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!
Published: Book Author(s): Yefim Gordon & Dmitriy Komissarov Company: Hikoki Publications
Nowhere in the world has the clash of East vs. West hardware been more hard fought than the Middle East. Soviet arms were first supplied to Egypt in the 1950s. Since then, Soviet hardware as flourished throughout the region. This hardback, detailing such Soviet-supplied arms in the form of warplanes, is printed on high quality paper with over 375 photos, most being in color. The book is broken down into chapters by country, including Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel (yes, Israel too), Jordon, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, UAE, and Yemen.
The quality of the photos is what really impresses me. Most are in color but they all are quite useful from the modeler’s and historian’s perspective. The black and white ones are mainly older, historical pictures, while modern photos are in color. There… more
I’ve loved Plusmodel’s Aero Line 1/48th scale series of resin figures since reviewing the first one a while back. This one is no different. With the recent release of the Eduard and Great Wall Hobby MiG-29s, this figure couldn’t come at a better time.
Packaged in a plastic bubble pack, this perfectly cast resin figure is molded in light grey with no blemishes anywhere. It has a minimal amount of flash around the whole figure that literally just falls off when touching it. Clean up is quite easy. This figure is a single piece with a pilot wearing a flight helmet. He has a hand in his pocket and the other one at his side holding his oxygen mask. The carving of these figures is impressive. The face is the most important facet of any figure, and these Aero Line figures are perfect… more
During WWII, the French could not design a good-looking aircraft to save their nation; however, that changed in the post-war years. The delta wing Mirage series are beautiful aircraft based on delta wing research from Germany. Utilizing the powerful J79 engine the Kfir was a powerful fighter bomber. The C2/C7 had canards for added maneuverability, as well as more powerful avionics.
This is my first Kinetic kit, and I must say upon opening up the sturdy two-piece cardboard box I was impressed by the presentation. The kit is molded with over 180 light grey plastic parts with finely engraved panel lines. Kinetic seems to have captured the looks of the real thing. Besides the two different versions of the aircraft, there are other options – flaps up or down, canopy open or closed,… more
I’ve always loved the look of the Fw-190A-5/U12. Designed with two cannon pods containing two cannons each, it’s one mean machine. For those of us who are old enough to remember, we had the Monogram Fw-190 in the ‘70s, and in that kit they included the gun pods. While not totally accurate, it did make an impression on a little red headed kid. I built it with my kid. Fast forward a few years (okay, so more than a few), and we are blessed with accurate Fw-190s all around, but no U12 versions…until now.
Hasegawa’s Fw-190 kits are easy to build and really accurate. Inside this one, there are five sprues of light grey plastic with no flash or blemishes. The panel lines are recessed and display typical Hasegawa fine quality. Amazingly, the parts count is low at 81 pieces. A sprue of… more
Having just finished the Eduard Royal Class Spitfire Mk.IX kit, I can say that this kit is absolutely perfect; however, that is the Royal Class kit. The Weekend Edition of this kit will be lacking two essential items in plastic – the ballistic bulkheads. The Weekend Edition won’t have the PE parts that the Royal Class kit has. Quickboost calls them bulkheads, but they are actually the ballistic protection plates behind the cockpit.
Molded perfectly in thin light grey resin, these two pieces are easy enough to remove from the pour block, and just need paint to upgrade your cockpit. Your other option is to cut your own bulkheads. We all know what a pain it is to get them perfect. Quickboost does that for you.
This set is essential for the Weekend Edition of the Spitfire. If… more
You want your Flogger to stand out on the model table? How about opening up the entire nose section? Now we are talking. What can be cooler than complete electronic bays? Normally the whole process would be hours of research, and then hours of scratchbuilding. Thanks to Aires, this will be significantly easier.
You get 25 high-quality light grey resin pieces that feature bulkheads, access panels, and radio/radar equipment. Unlike most Aires sets, this set does not come with any photo etch parts. Everything is rendered perfectly in resin. The bays are deep and have the equipment added from behind. Just exquisite molding.
You think you have to wire the electronics? Nope; miraculously, Aires has even molded the wiring. All the modeler will need to do is artful painting.… more
The Trumpeter MiG-23 is a nice kit, but the seat and the whole cockpit is simplified. It may be just the limitations of plastic molding technology, but now you don’t have to scratchbuild the cockpit. The Aires set comes in their normal packaging in a plastic container, with foam securing the parts in place. It is effective. I did have one piece fall off the sprue, but that is to be expected in shipping, sometimes.
There are nine exquisite resin parts perfectly molded in light grey resin. The amount of detail in this set has to be seen to be believed. The cockpit is perfection. The undercuts on the side walls are impressive. The same can be said for the instrument panel coaming. The pour blocks are small and will be easy to remove.
Plusmodel’s Aero Line continues its tradition of providing the modeler with simple and interesting pilot figures. The latest is a pilot for the MiG-15. This is a two-piece figure. The biggest part is the pilot himself. The other piece is the parachute pack. Both are perfectly cast in light grey resin. There is very little clean-up required. The thin wafer of material around the figure is easily removed by hand and cleaned up with a sharp blade. The face is perfectly formed. The proportion of the figure are perfect. The stance of the pilot is relaxed and completely natural. The equipment is perfectly sculpted, as well. I could not find anything I didn’t like. The small parachute pack is easily attached to the pilot’s backside.
The figure is safely packaged in a plastic container… more
The Trumpeter F-100 series of models is nice. If you are like me, it is really tough to get rid of the mold line on the round parts such as the refueling probe. I can get rid of the mold line, but keeping it round is not my forte. Quickboost offers a quick and easy upgrade. This set provides three pieces of resin molded perfectly in light grey resin.
The probe comes in three pieces. One is the fuselage mounting point with a perfectly hollowed out tip. Then there is the long probe itself. I was amazed at how straight this part was and, best yet, no mold line. The part is removed from the base. Then the final part is the probe end. This is really a nice looking piece. It is an accurate representation. It will require a sliver of resin to be sanded off the end, but that is an easy… more
Let’s face it, ejection seats in kits usually leave something to be desired. Usually, the culprits are the lack of seat belts or just the limitation of the plastic molding process. The ejection seat is also the most visible part of the interior, either with the canopy open or closed.
It sure would be nice to have a well-detailed seat in your Hun. Quickboost provides just that – a perfectly detailed seat complete with seatbelts and shoulder harness. It is easy enough to remove the resin pour block. My example was perfectly cast in light grey resin. It is perfect and just needs a coat of paint to bring it alive. It is an easy addition to either your Trumpeter or Monogram Hun.
Easy installation, perfectly cast, and highly detailed...what more can you ask for? Absolutely… more
