Gino Dykstra
Reviews By Author
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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 |
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R-35 Renault Light Infantry TankPublished:
I’m old enough to remember a time when Heller was the only game in town if you wanted to reproduce some of the fascinating French armor of the Second World War. Now we seem to have been presented with a number of choices, each with their good and bad points. However, permit me to discuss this particular rendition of this lovely little two-man vehicle on its own merits. Hobby Boss has taken its own stance on reproducing this tiny machine by providing it with a complete interior, viewable through the numerous open-able hatches on the model. Frankly, this is one kit that begs for a maintenance diorama in order to show off its features -- anything else seems a waste of detail. That said, what are we dealing with here, specifically? This is an early mark of this tank as the… more |
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OT-130 Flame Thrower TankPublished:
During World War 2 the Russians created a large number of flamethrower-equipped vehicles, useful for burning Germans out of strongpoints. Some of them replaced a turret or hull machine gun position with the weapon. Others, such as the OT-130, replaced the main gun itself and made this a dedicated flame thrower tank. Like the original vehicle itself, Hobby Boss’ OT-130 tank is a modification of the tried-and-true T-26, which by this time in the war had outlived its usefulness as a main battle tank. The 45mm main gun was removed and replaced with a flamethrower unit and its appropriate internal tankage. The kit itself features over 900 parts including two sheets of photoetch and seeming hundreds of tiny pins used to assemble the workable tracks. There is no interior provided,… more |