Frank Landrus
Reviews By Author
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Soviet Pilot - The Cold War PeriodPublished:
A perfect addition to your diorama or display base is this Aires Aerobonus figure. This Soviet Pilot figure is designed to be used with any Cold War aircraft (La-9, La-11, La-15, La-250, Yak-15, Yak-23, MiG-9, MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19, MiG-21, Su-7, Su-9, Su-11, Su-13, etc.). Aires Aerobonus provides you with a resin figure with separate arms and head on one pour stub with side bars to protect the figure. Of note is the re-sealable packaging that Quickboost uses that makes the parts easy to review and then stuff back into the package securely. The supplied instructions provide color drawings for painting. Aires Aerobonus has molded the figure in light grey resin with no bubbles that I could find. The mold seams clean up easily and the resin plug is easily removed from the shoes… more |
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German and Austro-Hungarian Fighter Pilot WWI 1914-1918Published:
A perfect addition to your diorama or display base is this Aires Aerobonus figure. This German or Austro-Hungarian Pilot figure is designed to be used with any German or Austro-Hungarian WWI aircraft (Albatros D.III / D.V, Berg D.I / D.II, Fokker E.III / E.IV, E.V, D.VII, Oeffag D.III, Pfalz D.III, D.XII, Phonix D.I / D.II / D.III, Siemens-Schuckert D.III / D.IV, etc.) Aires Aerobonus provides you with a resin figure with side bars to protect the figure. Of note is the re-sealable packaging that Quickboost uses that makes the parts easy to review and then stuff back into the package securely. The supplied instructions provide color drawings for painting. Aires Aerobonus has molded the figure in light grey resin with no bubbles that I could find. The mold seams clean up easily… more |
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263 Squadron: Gladiators Over the FjordsPublished:
Scotland native Alex Crawford is back for his sixth book with Mushroom Model Publications and his third on the Gloster Gladiator. This book is an operational review of the squadron’s two disastrous visits to Norway. The first trip ended with the destruction of all of 263 Squadron’s Gladiators after two days of heavy fighting. The squadron was evacuated and re-equipped with more Gladiators and made a return trip to Norway. Improved organization allowed 263 Squadron to perform better for three weeks of fighting before they were once again evacuated. The remaining ten Gladiators were flown on board HMS Glorious for the return to the UK. Disaster struck the next day when during HMS Glorious was attacked and sunk by the German battle crusiers, Gneisenau and Scharnhorst, with the loss of all… more |
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A6M Zero Control SurfacesPublished:
Aires has come out with a nice upgrade for the Hasegawa A6M series of kits with their horizontal control surfaces set. The Aires parts allow you to alter the position of the elevators and provide improved stabilizer to elevator detail. There are no supplied instructions; you simply swap out the kit provided plastic parts with the new Aires replacements. Aires has molded the stabilizer and elevator perfectly in light grey resin with no apparent bubbles. The Aires stabilizer and elevator are supplied on a single resin sprue with thin resin attachments to the parts that should minimize any cleanup. Although most paints will adhere to resin alone, I would recommend that you wash the parts to remove any remaining mold release and prime them first. They will need to be… more |
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Gloster Gladiator Control SurfacesPublished:
Want an easy upgrade the new tool Airfix kits of the Gloster Gladiator? Step right up to the new Aires Gloster Gladiator horizontal control surface that provides a beautiful replacement to the kit parts. The Aires parts not only allow you to alter the position of the elevators, but the stabilizer hinges and the elevator torque tube really stand out. There are no supplied instructions; you simply swap out the kit provided plastic parts with the new Aires replacements. Aires has molded the stabilizer and elevator perfectly in light grey resin with no apparent bubbles. The Aires stabilizer and elevator are supplied on a single resin sprue with thin resin attachments to the parts that should minimize any cleanup. Although most paints will adhere to resin alone, I would… more |
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US Army LoadPublished:
A perfect addition to your diorama is this Aires Aerobonus US Army Load set. Aires Aerobonus provides you with two resin pieces, perfect for a load in the back of a 1/48 scale 2-1/2 ton truck or a 1/48 cargo aircraft. The first piece consists of 12 sacks strapped to a wooden skid with the second piece consisting of four crates strapped to a wooden skid. Of note is the re-sealable packaging that Quickboost uses that makes the parts easy to review and then stuff back into the package securely. Aires Aerobonus has molded the parts in light grey resin with no discernable bubbles. There are no mold seams to sand off and the resin plug is easily removed from the bottom with a razor saw or Dremel. Although most paints will adhere to resin alone, I would recommend that you wash… more |
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Polikarpov I-16 Type 24Published:
BackgroundThe Polikarpov I-16 was a Soviet fighter aircraft of revolutionary design; it was the world's first low-wing cantilever monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear to have attained operational status, and as such "introduced a new vogue in fighter design." The I-16 was introduced in the mid-1930s and formed the backbone of the Soviet Air Force at the beginning of World War II. The diminutive fighter, nicknamed "Ishak" or "Ishachok" ("Donkey" or "Burro") by Soviet pilots, prominently featured in the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, and the Spanish Civil War. The Type 24 replaced the skid with a tailwheel, and featured the much more powerful 670 kW (900 hp) Shvetsov M-63 engine. The Type 24 also featured… more |
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Cross & Cockade International Winter 2015 Volume 46/4Published:
The latest journal of Cross & Cockade International - Winter 2015, features a photo of Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8 B-291 of 15 TS in the snow during winter 1917-18 on the cover. The rear cover shows the result of an apparent RAF B.E. 12b collision just outside Penston aerodrome on April 28, 1918. This issue also includes a separate A2 size sheet in color covering Ordnance Survey maps that are marked up with the location of WWI aviation interest sties in Ireland. The back of this foldout provides maps showing RAF Areas and Groups for April 1918, November 1918, June 1919, and January 1920. Note: The $40 price is for the 4-issue subscription. Cross & Cockade International is a non-profit UK based group known as the First World War Aviation… more |
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General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark and EF-111A RavenPublished:
Warpaint’s latest is their standard A4 format, softbound publication that is 88 pages (excluding covers) on the General Dynamics F-111 series. Featuring more than 180 photographs (most in color) along with 34 of Richard J. Caruana’s color profiles, and including the B-Centennial scheme on 68-0028/UH, an F-111E based at Upper Heyford, in June 1976. The color profiles are further enhanced with color scrap illustration of opposite sides of the fuselage as necessary to depict special markings. Nose art and other special markings are also presented enlarged to show off details. For the small scale fans, Richard J. Caruana also includes fold-out 1/72 scale plans. Charles Stafrace starts out with the development of the F-111, which despite the disastrous interference of Robert S.… more |
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Windsock World War Centenary Autumn 2015, Vol.31, No.3Published:
The Autumn 2015 edition of Windsock World War Centenary is the third edition of Volume 31. This edition’s cover story features an enlarged version of Ronny Barr’s Pfalz D.III 4059/17 side profile as Lance Krieg dives into the Silbergrau color debate. David Hardie provides his build notes for the Wingnut Wings Roland C.II ‘Walfisch’ along with 19 photos illustrating how he did it. The first of a series by the late Harry Woodman focuses on an unpublished update to his rare Scale Model Aircraft in Plastic Card that portends to be a must have. This feature provides updates to the original and is supplemented with plenty of archival material and color photos. The color feature by arvoart.com is the 15th part of the Great War Paint and depicts fifteen aircraft, highlighted by the… more |