IPMS/USA Reviews

IPMS/USA Reviews

IPMS/USA Reviews

IPMS/USA Reviews

Building models since the age of 7, I’ve become known for my Bf-109s and helicopters. I currently run Werner’s Wings. I was previously the ‘star’ of the Master Class Model Building Video series. I’ve been published numerous times on various website, including Hyperscale and ARC. My work has been in FSM and Great Scale Modeling 2001, as well as, numerous other model magazines. I’m a published author with my Squadron/Signal Walkaround book on the Kiowa Warrior. My models have continuously won many regional and national awards. My unique model photography gives my models instant recognition for their historical perspective.

I’m a retired from the Army after 21 years of flying Cobras and Kiowa Warriors, including tours in Iraq, Bosnia, Korea, and Germany. I’m also a retired Flight Officer for the Baltimore City Police and flew their helicopters chasing bad guys. I’m currently flying Cobras and Hueys with the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation.

I’ve been married to my high school sweetheart, Yvonne, for 42 years. Our daughters have blessed us with six grandchildren. My passions continue to be his family, friends, helicopters, models and airplanes, especially the Bf-109 and my beloved AH-1 Cobra. My motto has always been - MODELING IS FUN!

IPMS Number

26266

Reviews By Author

	Bf-109G-6 Photo Etch Published: August 22, 2018 Company: Eduard The Tamiya Bf-109G-6 has produced quite a nice model that is beautifully engineered. Because it is plastic there are things that are overscaled. Enter Eduard with their sets designed for their competitors 109. This set is in the standard Eduard photo etch packaging with a resealable package and protected by thin card stock. The set contains two sets of photo etch, a single pre-painted fret made out of nickel plated brass and a larger brass fret. The smaller one is pre-printed and is from the ZOOM set. The primary colored part is the instrument panel. The instrument panel now features simulated glass on the gauges. They look great. The only thing that would change would be to flat the outer face before you assemble the instrument panel together. But the set… more
	Bf-109G-6 Seatbelts Steel Published: August 22, 2018 Company: Eduard Tamiya‘s beautiful Bf-109G-6 is just a fun build. What it does lack is the seatbelts. Tamiya provides you with a decal to replicate the seatbelts and shoulder harnesses. This is a major letdown for me as the belts are quite prominent in the small cockpit. Packaged in a self-resealing package that is typical for Eduard smaller photo etch is one fret of pre-painted photo etch. The fret includes the seatbelts and shoulder harnesses. They are painted properly with some shading around the buckles. It is very convincing and looks great. I noticed that this set is slightly different from the one designed for the Eduard kit so it is definitely designed for the Tamiya kit. You can tell by the mount for the shoulder harness which will key into the kit attachment point.… more
	Bf-109G-6 Zoom Photo Etch Published: August 22, 2018 Company: Eduard Eduard has designed photo etch and resin sets for the Tamiya Bf-109G-6. One thing that I would have changed on my Tamiya Bf-109G-6 is the instrument panel. I would have liked to have a pre-painted one instead of the decal over the kit instrument panel. Well Eduard must have thought so too because they’ve designed a set just for it. The Zoom set is typical of the series, packaged in a resealable package and protected by thin card stock. The set contains a single pre-painted fret. The primary colored part is the instrument panel. But the set doesn’t stop there. There are also rudder pedals, ignition harnesses and exhaust deflectors. Some other things included such items like the chain and lifting lugs for the engine. There is also stuff to dress up the side wall detail, some… more
	Bf-109G-6 Canopy Masks Published: August 22, 2018 Company: Eduard The Tamiya Bf-109G-6 kit comes with masks inside the kit. I used them on my build but discovered a few things. The first thing that I noticed was that I needed to cut them out of the sheet. This was a pain. I would rather have my masks pre-cut. I did cut mine correctly, but it took some time. The other thing that I noticed was that the Tamiya masks while nice just didn’t have the amount of stickiness that would allow them to hold onto the curves. They just wanted to straighten out and this allowed paint to creep under the masks. Well Eduard must have thought the same thing that I did. They released this mask set designed for the Tamiya kit. It addresses the same items I mentioned. The masks are made out of Kabuki tape which is the normal for the Eduard masks. They are… more
