Gino Dykstra
Reviews By Author
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Household Crockery & Glass SetPublished:
MiniArt has been moving full steam ahead on providing diorama modelers with the kind of details that simply weren’t available some years ago without resorting to expensive resin short runs. This set of household crockery and glass is an excellent example. What you get in the box is a tiny clump of REALLY small sprues, which sort of niggled me at first until I actually started working on it. These tiny sprues offer a LOT of final product. Prepping these items was much easier than their small size would lead you to believe. First off, there’s very little painting required. Even the opaque items are cast in a while plastic that looks remarkably like ceramic. The first step for me was to clean up the almost nonexistent mold marks by gently scraping them while they… more |
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Office Furniture & AccessoriesPublished:
MiniArt seems to have its collective ear to the ground in terms of what they’re bringing to the modeling world, and this kit is no exception. Having dealt with dioramas with interiors, I know the frustration of rooms with little to no furniture. This lovely set is most welcome for that alone. So what do you get for your money? The box comes with a number of opaque and clear sprues, all with some of the most delicate castings you’re ever likely to see (the phone cradle alone is most impressive), all of which make up into:
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Mirage III E/RPublished:
Italeri recently released the first ever kit of the Mirage IIIC in 1/32nd scale – an elegant and iconic aircraft of the cold war that served (and continues to serve) in a variety of air forces around the world. Now they’ve come out with the Mirage III E/R variant. This version of the full-size craft was first marketed in 1964 and featured a slightly longer fuselage - about a foot - in order to increase the size of the avionics bay situated aft of the cockpit. This also had the consequence of increasing the internal fuel capacity a bit, which was good as the Mirage III was always known for its relatively short range. All this bumped the cockpit forward a bit, and the difference shows in that the rear of the cockpit just aligns with the top lip of the intakes, whereas it sat… more |
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The PenguinPublished:
Well, Batman fans, I’ve been a very lucky fellow indeed. The Penguin represents my fourth foray into this particular Moebius Models figure range, and what a kit it is! Once again, the engineers at Moebius have bent over backward to make this large-scale figure as easy to paint as possible, with each area separated by assembly. The kit comes molded in white, which is the color of the Penguin’s vest, gloves and spats, and seems an appropriate choice for easy coverage. It also includes a clear plastic monocle and a rod for the umbrella, although in my instance these two latter items were missing from my sample. Moebius has kindly sent replacements, but in all honesty these were easy to scratch and I didn’t want to wait for the mailman to finish this charmer. The kit comes… more |
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Robin, the Boy WonderPublished:
In the Batman universe, Robin, the Boy Wonder, certainly has to qualify as iconic a character as anything. His colorful costume, colorful language (Holy banana peels!) and colorful body language all contributed to the fun. Adding this rendition to my Batman collection has been a real pleasure. Moebius Models chose to mold this kit in bright yellow plastic, which may seem a bit odd to some. After all, the only really yellow part of Robin’s costume is his cape. However, I think they were acknowledging a simple truth here – yellow is the one of the hardest colors to paint, as it normally doesn’t cover very well. All in all, I think they made a logical choice. In any case I didn’t find it a hardship when it got to painting. One of the things I really like about the Moebius… more |
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Soviet Pilot with Life Jacket - the Cold War PeriodPublished:
I love figures, and as a fan of aircraft models, I naturally like figures to go with my aircraft. Figures help provide scale and a “human factor” to any build. Aires is working hard to provide a range of figures for aircraft modelers, and the Soviet Pilot with life jacket is a good example. Looking over the raw figure, it includes a torso with relatively simple outfit, two arms, two different heads with different helmets, and a very nice oxygen mask with attached hose. My first impression is that the torso, in particular, is very nicely sculpted. I’m also impressed with the helmets, which are strikingly different. I admit I’m not 100% sure of the purpose of the helmet with the holes, so some research is called for, I think. Oddly, I was struck by the faces, which… more |
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RS-82 RocketsPublished:
Russian aerial rockets have a fascinating history, and this little creature is very much a part of that history. Design work on this range of weapons began in the 1930s, and they were first deployed operationally during the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, part of the early war animosity between the Soviet Union and the expanding Japanese empire. During this engagement, RS-82 rockets were fired against Japanese aircraft from I-16 fighters, bringing down 16 fighters and 3 bombers – certainly one of the earliest instances of successful air-to-air missile attacks. Later, these same weapons were used in Air-to-ground attacks against hardened targets, such as armor. Investigating further, I’ve found pictorial instances of these being mounted on the I-16 Polikarpov, the Il-2 Sturmovik, as well as… more |
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Ju87G Stuka ExhaustPublished:
My, but I do love a good Stuka. I’ve been playing with 1/32nd scale Stukas ever since Revell first released their kit back in the 1970’s. I’ve built theirs dozens of times, then the 21st Century version, and now finally Trumpeter’s kits, which have filled in important gaps in the history of this fascinating aircraft. One slight problem with the Trumpeter kit, however is the exhausts, which are molded as a solid piece. The exhaust outlets are tiny indeed, and having frustrated myself with trying to ream these out with miniature drill bits, I must admit I was quite pleased to receive the Quickboost replacement parts. As simple, drop-in resin replacements, these really can’t be beat. They feature the relatively miniscule exhausts and are beautifully… more |
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Il-2m3 Wheels and Paint MasksPublished:
Rubber tires on models have always been a problem for me, largely because of the unstable nature of rubber and vinyl. I’ve had numerous tires (and treads) crack with age, melt plastic hubs, or otherwise wreak havoc on lovingly-made models which I’d hoped to remain pristine for years. That being said, I must admit that Trumpeter’s 1/32nd scale Sturmovik comes with a very nice set of rubber tires. They feature a detailed and realistic tread and certainly look good in and of themselves. So why purchase the Aires set? First, they ARE resin rather than rubber. Consequently, they will last over time much better than the rubber tires, which will outgas and eventually fail in one spectacular manner or another. That’s just the nature of the material, alas. … more |
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Bergepanzer 38(t) Hetzer mit 2cm Flak 38 - Smart Kit (2 in 1)Published:
I’ll be honest – I’ve always had a thing for AA mounts. When Dragon decided to release this, it struck an immediate chord with me. Germans in World War 2 certainly had a propensity for creating makeshift anti-aircraft installations on various vehicles. Surprisingly, this particular Hetzer modification, which apparently never made it beyond the prototype stage, was not actually designed to provide air cover at all, but to serve as a reconnaissance vehicle. Like many Dragon kits, this one includes a plethora of already available sprues along with some new items. I spotted parts from a standard Hetzer, a 38(t), a Marder and full 20mm AA kit, among other bits. This is a lot of box and a lot of plastic for such a relatively small vehicle. Consequently, about 50% of the parts… more |