Gino Dykstra
Reviews By Author
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Type AG 1910 London TaxiPublished:
In 1905, Renault produced a relatively inexpensive two-cylinder vehicle which in the next few years was so popular that it became the primary taxi vehicle in both France and England. The French taxis, of course, would go on to achieve historical prominence during World War One transporting French troops rapidly to the front lines in what would become known as the “Miracle of the Marne.” ICM’s Type AG 1910 London Taxi is a variant of this same vehicle, with modifications that would be typical for a British market. It shares most of the same molds as ICM’s earlier French Taxi but includes a separate sprue for the alterations, for a total of 6 sprues plus vinyl tires. Like the French version, this kit features a very nice representation of the miniscule two-cylinder engine as well… more |
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VMFA-323 Death Rattlers / USMC F4-B Phantoms in the Vietnam WarPublished:
Commissioned in 1943, this particular squadron got its nickname from some pilots who killed a rattlesnake at their first deployment at Cherry Point and then hung the skin in the ready room. VMFA-323 was first deployed to Da Nang Air Base in 1965, losing the only Phantom ever to a surface-to-air missile shortly thereafter. The squadron remained in Viet Nam until 1969, flying from both Da Nang and Chu Lai during that time. AOA Decals is making a name for themselves with some of the very best decals found on the market. Whisper-thin, spot-on register, easy to apply and with excellent opacity, they really make for an extremely pleasant modeling experience. This set of colorful markings features no less than three aircraft from their stay at Da Nang during 1967 and 1968–… more |
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VMFA-232 Red Devils / USMC F4-J Phantoms in the Vietnam WarPublished:
Tracing its lineage back to 1925, VMFA-232 Phantoms began sorties over Vietnam from Da Nang Air Base in late 1967. Flying close air support for the Marines on the ground, the Red Devils flew nearly 6,000 sorties and delivered some 6,00 tons of ordinance during their time in the ‘Nam, being one of the few units capable of delivering 2,000 lb. bombs at the time. They redeployed during Operation Linebacker and lost three Phantoms during that time (one to enemy air action), becoming the last Marine Phantom unit to leave Vietnam in 1973. They finally surrendered their final remaining Phantom in 1988. AOA Decals is making a name for themselves with some of the very best decals found on the market. Whisper-thin, spot-on register, easy to apply and with excellent opacity, they really… more |
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VMFA-212 Lancers / USMC F4-J Phantom in the Vietnam WarPublished:
VMFA-212 Lancers was the first Marine jet squadron to be deployed aboard an aircraft carrier in combat, serving on the USS Oriskany in May of 1965. They conducted more than 12,000 combat sorties and dumped nearly 10,000 tons of ordinance during that time, chalking up an admirable safety record until their return to Hawaii in December of the same year. AOA Decals is making a name for themselves with some of the very best decals found on the market. Whisper-thin, spot-on register, easy to apply and with excellent opacity, they really make for an extremely pleasant modeling experience. This set of colorful markings features one aircraft from this squadron – number 3813 (6) and includes the extremely complete stencil decals created by AOA Decals specifically for their… more |
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Phantom Airframe Data (Stencil Type) F-4B & F-4J Panels and MarkingsPublished:
AOA Decals is making a name for themselves with some of the very best decals found on the market. Whisper-thin, spot-on register, easy to apply, and with excellent opacity, they really make for an extremely pleasant modeling experience. I was offered a chance to check some of these out and started with their stencil set for Vietnam-era Marine or Navy Phantoms. This set comes on one full sheet with a separate sheet for the national markings features, literally hundreds of individual stencils covering the entire airframe including weapons pylons. Registration is perfect and the film is extraordinarily thin. I was pleasantly surprised at how well they lay down with no obvious silvering. Frankly, I couldn’t find a thing to complain about, except perhaps for the time it’s going to… more |
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Gloster Gladiator Mk. 2Published:
The Gloster Gladiator was one of the last biplane fighter aircraft to serve during World War 2, and despite its obvious obsolescence, served for the British air service surprisingly well on a number of fronts. It made a name for itself in the early middle eastern desert war, and went on to serve in Greece and even further with a number of foreign air services. I recently built and reviewed ICM’s excellent Gloster Gladiator Mark 1, so I will mostly be pointing out the differences between the two kits. The most noticeable is the new three-blade propeller replacing the rather clunky two-blade unit of the Mark 1. Other differences are more subtle, including a new control panel and front windshield. Only a small additional sprue is included to offer these differences, and you still… more |
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Bucker Bu 131D with German Cadets (1939-1945)Published:
The Bucker Bu131D “Jungmann,” which means “young man” or “cadet”, was developed in the 1930s as a light primary trainer for all Luftwaffe pilots. Extremely small and agile, it was mostly steel tubing with a fabric covering, and proved so popular that over 200 are flying in private hands to this day. I even found an entire scene in the European “Tintin” series of comics which shows this durable little aircraft in the less-than-capable hands of Thomson and Thompson, twin detectives (see the Tintin adventure “The Black Island”). This model set offers not only the aircraft itself, but a pilot and a couple of handlers to go with it. The aircraft: like the real deal, the model of this aircraft, even in 1/32nd scale, is pretty diminutive, and makes for a relatively fast build. However… more |
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Gunslinger Series Kit No. 3Published:
If you were ever a fan of the Saturday morning cowboy series back in the ‘50’s and ‘60’s, or enjoyed the classic Sam Peckinpaw movies, this figure should be fairly familiar to you. Labeled as “Pedro Melgoza, bounty hunter”, the beautiful illustration on the box cover bears an unmistakable resemblance to Tom Selleck. As I’ve discussed before, Masterbox is unique in the modeling world for illustrating the products BEFORE sculpting them, and I believe this is a good example. On opening the box, you find both our bounty hunter figure as well as a very nicely done mount with two complete heads for some variety in the choice of poses. Sorry to say, ladies, but the figure within does NOT resemble Tom Selleck, but appears much more a typical Bandito figure to my eye. The figure… more |
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British Pilots in Tropical UniformPublished:
Following directly on the heels of the release of their truly lovely Gloster Gladiator biplane fighter in 1/32nd scale, ICM has released a figure set to create an instant diorama with the aircraft. Consisting of two pilots, clearly fresh from a flight, and a ground officer taking notes, the figures create a lovely tableau straight from the box. I suspect they’re discussing about exactly who shot down that last Italian fighter that day. Assembly of these figures is quite straight-forward, as they have little equipment or clutter associated with them. Both pilots have nicely molded separate life vests as well as oxygen masks along with the hoses. About the only modification you may need to make is to bend the hoses a bit to make them sit more naturally. It was… more |
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Chernobyl #1 - Radiation Monitoring StationPublished:
I don’t think it’s necessary for me to go into the details regarding the horrific Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster that shook the world in the 1980’s and created the largest uninhabitable radioactive region on the globe, ultimately costing hundreds if not thousands of lives. The Fukishima disaster may ultimately turn out to do more damage, but Chernobyl certainly stands out as one of the top examples of manmade blunders up to now. On that cheery note, it is with more than a little awe that I examine one of ICM’s latest and perhaps most ambitious products – the Chernobyl #1 diorama-in-a-box. Literally intended to be an entire scene in one package, this kit contains a command center truck, five new figures, a small hut and various bits and pieces to compose a radiation… more |