Doug Hamilton
Reviews By Author
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Jawbreaker DragsterPublished:
The Jawbreaker Dragster is a Round 2 Models reissue of the old MPC kit. Round2models has recently purchased the rights to a number of old favorite models from the past. Names like MPC, AMT, Hawk, Lindburg, and Polar Lights all live again under this banner. All are friendly reminders of days past, and all share in a certain level of nostalgia. How many times have I said “Gee, I’d love to build that kit again.” Thanks to Round2Models, it’s now possible to build some of these classic kits once again. The Jawbreaker Dragster is one of those kits. Originally produced by powerhouse MPC back in the day, this kit is a front engine slingshot dragster with a coupe body on the rear. A wing mounted on the roll bar and body work covering the front frame comes from a time when breaking the… more |
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LatrinePublished:
Manufactured in the Czech Republic, this kit contains seven pieces of light gray resin, and an instruction sheet. All parts are nicely cast, and have a pour gate attached. The parts are contained within a small zip lock type bag. The parts list shows a base, two sides, a back, roof, door and seat. The first order of business is removing the pour gates from the parts. A few passes with a razor saw made swift work of removing them. My sample had some flash in the seat opening and heart on the door, and a quick removal was accomplished with a #11 Exacto blade. The parts are nicely cast and no other work was needed to prepare for assembly and paint. I washed all the parts in warm water and a small amount of mild hand soap to remove any release agent present. After drying a… more |
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Professional Photo-Etch ScissorsPublished:
Most likely, if you build models, you’re familiar with the Xuron Corporations line of products. Designed by modelers for modelers, Xuron supplies some of the finest cutting tools on the market today. From sprue cutters to these photo-etched cutters the name Xuron is synonymous with high quality. This product, model # 9180ET is no exception. Engineered to close tolerances these scissors cut photo-etched parts closely and cleanly from the metal tree with minimal clean up. By cutting across the part and sprue attachment point, the modeler is able to remove the part with virtually no distortion which is often a concern if using other means for removal. A few passes with a file will render any piece of photo-etch ready to attach and looking good. It should be noted here that these… more |
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OV-10 A/B Bronco ExhaustPublished:
Produced by Aries Quickboost, whose products can be obtained directly through their website https://www.modelchoice.net/catalogue the two exhausts are a direct resin replacement for the kit supplied exhaust parts for the Testors 1/48 scale OV-10A kit. Cast in a light gray resin the two exhausts are well cast and offer details not found on the kit parts. The two kit parts are molded as a solid unit, devoid of any open area. I modeled this kit a number of years ago; the kit is after all well over 30 years old (!!) and had to carve out the solid end on both parts to replicate the open look of the actual aircraft parts. It wasn’t a difficult job and really enhanced the look if the model. The Aries Quickboost parts not only have… more |
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Paddy Wagon with FiguresPublished:
The Revell/Monogram offering of the Tom Daniel Paddy Wagon is a recent release of nostalgia. Originally released in 1968, the Paddy Wagon is one of many collaborations between noted show car designed Tom Daniel and Monogram. Others in the series include The Red Baron, Rommel’s Rod , The Beer Wagon, and The Garbage truck to name but a few. Anyone of a certain age will have fond memories of these kits, and if you’re like me, very happy to see them again on store shelves. The kit contains 88 parts, and is molded in dark blue plastic, and has one sprue of gold plated parts. Four tires, a clear windscreen and two headlight covers round out the parts list. Then there are the two cop figures, more on these later. The instruction sheet contains nine steps, all of which contain multiple… more |
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The Munsters House at 1313 Mockingbird LanePublished:
I remember when The Munsters were first introduced to us. Just your typical all-American family, who came from Transylvania, and who also just happened to be Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein! The rest of the family had Count Dracula as the slightly off-kilter Grandpa; a prepubescent wolf boy named Eddie who slept in a cupboard; and one out-of-place niece, the beautiful Marilyn. The house they lived in was an amazing place of dungeons, secret passages, and cob webs galore. The architecture was mostly Gothic, with hints of Victorian included, and a little Haunted House thrown in for good measure! The TV house, which is really only a steel-framed front, was originally built for the movie So Goes My Love in 1946 by Universal Studios. It had been moved a few times… more |
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Vampyre Lord BustPublished:
I was intrigued in seeing a 54mm bust available for review. I had painted a few larger scale busts, and have also painted a number of 54mm figures, but never a bust in such a small scale. I asked to review it and subsequently received the Morland Studios 54mm offering of a – or would it be The – Vampyre Lord? I finally settled on The Vampyre Lord because I couldn’t find anything relating him to a gaming scenario or a story line, so I see him as a standalone character. Not personally knowing any vampyre lords, it’s always so hard to figure how they would like to be addressed!!! Produced in white metal, the kit contains 4 pieces. The head and upper torso are cast as one piece. The right arm is separate, as is the hand, holding a scepter. A pedestal base completes the… more |
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P-38 Lightning Replacement Wheels (Block Tread Tires)Published:
The P-38 Lightning was used in both European and Pacific theaters during World War II. It operated from paved strips as well as fields barely straight enough to throw rocks at. If there was one critical part of the aircraft on which the pilot placed his life during takeoffs and landings, it was the tires. Ultracast, located north of the border in Canada, offers quite a few accessories for many different modeling subjects. This offering, #48227, is a block tire tread design replacement for any 1/48 scale P-38 kit. The package contains three spoked wheels, two main and one nose. All are cast in a tan resin, and have the pour gate still attached at the flattened bottom of the tire. A razor saw removed the gates quickly, and painting was the next step. I painted the wheels… more |
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P-38 Lightning Replacement Wheels (Smooth Tires)Published:
The P-38 Lightning was used is both European and Pacific theaters during World War II. It operated from paved strips as well as fields barely straight enough to throw rocks at. If there was one critical part of the aircraft on which the pilot placed his life during takeoffs and landings, it was the tires. Ultracast, located north of the border in Canada, offers quite a few accessories for many different modeling subjects. This offering, #48225, is a smooth tire replacement for any 1/48 scale P-38 kit. The package contains three spoked wheels, two main and one nose. All are cast in a tan resin, and have the pour gate still attached at the flattened bottom of the tire. A razor saw removed the gates quickly, and painting was the next step. I painted the wheels with Testors… more |
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Confederate RaiderPublished:
Editor's note: Although the scale is unkown, the figure stands Rider: 5" approx, Horse 7-1/2" Originally produced by Aurora Models in 1958/1959, this kit has been around awhile, although until recently only in the kit collectors realm. Moebius Models has chosen to rerelease this gem of yesterday, with the same box art and instruction sheet guaranteed to bring you back to your childhood days of saving your paper route money to buy one of these babies for about 3 whole dollars. The horse looked very familiar to you when you got it home and opened the box. But that’s only because this fella had been released twice before. The first time seating the mounted Gold Knight of Nice, part of the original Aurora Knight set. The second time around, an Apache Warrior was atop this… more |