Whidbey Island. This is a fleet replacement squadron and is in transition from the EA-6B Prowler to the new EA-18G Growler. Twobobs has you covered with decals on the sheet for both types of… more |
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Mig-21MF/SMT ExhaustPublished:
Eduard extends it Brassin range of excellent resin parts with a replacement exhaust for their Mig21MF and SMT kits. This resin and photoetch set is comprised of seven perfectly cast resin parts and one photoetch piece. There are some minor casting blocks to remove which may take up to 3 minutes to get done. Detail is excellent on all the parts. There are two resin parts which are installed inside the actual exhaust. These fit together and one has a series of 10 arms that stick out from the center hub. This was very difficult to get loose without breaking the resin. In the end I did break three and have to replace with styrene scrap. This part then aligns on top of the other which takes a little patience. The great thing about resin exhausts is that the main tube is a… more |
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My Favorite MartianPublished:
Ah nostalgia... one of the big benefits of modeling is bringing back memories. Pegasus Hobbies new release of the ship and Martian from My Favorite Martian will certainly do that. For those of you who don't know the show, it ran between 1963 and 1966 for 107 episodes and chronicled the exploits of a crashed Martian anthropologist and the newspaper reporter who found him crashed. The showed starred Bill Bixby as the reporter and Ray Walston as Uncle Martin. Of course most people remember him as Mr. Hand from Fast Times at Ridgemont High and many other things. Bill Bixby played the Incredible Hulk way back when. Both were excellent actors and the show was very funny, at least to me. On top the kit. It is 1/18th scale which means the ship is about 7 inches long and Uncle Martin is… more |
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F-14 Pitot Tube and AOA ProbePublished:
I don't know how many models I have snapped pitot tubes off of – dozens? They seem to always be in the way. Put them on early to make sure they fit and risk breaking them completely, or put them on late and they don't seem to blend in well. One trend lately is for manufacturers and the aftermarket companies to make these fragile parts out of metal – either turned brass or aluminum. For this set, the pitot tube is aluminum and the AOA probe is brass. Both are exquisite in their detail when compared to the kit parts. Once installed, they will resist breaking for a long period of time. For those of us with growing collections or having moved several times, parts like this are a godsend as they prevent breaking. The parts are accurate, well made, very… more |
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Panavia Tornado Pitot Tube & Angle Of Attack probesPublished:
This excellent set from Master Models in Poland is direct replacements for the kits parts. The larger pitot tube is aluminum and the AOA probes are brass (or at least that is the color they are!) The pitot tube is excellent with better shape that the corresponding plastic part and no seam to clean up. It fits in the same location so it is a straight replacement. The AOA probes will need holes drilled out but it is also an easy, no brainer. As many times in my model building life as I have had to replace or repair probes like this that snap off due to handling or moving to contests, these sets are perfect, durable and more correct than the kit parts. Highly recommended and at a very reasonable prices My thanks to Master Models and IPMS/USA for a chance to perk up my… more |
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F-14 Alfa Probe & Angle Of Attack probePublished:
I don't know how many models I have snapped pitot tubes off of- dozens? They seem to always be in the way. Put them on early to make sure they fit and risk breaking them completely or put them on late and they don't seem to blend in well. One trend lately is for manufacturers and the aftermarket companies to make these fragile parts out of metal- either turned brass or aluminum. For this set, the pitot tube is aluminum and the AOA probe is brass. Both are exquisite in their detail as compared to the kit parts. They are both drops in parts and will resist breaking for a long period of time. For those of us with growing collections or having moved several times, parts like this are a godsend as they prevent breaking. The parts are accurate, well made and very… more |
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German Bordkanone 5cmPublished:
Oh where were you when I did a review of the Dragon Me-262 A-1a/U-4? Master Models has released a four part set to replace the large 5cm canon which was added to the Me-262 U-4 and also was part of the Me410 in one variant. The set consists of a turned aluminum barrel, a turned aluminum barrel head and two brass parts. The brass parts are the end of the barrel which has a perforated tip and a cap. You place the cap on the end and add the parts together and drill a hole in the kit part and you're done. Couldn't be simpler. The holes drilled in the business end of the barrel are a work or art. I included several pictures and borrowed one from the Master Models site to show size. In summary, this has superb detail, a very reasonable price, will make sure you don't… more |
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The Amazing SpidermanPublished:
Spiderman, Spiderman- does whatever a spider can..... Can't get the song out of my head. When this offering came up for review from Round 2, I really wanted it being a huge fan of the Marvel comics. We are in the great age of styrene for modelers of figures with lots of companies reissuing old kits and many new ones coming out! This kit is not just Spiderman; there is a second figure, Kraven the Hunter, a full diorama base and a backdrop for it. All for $24 - a great price. The kit itself is molded in red plastic and is only 24 parts. The biggest problem was how to do the webbing on the spider suit- more on that later. Spiderman is a dozen parts and the fit is overall good with a little putty at the leg joints and some work on the arm joints. I rescribed any missing… more |
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F-16I Sufa, Part 2Published:
This has been a long time coming and that fault lies with me. First, like a lot of modelers, I couldn't leave well enough alone and decided to add Aires 1/32nd scale wheel well to the kit and also the Wolfpack 1/32nd scale F-16I Exterior Set (Part 32031) which includes two corrected pylons and the front fairings. I elected to use the wheel well set as the kit part has lots of ejector pin marks and the Aires set has even more detail. I placed the part in and had to do a little spacing with strip but it fit well and looks great. The exterior set is much less necessary but does have some slight shape corrections to the pylons. I also elected to add intake and exhaust covers to the kit. There is nothing wrong with the intake trunk (it is fully complete) or the exhaust- I just liked the way… more |
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MiG-21 PylonsPublished:
While Trumpeter has come out with a lot of large scale Soviet kits, there are usually some things that could stand improvement with these. Their 1/32nd scale Mig-21 is a solid kit and I have seen it built up into a nice finished kit many times. That being said, one of the deficiencies of the kit is its weapons pylons. They have minimal detail and like a lot of injection molded pylons, no detail whatsoever on the bottom. Zactomodels has two varieties of these to select from, early and late, and there are differences between the two. The modeler needs to research the particular aircraft to determine which one is needed. The pylons for the Mig are designated BD3-60-21, early or late. Let's look at what's in the box. The set comes with 4 pylons- two inner and two… more |