David Horn
Reviews By Author
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OH-58D Kiowa Warrior "Scouts Out!"Published:
Werner’s Wings has been around for some time and is known primarily for rotary wing subjects offering resin and resin in 1/32, 1/35, 1/48 and 1/72nd scale. Their attention to detail rivals all other resin and decal companies on the market and that can be attributed to the owner, Floyd Werner, who served in the US Army as a helicopter pilot and a helicopter pilot for a local police department. With Floyd’s personal experience with rotary aircraft and his connections in the aviation community, reference material he uses can be trusted to be the most authentic. This decal set comes with one large decal sheet for individual aircraft profiles and a smaller sheet offering comprehensive stencils. This decal set is nicely printed with zero register issues and with the correct colors.… more |
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USAF B-52H 20th BS "Buccaneers"Published:
Aircraft and HistoryThe B-52 is probably one of the most iconic aircraft of all times and the longest serving aircraft in the US Air Force inventory. Designed to carry nuclear weapons during the cold war as a nuclear deterrent, the capabilities have changed since it took to the skies. The first flight of a B-52 was in April 1952 which the cockpit on the first two aircraft was a tandem arrangement similar to the B-47. That design was changed to a conventional side by side seating arrangement on all production aircraft. The first B-52H made its maiden flight in July 1960 and the final B-52H manufactured in October 1962 ending after an eight year production run. The most obvious difference on the B-52H is use of turbofan engines (TF-33) instead of the J-57 turbojet. Upgrades… more |
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Air Wars Between Ecuador and Peru Volume 3Published:
“Air Wars between Ecuador and Peru” is volume 3, Operations over the Cenepa river valley 1995 is the final book in the three part air war series between these two countries. The author who is from Peru goes through great detail from both sides with a strong emphasis from the Peruvian perspective which is understandable. The book is 80 pages of print and eight pages dedicated of colorful aircraft art, photos and a map. There is a list of abbreviations included at the beginning of the book. Being a last issue in the three part series, history covered in the previous volumes are discussed is some detail but tend to provide background to the last conflict in one concise volume. The beginning of the book discusses early conflicts and lessons learned with a need to modernize both… more |
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Stearman PT-13/N2S-2/5 KaydetPublished:
Aircraft and HistoryThe Stearman PT-13 (Boeing model 75) “Kaydet” was a primary trainer used by the US Army Air force and the US Navy before and during WWII. The Stearman’s is a fabric covered, open cockpit biplane, powered by a radial engine and extremely rugged design which is ideal for a training aircraft. Introduced in 1934, the Stearman served as a trainer through the end of WWII. After the war, many surplus Stearman’s were sold on the civilian market and served in many roles like crop dusting and air shows. The PT-13 and PT-17 airframes are basically the same except for the engine where the PT-13 has a Lycoming R-680 radial (9 cylinder) and the PT-17 has a Continental R-670 radial (7 cylinder) engine. There are still a few Stearman aircraft flying today which you will… more |
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P-51K/MK.IV Mustang PropellerPublished:
The P-51K is basically the same airframe as the P-51D with a few differences. Other than being manufactured in Dallas Texas, the only visible difference is the cuffless Aeroproducts propeller instead of the “Cuffed” Hamilton Standard propeller. The two blade differences can be seen in a photo from Trumpeters P-51B kit and the Quickboost propeller. This set is designed to work on the Tamiya P-51K/Mk.IV Mustang, which I do not have yet to show what the Tamiya kit propeller looks like. The propeller set comes in a sealed bag with picture of the parts and what portions to trim. This is the extent of the instructions which is all that is needed for this simple set. The resin is flash free and zero bubbles for a flawless surface. There is a small part of excess resin at the tips of… more |
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F-4E/EJ/F/J/S Phantom II Vertical Tail Air InletPublished:
Tamiya set the standard with their 32 scale F-4 Phantom II kits and these still dominate the market with their attention to detail. While being on top of the modeling empire, the leaders do lack at times in details and the nature of injection molding that makes some detail difficult, if almost impossible. Quickboost came to the rescue with this little gem that will close out the leading edge of your Phantom tail. In 1/32 scale and on top of the model, this is a highly visible addition. The replacement vertical tail vent comes in a sealed bag with picture of the parts and what portions to trim (on one part) and a reference to what part number it replaces on the kit. There are two identical vents in the package so depending on how many Phantoms you have, one set could last a… more |
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LAU-131 Rocket LauncherPublished:
The LAU-131 is a seven shot rocket pod commonly used on USAF fighter, attack and rotary wing aircraft. A variety of rockets can be caried in this pod including the Hydra 70 rocket. This set is for the original LAU-131A which is shorter than the extended version LAU-131A/A that can carry APKWS II. Packaged in a sturdy plastic box, resin is protected by bubble wrap with all parts flash free and cast in light gray resin. A nice touch is the pour block on the pod is on the underside opposite the side on where it connects to the pylon. This makes it easy to remove that portion and sand contour without damaging features. The set contains two components, rocket tube, two version of ends which also include the lifting lugs. There are two choices, with rockets or an empty… more |
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F-4C/D Phantom II Vertical Tail Air inletPublished:
Tamiya once set the standard with their 32 scale F-4 Phantom II kits and these still dominate the market with their attention to detail. While being on top of the modeling empire, the leaders do lack at times in details and the nature of injection molding that makes some detail difficult if almost impossible. Quickboost came to the rescue with this little gem that will close out the leading edge of your Phantom tail. In 32 scale and on top of the model, this is a highly visible addition. The replacement vertical tail vent comes in a sealed bag with picture of the parts and what portions to trim (on one part) and a reference to what part number it replaces on the kit. There are two identical vents in the package so depending on how many Phantoms you have, one set could last a… more |
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C-130 Hercules landing gear (Zv)Published:
Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) manufactures white metal landing gear that is a direct replacement for the kit’s plastic landing gear. This set includes nine parts, the four main gear struts, strut link and nose gear (3 parts). Each gear assembly can be installed near final assembly & painting of your model. SAC gear does require some cleanup for the rare cases there are still seam lines. You many also sand and prime the struts to remove some of the rough texture that appears in some areas. Installing the new gear requires CA glue or non-traditional modeling adhesives. SAC recommends that the gear is for experienced modelers that are familiar to working with metal gear. When you need strong landing gear that will not let your model down, SAC has you covered. I… more |
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Refueling Pod KC-130JPublished:
Brengun produces a wide range of unique resin, photo-etch (PE)accessories and full kits in 1/32, 1/48, 1/72 and 1/144. This conversion set was previously produced by Attack Squadron (Arma Hobby) and that product line was sold to Brengun which now offers the C-130 product line many are familiar with. This resin set comes in a sturdy cardboard box containing a pair of refueling pods, similar to but much larger than the “Buddy Pods” carried by fighter & attack aircraft used by the Navy. The resin part is a single piece and is very solid and possibly on the heavy side. The pour blocks have small contact area and note that there is a remnant (was only on one pod) protruding from the tail end of the pod that will need to be removed. The panel lines are very crisp and easily… more |