	Bf 109G-6 Gun Barrel Published: August 22, 2018 Company: Eduard The Tamiya Bf-109G-6 is a phenomenal kit. That said it could use a little upgrading here and there. One of those things is with the guns on the closed cowling option. The kit guns are okay but they lack some detail. The kit ones lack detail due to the limitations of injection plastic. Eduard has made some beautifully flawless light grey resin replacement ones. Packaged in the normal blister pack packaging are two gun barrels. The instruction sheet is a small double sided sheet that explains what has to be done. Simple and easy. These two resin pieces have the appropriate cooling vents over the barrel and the proper shape to the muzzle and flash suppressor. They are small. These are near drop in replacements for the kit parts. You will need to cut off the mold plug at… more
	12.7mm Ammo Belts Published: August 22, 2018 Company: Eduard Ever want to add some detail to your scratchbuilding or diorama? Eduard offers you just this opportunity with these ammo belts. While 1/32nd it could also be used in 1/35th scale. Inside the usual Brassin blister pack are four 12.5 inch ammo belts. Molded perfectly in grey resin these parts include some exquisite detail of the ammo and the links. Carefully removing them from the sprue is really the hardest part. They are stiff when attached to the pour block, but once removed they are flexible. You can improve the flexibility by a little bit of heat to help bend it. Key word is a little bit. Just in case you were wondering, 12.5mm equals a .50 Cal bullet. You can use this set for a variety of things. I can see it on a figure wrapped around the neck or hanging off of a… more
	MK 103 - German 30 mm Autocannon Published: August 22, 2018 Company: Master Model The Mk-103 was used on a variety of aircraft including the Do-335, Hs-129, FW-190 and Me-410. The barrel and flame dampener are very unique looking. Master from Poland has captured this look perfectly. The only thing you have to do is to drill a .5mm hole in the cannon housing and replace the plastic parts with the assembled barrels. Each part is separately packaged and then packaged inside of a Ziploc baggie with the instructions behind. The parts are protected with a heavy card stock backing. Inside the package are four turned metal parts, two barrels and two adapters. Also included are two distinct muzzle ends in dark grey resin. It is just simple matter of placing the ends and the adapter on the barrels. Then prime and paint. Perfectly formed barrels with no flat spots or… more
	Junkers Ju-87B Stuka Jumo Propeller w/ Tool Published: May 8, 2018 Company: Quickboost The new Airfix Stuka is the model we’ve been waiting for the iconic dive bomber. As always there are some things that can be improved with resin. The kit prop and blades are a little off and lack detail. Well, what do you do if you want the blades to be accurate? Quickboost has provided the answers with their new Propellers and tool. Inside the standard Quickboost quick seal packaging are five parts for the propeller, three blades and one spinner assembly. The other part is the alignment tool. There are small pour blocks that will be needed to be removed. The spinner is perfectly shaped. The spinner features the proper propeller openings as well as detail missed in the kit. Detail such as panel lines and screws are added to the Quickboost spinners. The shape… more
	Junkers Ju-87B Stuka VS-11 Propeller w/Tool Published: May 8, 2018 Company: Quickboost The new Airfix Stuka is the model we’ve been waiting for the iconic dive bomber. As always there are some things that can be improved with resin. The kit prop and blades are a little off and lack detail. Well, what do you do if you want the blades to be accurate? Quickboost has provided the answers with their new Propellers and tool. Inside the standard Quickboost quick seal packaging are five parts for the propeller, three blades and one spinner assembly. The other part is the alignment tool. There are small pour blocks that will be needed to be removed. The spinner is perfectly shaped. The spinner features the proper propeller openings as well as detail missed in the kit. Detail such as panel lines and screws are added to the Quickboost spinners. The shape… more
	IAR-80 Gun Barrels Published: May 8, 2018 Company: Aires Hobby Models The HobbyBoss IAR-80 is a nice kit. There are some limitations when dealing with plastic. One of those limitations is the inability to mold things like cooling vents on gun barrels and the need to keep the parts round and also keep the small barrels out of the end of the vents. I can’t seem to do any of those things effectively. So why not use resin barrels as they are simple and easy to use? Molded on a light grey pour block are four gun barrels with perfectly formed cooling jackets and the guns themselves protruding nicely out of the front of the cooling jackets. The kit guns are just round tubes sticking out of the wings. There is no detail and they are very simplified. You have to remove the kit guns and drill holes for the new guns. The Quickboost guns are significantly… more