Hub Plott
Reviews By Author
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Gloster Javelin Landing GearPublished:
Scale Aircraft Conversions’ 1/48 Gloster Javelin landing gear set is a full replacement in white metal for both main gear legs and the nose gear. In many cases SAC will assemble some of the kit parts prior to casting; however, in this case they have cast the parts individually. Additionally, they have also cleaned up the gear and filled the sinkholes that were present on the original plastic parts. The main gear consists of four parts for each side: a main gear leg, two retraction arms and compression scissors. The nose gear consists of the gear leg with one side wheel-cover, the opposite side wheel-cover and a retraction arm. Detail is crisper on the metal gear than on the kit’s plastic parts. The replacement parts are a drop fit with no issues what so ever. The… more |
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Model Art Modeling Magazine, #51, Spring 2014Published:
From the title one could conclude that the entire magazine is dedicated to these two ships. That would be incorrect! The book also covers the IJN Yuikaze, USS Ticonderoga, IJN Noshiro, Ice Breaker Shirase AGB 5003, JMSDF PG-824 Guided Missile Patrol Boat, JMSDF Defense Ship Akizuki, IJN Tanker Ashizuri, IJN Hiryu, S-100 German fast Attack and a section on the old Monogram/Revell 1/506 USS New Jersey! Eleven of the models are in 1/72 scale, two are in 1/350th and another in 1/72. Since the text is entirely in Japanese, so unless you read kanji the magazine is only for the pictures. But there are a lot of pictures and much useful information to be gained from them. Some of the ships are both photo essays of the model and the building process; others are of just the… more |
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Convair Advanced Designs II - Secret Fighters, Advanced Aircraft, and Unique Concepts 1929-1973Published:
This book is a follow on companion book to the author’s “Convair Advanced Designs that I was also fortunate to review for IPMS/USA! This book covers 41 different aircraft, some that were built and some that were only designs each is given its own chapter. The list of aircraft covered is as follows:
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French Wings No. 3: Breguet 27, Potez 39, and Mureaux 115/117Published:
This is the third book in the French Wings series and it continues to provide an interesting and informative look at some of the less famous French aircraft of the pre-WWII and WWII period. All three aircraft in this book were used in the observation and reconnaissance role by the French military. The book gives you information about both the process by which they were acquired and their actual operational use. In addition to the aircraft used by France, their use by China, Peru and Venezuela are also discussed. The book starts off with the Breguet 27, which is covered in the first 24 pages. I have always wondered why this aircraft was designed and looked the way it did. The authors clarify this early on! The reason for the rear fuselage’s unique look was that the specification… more |
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Curtiss P-40 Snub-nosed KittyhawksPublished:
This book is number 11 in the Vanguard series and covers the later short nosed variants P-40D through P-40N. The book begins with the beginning of the end. By that I mean it shows the 15,000th Curtiss fighter built, a P-40-N-CU festooned with the emblems of each nation that flew them and a red, white and blue striped tail. This was the beginning of the end as around one week after this picture was taken a P-40 production ceased and the plants were shut down. And though Curtiss had tried throughout the war to design and produce new fighters as well as into the early years of the jet age, they would never again build another production fighter designed in house. The P-40 was ready and available at the start of WWII and continued on till the end of the war. This was not… more |
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French Flying Boats of WWIIPublished:
When one looks at French aircraft of the period immediately before and during World War Two, it is evident that there were two schools of thought when it came to aircraft design! One school was to design elegant, graceful and beautiful aircraft. The other was to see just how ugly they could make the airplane and it still fly and perform the duties it was designed for. This book is filled with examples of aircraft from both schools. The book begins with a discussion of the main categories of French flying boats and what these categories entail. The “Croisiere” category is the very long range maritime reconnaissance aircraft with a range of 2100 to 2800 miles. The “Exploration” category was the long range maritime reconnaissance with a range of 1200 to 1900 miles. The last… more |
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Soviet Naval Aviation 1946-1991Published:
This is a massive tome that covers Soviet Naval Aviation from immediately post-WWII through the breakup of the USSR. The book is profusely illustrated with hundreds of color and black and white photos, many of which may be new to Western readers. In addition, there are dozens of color profiles throughout the pages. The book begins with a discussion of Soviet naval aviation in the years following WWII. At first, they were still using leftover indigenous designs as well as US lend/lease aircraft that survived combat. Realizing the need for a long-range navy, they began to modernize and prepare for the struggle with the US and other Western powers. This chapter discusses the organization of naval aviation forces and their work with other elements of the Soviet navy and other armed… more |
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VEF Irbitis I-16Published:
Upon opening the box, one is greeted with a simple resin kit of an aircraft so obscure that even though I pride myself on my knowledge of WWII aircraft and have built over 100 resin kits of many obscure aircraft, I even had to look this one up! The Irbitis I-16 was an indigenous fighter design from Latvia. The aircraft was small, approximately 24 feet in length with a wingspan of 26 feet 11 inches and a height of 8 feet 2 ¼ inches. Maximum speed was estimated at 298mph. It was to be armed with two Browning machine guns in the fuselage and two in the wings. The aircraft was test flown in Latvia during the spring of 1940. Shortly thereafter, in the summer of 1940 the Soviets occupied Latvia and further development was stopped until early 1941. Then, in the summer of 1941, the… more |
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Polish Wings 17Published:
This book takes a look at the most famous of the Polish bomber type in WWII and its developments. The PZL 23 was known as the Karas (or Carp, according to Google translation) to the Polish Air Force and, along with its offshoot variants PZL 42, 43 and 46, did the lion’s share of bombardment work for Poland. The majority of the book (65 pages) gives us a brief history of the main variant, the PZL 23, and its service with both Poland and Romania. There are many previously unpublished black and white photos used to illustrate this aircraft, along with gorgeous color profiles. The Poles had some of the best group insignias I have ever seen. Who could resist doing a model of a Karas with a flying fire breathing dragon with a bomb clutched in his talons?! The next 22 pages… more |
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Martin B-26 MarauderPublished:
“Martin’s Mistake”, “Martin’s Murderer”, “The Flying Prostitute”, “The Baltimore Whore”, and “One a day in Tampa Bay” are all some of the derogatory nicknames and phrases used to describe the Martin B-26 Marauder. This outstanding aircraft was never able to get out from under the bad reputation it got early on. The early versions with the short-span wings and other ticks that come with a new design contributed to the type’s undeserved reputation. A really “hot ship”, it could be difficult for a newbie to handle, but once mastered it then demonstrated its full potential. And when the longer improved wing was installed on later variants, the crews felt that almost all of the ship’s vices disappeared. Books on the Martin B-26 are not all that common, so it is good to see one that… more |