Gino Dykstra
Reviews By Author
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Yak-9K WWII Soviet FighterPublished:
The Yak-9 was a development of the successful Yak-7, which was itself a development of an advanced trainer in use by the Soviet Air Force. Fast and robust, it came into fighter regiments on the Eastern Front in late 1942 and directly challenged the best the Luftwaffe was able to throw at them, although it suffered at first due to poor training. The Yak9K was certainly the most heavily armed version of this aircraft, featuring a 45mm cannon firing through the spinner along with the standard rifle-caliber machine gun in the upper nose. It proved extremely affective at destroying enemy armor or bombers, although not without cost. The cannon’s recoil was notoriously powerful, and could cause the unwary pilot to lose control, especially at low speeds. It also shook the airframe… more |
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P-40E Quick Set 3D Acrylic Instrument PanelsPublished:
I don’t think I’m alone in the feeling that when building an airplane kit, the most challenging aspect (at least in terms of painting) is inevitably the cockpit. And within the cockpit, the most challenging aspect is almost always the instrument panels. Over the years I’ve developed a pretty steady hand at this kind of work, but that doesn’t mean I actually enjoy it. It’s usually with a sigh of relief when I can set down an instrument panel with a full paint job on it. Red Fox Studios, a company out of Hungary, has come up with a product line that I am now head over heels in love with. They are releasing a series of detail sets which include not only full-color instrument sets for various aircraft, but fully three-dimensional instrument panels at that, with every instrument and… more |
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Hawker HunterPublished:
It’s always been my opinion that the well-known and well-liked Hawker Hunter is one of the most elegant jet aircraft to ever take to the skies. I’ve built dozens of models of this lovely aircraft over the years, from the 1/72nd scale offering by Airfix when I was a kid up to several iterations of the impressive 1/32nd scale Revell offering. There’s just no beating that look! Tony Buttler’s 95-page book is not intended to be a definitive examination of this aircraft. In fact, the back cover states the intent clearly; “A general appreciation of one of Britain’s most popular aircraft.” This intention is well-met by the author, who starts us off with a basic history of the development of this machine shortly after the end of World War Two, then leads us into operational variants in… more |
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Victory: 100-Gun First Rate 1765Published:
If you’re even just a passing fan of classic sailing ships, you should be familiar with the unforgettable H.M.S. Victory, the famous ship-of-the-line that Lord Nelson commanded at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. More readily recognizable by the novice than even the U.S.S. Constitution, this ship has been a subject for virtually every major model maker in the last century, manufactured in metal, wood or plastic. With her keel laid down in1759 and ultimately launched in 1765, she served actively in the Royal Navy until 1824, when she was relegated to serving as a harbor (cargo storage) ship and even briefly as a prison ship. In 1922 she was moved to a drydock in Portsmouth where she was refurbished as a museum ship. She is still commissioned with the Royal Navy to this day and… more |
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Laffley V15T with Hotchkiss Machine GunPublished:
In my last review concerning this interesting French vehicle, I described how the prototype was developed in 1938 with some of the most advanced mechanical technology of the day. The distinctive look of the machine is based on a double set of “bumper” wheels placed both in the center and the front of the chassis, designed to make the vehicle far more capable in an off-road capacity. Overall, only about 200 of these vehicles were manufactured before the fall of France, with most of them never seeing combat. Those that survived were largely converted by the occupying German forces into utility and radio cars for the Wehrmacht. The original kit consisted of 6 sprues of well-detailed parts as well as vinyl main wheels. This iteration includes an additional small sprue which… more |
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WW1 Italian Infantry in ArmorPublished:
During the bloodbath that was World War 1, several nations took a shot at providing additional armor protection to at least some of their troops, with quite a range of results. Often the armor was simply too awkward and bulky (think America’s Brewster armor) or too thin to afford any real protection or simply too expensive. Perhaps the Italians were most interested in such protection, as their battles in the Alps against the Austro-Hungarian army had rapidly devolved into hand-to-hand trench warfare of the nastiest sort. In consequence, Italy equipped several special units (often referred to as “suicide squads”) with various types of additional armor for just that kind of close-in combat. ICM has provided a set of figures in one of the more common types, comprising a… more |
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Westland Whirlwind F Mk.1 Landing Gear (SH)Published:
Scale Aircraft Conversions has made a name for itself by providing metal replacements for some of the more fragile parts of aircraft models in a range of scales, these mostly being landing gear and other assorted paraphernalia. This set is no exception, offering direct replacement parts for both the elaborate main gear and tail gear. Made in the usual cleanly cast white metal, this set includes 11 parts and all are direct replacements for the plastic items in the kit, making for far sturdier gear than the kit provides, and being metal, they can also be gently adjusted to accommodate any slight inconsistencies in the model. The tail wheel is particularly welcome as the kit item is somewhat fragile and prone to breakage. All in all, this set is easily cleaned up and… more |
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P-40E/F/M/N War Hawk Landing GearPublished:
Scale Aircraft Conversions continues to carve its own particular niche in the modeling market by providing metal replacements for some of the more fragile parts of aircraft models in a range of scales, these mostly being landing gear and other assorted paraphernalia. This set is no exception, offering direct replacement parts for both the main and tail landing gear, as well as the aerial mast, for any of the 1/32nd scale P-40s offered by Trumpeter. Made in the typical cleanly cast white metal, this set includes 12 parts and all are direct replacements for the plastic items in the kit, providing sturdy gear well able to support the model, and being metal, can also be gently adjusted to accommodate any slight inconsistencies in the model. The aerial mast and tail gear are… more |
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Gloster Gladiator J-8 L.G & W. StrutsPublished:
Scale Aircraft Conversions has made a name for itself by providing metal replacements for some of the more fragile parts of aircraft models in a range of scales, these mostly being landing gear and other assorted paraphernalia. This set is no exception, offering direct replacement parts for both the main and tail landing gear, as well as all struts between the wings. All parts are suitable for any of the ICM configurations or the Revell issue of this model. Made in the cleanly cast white metal, this set includes 11 parts and all are direct replacements for the plastic items in the kit, providing sturdy gear well able to support the model, and being metal, can also be gently adjusted to accommodate any slight inconsistencies in the model. The is particularly welcome as the kit… more |
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American Civil War Confederate Infantry Set #2Published:
ICM continues its dedication to the American Civil War with two additional sets, this review covering one of them. With these new sets, you can now model an actual direct clash between opposing forces, this kit being paired with #35023 American Civil War Union Infantry Set #2. As you can guess, these two sets would make for a very dramatic diorama. The set I’m reviewing consists of the usual four full figures along with two sprues of their excellent Civil War equipment. Two of the molded figures are in the relatively standard formal Confederate uniforms of gray and light blue, while the other two represent the far less formal attire of the typical rebel from the later stages of that war. All four figures go together with a minimum of fuss, and if carefully assembled, filling or… more |