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 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
	Bf-109G-6s Published: May 6, 2018 Company: Eagle Editions Ltd. The Bf-109G-6 was the most produced variant of the iconic German fighter and as such the paint schemes on it were varied and could get quite interesting. That is where this sheet comes in. Eagle Editions is known for its Luftwaffe releases and Jerry Crandall is world renowned for his expertise on the Luftwaffe. So it is with that information that I am always eager for each new release. This decal sheet does not disappoint. The Bf-109 is my favorite aircraft and a popular modeling subject. With the release of the Eduard and Zvezda kits recently and even more recently the Tamiya one there is no lack of plastic to add these decals to. Inside the ziplock baggie you’ll find a set of instructions printed in full color with four aircraft. The profiles are very good with nice… more
	F-14A/B Tomcat Chin Pods Published: May 4, 2018 Company: Quickboost The Tamiya F-14A Tomcat set a standard for plastic model kits. If there is a drawback it is that the aircraft can only be built as a very early Tomcat. Well Quickboost has addressed most of the options to upgrade your Tomcat’s chin pod. All these chin pods were used on later F-14As and F-14Bs. F-14A/B Tomcat Chin Pod with ECM Antenna F-14A/B Tomcat Chin Pod-Early Version F-14A/B Tomcat Chin Pod with ECM/TCS Equip. The first set, QB48790, is an early version of the… more
	UH-1D Big Ed Set Published: May 4, 2018 Company: Eduard As someone who was very involved in developing the Kitty Hawk UH-1D, I know of some of the shortcomings of the kit. Some things that were not able to be addressed or were caused by the limitations of the plastic. Some things are just better in photoetch. The key about these Big Ed sets is that they are a one stop shop for a kit. Not only are they a one stop shop but they are discounted significantly than if you were to buy the sets separately. In this case the saving is almost $20. This set does contain everything you’ll need in photoetch. The first set is 48935- UH-1D Cargo Interior. It contains one large fret that has a new photoetch floor with new pedal troughs and seat tracks. It also contains a new roof piece that has a pattern which is added to the kit part. If… more
	P-40B Warhawk Cockpit Set Published: May 3, 2018 Company: Aires Hobby Models The new Airfix P-40B is an excellent example of the iconic fighter made famous by the Flying Tigers. The kit is nice but there are some things in the cockpit that need to be ‘fixed’. Aires has released this new cockpit set for the kit. Inside the typical Aires blister pack are 21 pieces of molded in light grey resin. My example was flawless despite damage to the blister package. The set also has a small fret of photo etch that includes the instrument panel and seatbelts. A film of acetate is also provided for the instruments. This set will require some thinning of the sidewalls to get it to fit properly. But once you get past that, the set fits together simply and easily. The parts breakdown is very similar to the kit breakdown. The pour stubs are easy enough to remove… more