My Favorite Martian

Published: July 4, 2020
Company: Pegasus Hobbies

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… more

F-14 Pitot Tube and AOA Probe

Published: September 28, 2021
Company: Master Model

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… more

Panavia Tornado Pitot Tube & Angle Of Attack probes

Published: August 14, 2011
Company: Master Model

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… more

F-14 Alfa Probe & Angle Of Attack probe

Published: July 20, 2011
Company: Master Model

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… more

German Bordkanone 5cm

Published: July 12, 2011
Company: Master Model

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… more

The Amazing Spiderman

Published: June 5, 2011
Company: Polar Lights

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,… more

F-16I Sufa, Part 2

Published: March 4, 2022
Company: Academy Models

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… more

MiG-21 Pylons

Published: April 29, 2011
Company: Zactomodels

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 1/32^nd 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… more

Su-27 Missile Pylons

Published: April 28, 2011
Company: Zactomodels

Chris "Zactoman" Wilson provides another much needed update for the 1/32 Trumpeter Su-27 with the release of a full weapons pylon set - ten [weapons] in all. In the set, you get replacement for the both wing tip pylons, 2 APU-73 pylons, four AKU-470 pylons with separate actuator rods, and two APU-470 pylons. The difference with between these pylons and the kits is phenomenal. All have the… more

De Havilland Sea Vixen FAW.2

Published: April 27, 2011
Company: Airfix

Oh boy- is this great!!! (Stolen from a famous movie.) I have been waiting patiently since Airfix announced the first 1/48 scale styrene kit of the Sea Vixen and the kit delivers in spades. A quick background shows that the De Havilland Sea Vixen entered service in 1959 and served until the 1970's. It was the first British fighter to be designed without guns relying solely on its missiles.… more