David Horn
Reviews By Author
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F-18C/D WheelsPublished:
Brengun produces a wide range of unique resin and photo-etch accessories in 1/32, 1/48, 1/72 as well as 1/144. This wheel set is cast with zero flash with prominent pour blocks up half the wheels. The finish is slightly textured but realistic and raised lettering is not visible however in this scale, reading the lettering should not be an issue to most modelers. The tread is not that deep but visible and realistic to 1/144 scale. These wheels are for the “legacy” hornets which differ from the “Super Hornets”. Each tire has a slight expanded section for weight on wheels. Depending on your kit, the hub may need to be opened up or drilling the hub deeper to attach to your landing gear. Brake calipers are clearly visible on the main wheels however the outboard features, holes… more |
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RF-5A/E/S T-38 Talon, F-5BPublished:
Packaged in a thin, heat sealed pouch with three parts, two gun barrels, and one pitot tube. Compared to the Academy parts, the Master parts are very fine and detail is the finest I have ever seen and directions are very clear and easy to follow. The gun barrels are very precise and retain concentricity where the kit parts seem thick and may appear warped. As for the pitot tube, I wish I had a 1/32 scale T-38 to compare to but the crisp and consistent shape that is spot on to reference photos. The pitot tube is plenty long for any kit with adjustments to each kit a simple procedure. Master details is known for exquisite detail on all of their update sets and this review sample is no exception. I am hopeful there will be an injected molded 1/32 scale T-38 released so I can use… more |
F-18 Super Hornet WheelsPublished:
Brengun produces a wide range of unique resin and photo-etch accessories in 1/32, 1/48, 1/72 as well as 1/144. This wheel set is cast with zero flash with prominent pour blocks up half the wheels. The finish is slightly textured but realistic and raised lettering is not visible however in this scale, reading the lettering should not be an issue to most modelers. The tread is not that deep but visible and realistic to 1/144 scale. These wheels are for the “Super Hornets” which differ from the “legacy”. The tread does match reference photos, although shallow, they are true to scale. Each tire has a slight expanded section for weight on wheels. Compared to Dragons EA-18G Growler injection molded wheels, you can see the advantage of the Brengun wheels. Depending on your kit… more |
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U-2A Dragon Lady Landing Gear (AFV)Published:
Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) manufactures white metal landing gear that is a direct replacement for the kits plastic landing gear. The metal landing gear offer greater strength over the kit parts as well as having most of the mold lines removed. At times the metal will be bent out of shape but that is easily corrected by bending it back to the correct shape. This set includes twelve parts, the two centerline main gear struts (front and rear), retract and bracing arms, landing light, and outrigger gear. All the main gear, various linkages, and outriggers are exact copies of the kit parts with most of the mold lined cleaned up. SAC gear does require some clean-up for the rare cases there are still seam lines. You many also sand and prime the struts to remove some of… more |
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Rivets - Single line 1.60x0.25 (Raised) 1/32Published:
Rivets on models have been limited to just two choices, “positive” (raised) and “negative” (embossed) styles, that is if they are represented at all. They both have their advantages and disadvantages but nearly all builds you will need to add rivet detail. In nearly all cases, the method to add rivet detail is to emboss or dimple the surface which is complete opposite of what the rivet looks like in real life. If your approach is to represent a raised rivet, adding raised features can be a challenge. HGW Models now offers an ingenious method to add reality to rivets but note that is will take a little practice to get the right effect. First impression is a little overwhelming and you need to start planning and possibly purchasing supplies to ensure the application goes smoothly… more |
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RQ-7B Shadow UAVPublished:
The RQ-7B Shadow is a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is currently in service with the US Army and a few other countries. The primary role is reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition. The Shadow may be small in size but its capability rivals the larger platforms. Being small, it can be launched from a trailer mounted catapult and recovered using an arresting gear similar to Navy carrier aircraft. The wingspan is only 14 feet (3.87 m), 11 feet (3.4 M) long and empty weight under 200 Lbs. (77 Kg) and gross weight 375 Lbs. (170 Kg). It is powered by a 38 hp (28.5 Kw) rotary engine (gasoline). First Impression and Kit ContentsBrungen produces a wide range of unique resin and photo-etch accessories and a few kits in 1/32, 1/48, 1/72 as well as 1/144.… more |
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F-16C/D WheelsPublished:
Brungen produces a wide range of unique resin and photo-etch accessories in 1/32, 1/48, 1/72 as well as 1/144. This wheelset is cast with zero flash and prominent pour blocks up half the wheels. The finish is slightly textured but realistic and raised lettering is visible however the wording cannot be read. In this scale, reading the tire should not be an issue to most modelers. These wheels are for the heavyweight gear found on Block 40/42 and 50/52. Earlier Block 25 and 30/32 which have the lightweight landing gear use a narrower gear with different vents on the rim. The tires have the correct number of grooves (tread) in the tires and the depth is realistic as compared to reference photos. Each tire has a notable and nice expanded section for weight on wheels. Each wheel is… more |
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AH-6M/MH-6M Little Bird Night StalkersPublished:
Aircraft and HistoryThe AH/MH-6M is the latest variant of the Army’s light observation helicopter with the original design dating back to 1963 as the Hughes OH-6A Cayuse (nicknamed “Loach”). The term “Little Bird” was given to the enhanced version of the OH-6 with the AH-6 versions armed and MH-6 versions for carrying three commandos per side developed in 1980 and used by the newly formed 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. This highly versatile airframe was used effectively in many conflicts with the most notable being “Operation Gothic Serpent” (better known as “Black Hawk Down” and “Battle of Mogadishu”). KitThis kit contains four sprues, three gray, one clear along with photo-etch sheet, decals, and five resin figures. There is very minimal… more |
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F-15E Maximum Effort EaglesPublished:
Two Bobs Aviation Graphics is one of leaders in aviation decals with an impressive variety in 1/32, 1/48 and 1/72 scale. This latest release, which has very large amount of markings, fifteen to be exact! Each of the fifteen subjects of the 494th Fighter Squadron have colorful nose art that are real attention getters like "Dead Pool" "Texas Ranger" and one of the markings, "2-Oh-40oz" which has an image of a red tail P-51D dropping bombs. The aircraft and nose are included is: 00-3001 "Jenny"; 00-3002 "Devils Darlin"; 00-3003 ""Gears of War"; 00-3004 "Bulls Eye"; 01-2000 "Valkyrie; 91-1311 "Lady Liberty"; 91-1313 "Texas Ranger"; 91-1314 "Chief"; 91-1324 " White Walrus"; 91-1326 "Ravage"; 91-1329 ""Deadpool"; 91-1335 "Megalodon"; 96-1602 "A-Bombinator"; 96-0201 "Firebird" and… more |
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B-1B Lancer Decals Part 2Published:
Caracal Models is one of leaders in aviation decals offered in 1/32, 1/48, 1/72 and 1/144 scale with many unique subjects never offered before now. This B-1B Lancer (“BONE”) is a continuation of a very popular subject with large colorful nose art and some tail flash. Printed by Cartograph, the four sheets are printed perfectly with the small markings are very fine and easy to read. Two of the four sheets are dedicated to walkways, stencils and standard markings. The other two sheets are unique to each subject. Markings included for McConnel (127th BS in 2000), three Dyess aircraft, one Ellsworth and one Robins AFB aircraft. There are instructions consist of eight color sheets that clearly show placement of markings for the six subjects. The instructions indicate the… more |