B-18 Bolo Pre-War Service, Part 1

Published: October 30, 2012
Company: Special Hobby

This kit is everything one expects from the Special Hobby label – an interesting subject not often kitted, superb casting with no flash, excellent detail, PE and resin parts, fine decals, and a bit of work to get it all together. Those with patience will be rewarded with a fine kit of a subject not easily available elsewhere.

Five sprues with 74 light gray and 30 transparent (yes, this… more

B-239 Buffalo Finnish Air Force Aces Combo

Published: October 15, 2012
Company: Hasegawa

This kit is a re-release of the original B-239 in Finnish Service of some years back, only doubled and with new decals. Each of the two planes comes with 8 sprues and 52 parts, 12 of which are for optional versions.

Assembly is straightforward in 8 steps: cockpit, fuselage, wings, main assembly, landing gear, engine, props, and canopy. I encountered no issues with fit and very little… more

USS Olympia Review, Part 2

Published: July 31, 2012
Company: Encore by Squadron

• Premium Edition, #EC85001, $89.99
• Standard Edition, #EC80001, $53.99

Well, lads and lasses, time to quit playing and report out. This was, I think, the most fun I’ve had since I began reviewing kits, and I am known around club meetings as a guy who enjoys building anything. I am at 90%+ completion, with only the starboard side photo-etched parts and the rigging to… more

Encore USS Olympia Review - Part 1

Published: May 17, 2012
Company: Encore by Squadron

Kit Review Part I

This is a reboxing of the old Revell kit, which I built many years ago, only with quite a number of goodies included to bring it up to modern standards. There are such a number of goodies that, in order to get the word out as quickly as possible, this just had to be a two-part review.

The Premium Edition comes with wooden base, laser-cut self-adhesive deck… more

KV II Heavy Tank

Published: February 3, 2020
Company: Zvezda

The numbers: 11 sprues with 412 parts, 17 of which are not used, and two options for tracks, vinyl and link-and-length injected plastic. Due to the fact that a couple of the sprues are duplicated, several of the smaller parts, like lifting hooks, have extras included, which is nice considering the carpet monster in my house is always hungry.

A nice feature is the box, as shown in the… more

PSP Photo Etch Planking

Published: March 11, 2012
Company: Pro Art Models

• Product #PAU-35044 with jigs, $21.00
• Product #PAU-35044B without jigs, $7.89

PSP, or pierced/perforated steel planking, was used from shortly before WWII onwards as a means to create a hard surface for military operations where one wasn’t provided by nature. The planks, made of steel or (later) aluminum, were made in several styles, were generally about 10 feet long… more

F-8 Crusader

Published: February 21, 2012
Company: Revell, Inc.

This kit is a re-release, complete with raised lettering on the underside of one stabilizer showing the 1988 date. The decals are new. It is highly recommended as the next kit for a younger modeler ready to move up from snap-together kits.

The kit shows its age in the uncomplicated engineering, raised panel lines, and very simple cockpit – but it is a true delight to build. 62 parts… more

RSO/3 with 5cm PaK 38

Published: January 3, 2012
Company: Dragon Models

I was looking forward to building another Smart Kit, and I wasn’t disappointed when the RSO and PaK 38 arrived. These are wonderfully engineered kits and very realistic. Thirteen sprues and one chassis make up the 321 light grey plastic (3 are clear) parts which greet the lucky modeler upon opening the sturdy box, along with 29 photoetched parts and 144 smart tracks. 58 of those parts on one… more

British 25pdr SP Bishop

Published: December 8, 2011
Company: Bronco Models

If you enjoy building armor, you must get this kit.

Upon opening the box, one finds 15 sprues comprising 501 plastic parts, 1 photo-etched sheet, 216 individual track links (you will need 202 for the main tracks), and decals for four versions covering vehicles used in both the North African and Italian campaigns. There are 29 parts not included in the instructions, and several for… more

Jagdtiger Sdkfz 186 Henschel Production w/2-metric Ton Lifting Crane

Published: August 25, 2011
Company: Dragon Models

The actual box art image does not do the kit justice - it is a great little diorama accessory. There are 186 plastic parts, 54 of which are extra. There are also 25 photo-etched parts and two vinyl tracks. I’ve built 6 or 8 of these little Dragon 1/72^nd armored kits and have accumulated a massive spare parts box.

I’ve built… more