Jack Kennedy
Reviews By Author
|
Sopwith Snipe (late)Published:
This is without a doubt the best aircraft kit I have ever built. Wingnut Wings has produced an absolute wonder of a kit in this Sopwith Snipe. Upon opening the sturdy box, one finds six grey sprues, one clear sprue, and a photo etch fret. In addition, there is a very colorful and complete 23-page book of instructions with color photos and actual WW I photos of several Snipes. To begin, I assembled the cockpit which consists of over 30 parts, not counting the rigging wires. When complete, this is a real gem that should really be displayed alone. It is a shame that it has to be shut up inside the fuselage as not much can be seen once installed. I hope that Wingnut Wings will produce kits of just their cockpits. The instructions for the cockpit are color drawings and color… more |
|
Mickey Thompson’s Challenger 1Published:
Back in 1960, I remember a guy named Mickey Thompson setting the land speed record of 406.6 mph at Bonneville Salt Flats. He did this feat with one of the most original cars ever seen. This was the Challenger 1. It was powered by four supercharged Pontiac engines, each powering a separate wheel. I remember at the time hoping that someone would make a model kit of this car. Well, Revell did back in 1962. They produced the kit from 1962 until 1966. I was busy with getting on with my life at that time, so I forgot about Challenger 1. Last year at the IPMS Nationals in Orlando, I saw that Revell was going to re-issue the kit. I couldn’t wait for it to come out and when it came up for grabs by the Reviewers corps, I jumped at the chance to build it. Upon opening the box, I was… more |
|
USS Gato SubmarinePublished:
Ships are not something I normally model but I jumped at the chance to review this submarine. It is by a new company from Hong Kong and if this kit is a sample of things to come, I am surely looking forward to their future releases. To begin with, I was thinking 1/700 or 1/350 scale when I asked to review this kit. It is in 1/200 scale and is rather long, 19 inches to be exact. The packaging is in a large sturdy box and the parts are molded in light grey plastic on 5 sprues. There is one sprue of clear parts for the OS2U-3 Kingfisher and two in black for the base. Overall the construction is very simple. The lower hull is in two pieces and the upper hull is in three. The sub may be built as either waterline or full hull. I chose to build it as a full hull on a base. If… more |
|
U.S. Navy/Marine Fighter PilotPublished:
Here is another new company producing military figures. If this is their first offering, I am very impressed. Not only is the subject matter refreshing, but the figure is very well cast. This pilot is in 1/32 scale which would make it ideal for any WW II Navy or Marine aircraft in that scale. The pose is rather casual, which is a nice change of pace. It’s cast in three grey resin parts and three metal parts. The kit includes two heads, one with a soft cap and the other wearing a flying helmet. It even includes a chin strap – nice touch. The castings are crisp and sharp and required only minor cleanup. After the cleanup, I assembled it with CA glue and primed it with Duplicolor Light Grey auto primer. I used Vallejo acrylic paints on the complete figure. One… more |
|
F9F-2 Panther Correct Nose with Gun BarrelsPublished:
Quickboost has done it again. They have produced a terrific correction for the nose of an F9F-2 Panther. As per their usual, the resin casting is crisp and accurate. The nose is cast in tan resin and the guns are grey resin. Care must be taken when removing the guns from the casting block as they are super fine and can snap easily. The nose has the recesses for the guns that are deep enough to insert them. One must cut the nose off the Hobby Boss F9F-2, which this nose is designed for, at the proper line. The line is molded on the kit so there is no guessing. As with all the Quickboost kits for the F9F-2, this is a must. I have reviewed all of their aftermarket kits for the Panther and am looking forward to building the ultimate 1/72 one. I would highly recommend… more |
|
Pierced Steel Planking and AccessoriesPublished:
This is a most unusual kit to review. It is of PSP – Pierced Steel Planking used during WW II to build runways quickly. It was also called Marsden Mat. These runways were used mostly in the Pacific theatre of the war. They were assembled quickly by Seabees on the islands of the Pacific as the Allied forces got closer to Japan. They were usually painted olive or black and the steel showed thru as wear took its toll. This kit consists of a 9.25 by 13 inch base molded in light grey plastic. Most of the base of PSP has some ground cover to show the accessories. The accessories are a lookout tower, sandbags, extra PSP, 55 gal. oil drums, and several petrol cans. I first sprayed the whole base with a dark grey/black primer. I then drybrushed OD over the PSP and then… more |
|
Avro Vulcan B.2Published:
Great Wall is a company new to me. I have seen their wonderful P-61 in a much larger scale and was impressed. This kit of the Avro Vulcan B.2 is equally impressive, especially considering the small scale. Upon opening the box, I was Impressed with the packaging. Everything was either wrapped in plastic or foam paper. The fuselage is broken in half horizontally. I really liked the one-piece intakes that fit perfectly. In fact, every piece on this kit fits beautifully. No filler was needed at all. Due to locating pins in the wings, they snapped together perfectly. This was the best fitting kit I have ever built. I didn’t forget to add a nose weight before closing the fuselage. The kit includes an instrument panel and two pilots which I didn’t put in, as they… more |
|
F-86D Sabre “Shark Mouth”Published:
I happen to love F-86s in any shape or form, and the “D” is one of my favorites. I have built a few in the past in most scales and welcomed this one by Hasegawa in 1/72 as I never built one in this scale. With this kit, Hasegawa chose to do it in the unusual “Shark Mouth” markings. This is a pleasant change from the usual marking as seen on most “D” models. Upon opening the box, I was greeted with the usual Hasegawa silver plastic in four sprues, plus a clear one. The moldings were crisp with engraved panel lines. I had looked at an older kit of the “D” by Hasegawa and it seems to be the same kit, only with new decals. Assembly was straightforward with no fit problems. The wings went on without the need of filler. One must remember to add a weight to the nose to… more |
|
Stalin and Co.Published:
I have always been a fan of historical miniature figures, especially if I happen to know who they represent. IMC from Ukraine hase produced a set of figures that are right up my alley. This five figure set is called Stalin and Co., and consists of Joseph Stalin and some of his bad guys. Those represented are Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, Commissar Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev, Minister Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov, NKVD Chief Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria, and Marshall Nikolai S. Vlasik. Since I remember all but Marshal Vlasik, I knew what they should look like. I looked up each one as a backup to my memory and found that each figure looks exactly like their photos. I also researched their histories and found that they were truly not nice guys. These figures are molded in… more |
|
Hawker Hunter Landing GearPublished:
Well, Scale Aircraft Conversions has done it again. The have been very prolific in the past couple of years and this new release is no disappointment. It is for the 1/72 Revell Hawker Hunter. I realize that the Hunter is a small aircraft for a modern jet, but I didn’t realize that the landing gear would be that small. I have about 10 1/72 Hunters that I can use this landing gear on. I would highly recommend this set for the Hawker Hunter and all of the… more |