Greg Wise
Reviews By Author
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F-80 Shooting Star Wingtip TanksPublished:
Description: 2 resin 265-gallon tip tanks and mount fairings. Ex-KMC mold. For the Revell/Monogram kits. Inspection: Packaged is in a clear face, white backed, poly bag stapled to a folded card along with a note sheet. It was clear the vintage KMC molds seem to be holding up pretty well despite the years. Upon opening the package I found the resin almost flawless, detecting only a few pinholes and heavy pour stubs. The details include nice gas caps and mounting points on the tanks. The wing tip fairings appear to be a tad small otherwise they look fine. Squadron included a note warning of “possible resin shrinkage” installing these fairings will require minor surgery of the kit, the wing tips will need to be trimmed to the panel… more |
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I.J.A. Type 97 Medium Tank [CHI-HA] Early production hullPublished:
History BriefThe type 97 medium tank Chi-Ha, designed in 1936, was the most widely produced Japanese medium tank of WW II. Its turret was fashioned with 26-mm thick armor sides and 33-mm on its gun shield. Its 57-mm main gun had already been proven in the early model Type 89 medium tank. It also sported a pair of 7.7-mm machine guns. Powered by a 170-hp Mitsubishi diesel it had a top speed of about 23-24 mph. Weighing in at 17.4 tons [US], it was the most effective medium tank the Japanese had. First ImpressionsThe kit comes in a modest glossy white box with the top depicting a side view illustration of the subject. Inside I found the plastic well protected in poly bags with the instructions. Carefully inspecting the plastic I found it to be free of flash… more |
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F-86F-30 Big ED Photo Etch setsPublished:
Set Contents
History BriefThe North American F-86F-30 Sabre was America’s finest fighter during the Korean conflict. I’ve had the opportunity over the years to talk to a few F-86 pilots who also had a turn with the Mig 15. The Sabre was always their first choice. One pilot said to me comparing the F-86 to her Russian counterpart is like comparing a sports car to a pick up truck. The only problem was no one knew that back then. The Sabre had a wingspan of 39 ft and a length of 37 ft. Her max speed was 688mph and cruise at 513 mph at sea level with a ceiling of 48,000 ft. She sported a single J47-GE-27 engine… more |
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Imperial Japanese Naval Heavy Cruiser TonePublished:
Introduction Hello IPMS members. Today I have the all-new tooling IJN heavy cruiser Tone as she appeared during the Battle of Leyte Gulf 1944. Fujimi has been burning the midnight oil and has released several newly tooled and retooled 1/700 scale WW2 Japanese ships for 2011 History Brief After doing a little online research I discovered that there were two Japanese cruisers bearing the name Tone. The first (1907) a “protected cruiser” participated in the World War 1 Siege of Tsingtao, a German controlled port in China. The vessel was stricken in 1931and sunk as an aircraft target in1933. Fast-forward 4 years (1937) to our subject: the Japanese cruiser Tone, lead ship of the Tone class of heavy cruisers. She saw lots of… more |
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Counterattack, Soviet Infantry, Summer 1941Published:
WOW! These figures are top-notch, high quality beauties. The set comes in a printed end-opening box. On the front side you see a scene of a young Soviet officer leading his stumbling squad across an open wheat field while under artillery fire, very inspiring to say the least. On the reverse side you’ll find the instructions, sprue charts and a Vallejo color guide. A. Karaschuk did the colorful illustrations. Inside the box you will find 2 sprues in a light shade of brown. Each figure comes with a selection of equipment, and some of them offer alternate heads, arms and weapons choices. Sculptor A. Gagarin is a true master of his art. The high quality soft plastic makes separating the parts a breeze. The majority of the figure parts follow the part numbers in sequence, making it… more |
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Bf 109E WheelsPublished:
Fresh and new Eduard’s “Brassin” name is a welcome addition to the aftermarket world of modeling. A sub-set line from the Eduard Model Accessories the claim of ‘Best Resin Around’ it appears credible with this offering. Package contents:
After just finishing the Eduard 109 kit I can see where these bits would have been appreciated. They are finely cast with excellent details and would have greatly improved some areas of the kit. Most notable is the tail gear and… more |
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Bf 109E-1Published:
Hello fellow IPMS Brothers and Sisters, Today we have the beautiful new Eduard 1/32 109 in the affordable “Weekend Edition” box…I hear choir music. OK, let’s see what we have inside the box, drum roll please. We have 152 khaki colored and clear plastic parts packaged in the typical standard Eduard resealable bags, a single option decal sheet and good ol' black and white instructions. Overwhelmed by the seven large parts sprue, I found inspiration in the decal option Red 1 flown by Knight’s Cross recipient, Hptm. Trautloft The Bf-109 is an interesting subject, with a rich and fascinating history. Several incarnations and variants make it a very popular aircraft and the darling of a lot of fellow modelers. The first prototype flew in late 1936 Bf 109 V4 (D-IOQY, Werk Nr 878)… more |
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Nieuport Ni-17Published:
Ok, the boys from Eduard have another offering for this famous French kite. In this newest boxing we find 78 plastic parts; a photoetch fret; an express mask, and a beautiful set of decals. These cover the six options which include French, RFC and Italian services. I will omit a history lesson and go on to the build. The construction is straightforward; my only gripe is that part A25 is too long and the instruction sheet seems vague in regards to it. Right or wrong, I just cut off the nub it left and sanded the bottom side flush. Everything else was smooth sailing adding the photoetch bits along the way. I added the decals early on in the build simply for the ease of doing them while the areas were still accessible. I really enjoy the Eduard kits and consider them to be… more |
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Albatros D.IIIPublished:
On a first look you find the reboxed plastic along with a photo etch fret and a masking set. You also have 5 decal options that I will get to shortly. Removing the plastic from the resealable bag you’ll see all the hard work paid off for the Eduard crew. The level of detail is incredible and the offering is just as nice today as it was 10 –11 years ago when first released. The only detectable blemishes to note are a few minor sink marks that are easily repaired. The first ones are four dimples located on the empennage two on top and two on bottom. The others are under the cockpit opening. I began the straightforward construction as set forth in the instruction with no difficulties. Adding the photo etch details when called for. The cockpit turned out to be a little gem… more |
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Albatros D.III ProfiPackPublished:
At the first glance, you only will notice the reboxed plastic along with a photo-etch fret and a masking set. But when removing the plastic from the resealable bag, you’ll see all the hard work put into the kit by the Eduard crew. The level of detail is incredible and the offering is just as nice today as it was 10 –11 years ago when first released. The only detectable blemishes to note are a few minor sink marks that are easily repaired. The first ones are four dimples located on the empennage two on top and two on bottom. The others are under the cockpit opening. I began the straightforward construction as set forth in the instruction sheet with no difficulties, adding the photo-etch details when called for. The cockpit turned out to be a little gem of sorts and will… more |