Ed Kinney
Reviews By Author
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F4D-1 Skyray Part 3 - The FinishPublished:
After Dave Morrissette performed his construction magic, he returned the subject to me for paint, decals and find assembly. I cannot say enough about the quality of this kit and it’s all there. The only items used other than kit supplied were “Remove Before Flight” ribbons and intake covers. As to paint, I wet sanded the entire model with 600 wet sand paper followed by Alclad II grey primer with microfillers. I was concerned that the primer might fill the exquisitely engraved panel lines, but not so. They took a brown/grey acrylic wash perfectly. The underside white used was Tamiya gloss white, decanted and sprayed through a Paasche “H” model airbrush at 12 lbs pressure. This dries quickly to a high gloss in about 30 to 45 minutes. The light gull grey used on the topside was… more |
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F4D-1 Skyray Part 2 – The BuildPublished:
The first thing to realize when building a resin kit is you have to read and reread the instructions. Paul Fisher does an excellent job of not only writing the instructions but also adding tips, painting instructions, and any other needed information for the build. First, the main wheel well bays needed to be cleaned and the openings trued up. The gear bays were then glued in place. The detail on the wheel wells is phenomenal. The engine face was also painted and glued in place. The exhaust was also painted and added at this point. Once done, the inside of one scoop was glued in place and the top and bottom were sealed. The best way I found to do this was to use thin super glue, letting it flow into the seam an inch or two at a time and immediately accelerating it. This took a… more |
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Alclad II Accurate & Precise Airbrush SetsPublished:
Alclad II has brought to market two styles of airbrushes manufactured by one of the well known airbrush suppliers. The brushes bear the Alclad II trademark. There are two models available, both single action with internal mix. These are offered as complete sets that include the following:
**This is a major time saver in that all that is necessary is to shake the color to be applied, screw on the adaptor cap, and spray. (All Alclad II products are pre-thinned… more |
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A-4M Skyhawk PE Slats and Flaps SetsPublished:
I am reviewing these as one set, because if you want to use one, you will certainly want the other. A photograph below shows the kit slats sporting lumps of plastic where the vortex generators should be (and the same on the wing). The slat pieces require removing these on both the slat and wing in order to use the provided templates to replace the vortex generators one at a time, using the fold and cement method. I must say that the end result will be outstanding, but I’ll wait for my next eye… more |
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F4D-1 Skyray Part 1Published:
Being a fan of large scale planes (1/32 and above), I was excited when Paul Fisher from Fisher Model and Pattern announced an impending 1/32 F4D-1 Skyray. No one else would have the tenacity and devotion to make one, and as a fan of US Navy planes, this was a dream come true for me. The plane itself has not been made in 1/32 before and is a welcome addition. This is going to be a multi-part build. In this part, we'll take a look at what you get in the box and then dive right into a full build in subsequent parts. For those not having built a Fisher kit, they are cast in resin with photoetch detail added, and this kit is no different. The parts are cast in a light gray resin that holds detail well. There are approximately 157 parts to the kit. The windscreen and the canopy are… more |
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B-25 Replacement Gun Barrels and Canopy MasksPublished:
New from the Czech Republic come two very interesting additions to the all new H-K B-25J kit. While the kit gun barrels are acceptable, the enhancement that this product supplies is spectacular in comparison. These precision machined parts are jewel-like. The barrels themselves are two-part arrangements that consist of the barrel (hollow with air holes) and the gun tips themselves. They are to be painted separately and then assembled, showing the tips protruding in a polished metal without bluing. The final appearance is shown here. In this writer’s opinion, well worth having if you’re doing the B-25J. Also from the manufacturer is a complete set of canopy masks for the aircraft. These are done… more |
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B-25J Mitchell ‘Glass Nose’ Part 3Published:
There comes the point in every model when all the “necessaries” are installed on one side of the fuselage, waiting only to be joined with the “blank” half and that is where the trepidation sets in. I have built large scale planes that have had ¼” or more gaps requiring grinding, fitting, uncementing, and copious amounts of profanity... Well, Hersch, not in this case. In fact, aside from the complexity of the engines, this is almost a “shake box” kit...click fit! I don’t know really what more I can say than “WOW”! This moose of a kit is as close to perfection as anything I have previously built. In fact, it gets my nomination for “Large Scale Kit of the Year” award. The previous segments can be viewed at Part 1 and Part2 . … more |
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Alclad II Candy EnamelsPublished:
All new from the elves at Alclad II, a new line of finishes (this time, enamels with a mineral spirits base) primarily for automobiles, and trust me when I say, you need to try these for yourself. First up, a bright silver base has been created that may be sprayed DIRECTLY on to the plastic, without primer. I must admit that I was somewhat skeptical until I tried it, and it is, without a doubt, exactly as advertised. Images show not only the various colors as painted on a series of 34 Ford Coupes, but also an effort of my own on an old “Snaptite” Monogram Corvette, further referred to as the “Candy Dish Corvette.” This shows all the available colors on one car to advantage. I have used in the past some of Alclad II’s tinted or “hot metal” finishes which were lacquer-based, but… more |
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B-25J Mitchell 'Glass Nose' - Part 2Published:
I’ve always liked to let the pictures tell the story, but in this case, they can’t show you what a spectacular fit everything is in this kit. I must give them an A+ for pre-planning and engineering here. Every piece just click fits into where it was supposed to without issue, with only one exception. The fix for this was simple and took less than 3 minutes to fix. The wings mount to the fuselage with a “push, slide and click” affair that is great, except that the fit is so tight that I almost couldn’t get them apart again. All I did to affect the necessary repair was to remove a slight amount as shown in the images and it now becomes easy to install and remove for painting. This, incidentally, will allow separate finishes of wing and fuselage, making life easier still. Images… more |
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A Modelers Guide to the Sabre and FuryPublished:
New from Aero Research comes another in the “Modelers Guide” Series, and this time it’s the Sabre and Fury that undergo Jay Sherlock’s microscope. Soft cover (spiral bound) with 152 pages of tech data, kit reviews in all scales, model changes and options that include explanations on the various wing changes to Sabres and Furies. There are also numerous photographs, both in color and black and white, included. This is followed by a breakdown on the various aircraft themselves, beginning with the XP-86 and plowing through the 29 Sabre models and 7 of the Furies. With each aircraft, there is an explanation as to what the differences are for each one. The final chapters deal with serial # lists, operating units, surviving aircraft and finally references. Let me say at this point… more |