Gino Dykstra
Reviews By Author
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Israeli IDF UH-1N "Anafa" HelicopterPublished:
Dragon has recently released a 1/35th model of the much used IDF UH-1N “Anafa” Troop transport helicopter. As a bonus, they have included a set of their Israeli Paratroopers – a figure set which was, I believe, the second set of figures released some decades back by the then-new Dragon Models, right behind their Soviet “Spetznatz” figures. As these figures have been on the market for almost 30 years, I will pass on reviewing them yet again and instead focus on the helicopter itself. On opening the box I was startled by the relatively small part count for such a large model as well as the somewhat, shall we say, “robust” nature of the parts. None of the molding reflects the typical delicacy of Dragon models, and I suspect this is a reboxing of the Panda UH-1N manufactured some… more |
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Typhoon D-Day 70th Anniversary DecalsPublished:
“To commemorate the 70th Anniversary of World War II’s D-Day landings, the Royal Air Force (RAF) unveiled a specially-painted Typhoon jet with D-Day invasion stripes at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire. The Typhoon has been adorned with the iconic black and white invasion markings in a tribute to the significant role of the crews of the Hawker Typhoon, its WWII namesake – particularly during D-Day operations. Technicians painted the jet, tail number ZK308, in April 2014, so that it could be ready to take part in UK-wide air shows this summer. The aircraft also completed a dual flypast with a similarly adorned Spitfire, part of the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.” Two Bobs has created a superlative decal sheet to commemorate this event in both 1/72nd and 1/32nd scale, all in… more |
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Nieuport 17 WW1 Centenary Special EditionPublished:
Recently Academy has jumped on the bandwagon of World War 1 related items by re-releasing a couple of their older 1/32nd scale aircraft. This one is the ubiquitous Nieuport 17. This new commemorative edition features new decals for three aircraft, a little string for rigging, and a small photoetch sheet for details. Having built this model a number of times over the years, I still consider it one of the best offerings Academy has ever done of a WW1 aircraft. It captures the lines of this scrappy little fighter quite well. The only notable exception is the upper wing gun, which doesn’t to my eye come close to representing a Lewis gun, or any other aircraft gun of the period, for that matter. In general, the model builds quite easily with a minimum number of… more |
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T-72 B/B/1 Turret for Tamiya KitPublished:
This is not the first turret conversion I’ve dealt with for the ubiquitous Russian T-72 tank in 1/35th scale. Dragon Models, which was one of the first companies to come out with something resembling a real T-72 tank in this popular scale, even at the time realized that the turret was an extremely elusive shape to model accurately, and almost immediately released their own resin revision. I don’t pretend to be an expert on modern Soviet armor, so this review is going to be mostly based on my observations about this specific kit and what it offers. This specific version of the turret depicts the T-72 turret as it was modified in preparation for the stand-off armor bricks that were to be added later. It featured the much thickened front cheeks as well as the moving of… more |
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MiG-17PF (Fresco D) - 23mm gun barrels set & Pitot TubesPublished:
Anyone who has tackled the old Trumpeter MiG-15 or MiG-17 can tell you that these are not models that fall together easily. They are quite challenging and need quite a bit of care to achieve something reasonably accurate. However, since they don’t typically cost an arm and a leg, they can be fun to tackle. Personally, I like the challenge. Master Model has taken a little of the pain away from creating an accurate model by offering a very nice set of gun barrels and pitot tubes which add enormously to the final finish. I’d already enhanced my model with a bit of scratchbuilding in this area, as the gun tubes on the kit are extremely crude and inaccurate. However, I hadn’t even thought to tackle the pitot tubes as I couldn’t find good photos in my research. In creating this set,… more |
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Sopwith Camel F.1 “First World War Centenary”Published:
Many moons ago, long before Roden or Wingnuts, Hobbycraft made the first generally available, inexpensive plastic kit of a World War 1 aircraft in 1/32 scale. As an avid large scale aircraft enthusiast, I was thrilled to see the Sopwith Camel model hit the shelves and was delighted by the Nieuport 17 and Spad XIII that followed. Unfortunately, they didn’t pursue this line very far, ultimately releasing a Fokker Triplane that proved virtually unbuildable. Since then, of course, other companies have jumped on this bandwagon and done very well, although the prices asked have more often than not deterred me from adding their offerings to my collection. While I was thrilled to see the initial release of the Hobbycraft Sopwith Camel, it was not without its flaws. It featured grossly… more |
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Russian ZiS-30 Self-Propelled Anti-tank GunPublished:
This is a new one to me; a Russian subject produced by an Irish company and manufactured by a Chinese company. Corporate politics are beyond me. In any case, what we’re dealing with here is a conversion of the ubiquitous and trusty little World War 2 Komsomolets artillery tractor into a tank hunter, mounting a hugely oversize 57mm gun. Apparently only about 100 of these were made and used in the defense of Moscow. I’ve always been a big fan of little tanks, and this one certainly fits the bill. Never having made a model from Mirror Models, I was interested in the challenge and wanted to see what this was made of. First off, I must say that for a finished model that is only a little over 3 inches in length, you certainly get a full box of plastic – well over 500 parts… more |
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Somewhere in the Middle EastPublished:
One of the things I find fascinating about Masterbox’s approach to figure modeling is the technique they use to arrive at a given product. For most companies, sculptors make the desired figures, then illustrators create the box art to match the sculpts. Masterbox reverses the process by permitting illustrators to paint scenarios (quite beautifully, I may add) then sculptors do their best to reproduce the illustrations within the limitations of injection molding. What this means is that Masterbox is indisputably the top of the industry in creating imaginative, innovative plastic figures. This set is no exception. In essence, this is one of Masterbox’s “dioramas in a box” that they are so renowned for – five figures all on one sprue. In this case, a US military “advisor” and his… more |
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Jungle PatrolPublished:
This package represents a small unit in Vietnam, including a commander, M60 gunner and two riflemen, all in typical jungle fatigues as seen in the 1960’s. A second sprue provides additional equipment, with suitable weapons and an assortment of headgear, including covered helmets, two types of boonie cap, and Marine visored “covers” for each soldier. All figures feature additional arms and heads to vary the poses. In a very real sense, this kit is designed to offer the modeler anything from a standard infantry patrol (either Army or Marine) to a Special Forces patrol. Therefore, these figures are a lot more versatile than the title suggests, and could be used in scenarios ranging from jungle duty to fighting in the streets of Hue. All four figures come in the traditional figure… more |
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Middle East DioramaPublished:
I must confess at the outset of this review that I am not, for the most part, a fan of vacuform diorama buildings. I will always prefer ceramic which is far easier for me to assemble and paint. That being said, I was quite curious to tackle this kind of project and found myself quite impressed with this kit. My first impression of this kit came before I even opened the box. It was remarkably heavy - not what I’d expected of a kit that was largely vacuform parts. However, on opening the box I could see why – the nine vacuform sheets are quite stout, with remarkable detail on roughly 74 parts. The kit also comes with five sprues of injection molded details, making a total of well over 150 parts – far more than will be needed in this diorama. Everything you desire to create a… more |