Jim Pearsall
Reviews By Author
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Spitfire Mk. IXcPublished:
The AircraftThe Mark IX Spitfire was supposed to be an interim between the Mk V and the Mk VII and VIII. With the Fw-190 outclassing the Mk V to the point where the RAF couldn’t operate over France, something had to be done. The fix was to put the newer Merlin 60, 62 or later 66 or 70 engine in a Mk V airframe and call it a MK IX. This fix was so successful that the Mk IX and XVI (a IX with a Packard Merlin engine) were the most numerous of the Spitfire marks. I was also confused by the LF and HF (Low and High Altitude) for the Mk IX. It had to do with the engine installed, not whether it had a long or short wing. This is my second Eduard Spitfire IX, the first one being a Mk IXe. This one is the Mk IXc. So I had to so some research to tell the difference between the… more |
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USAAF Boeing B-29APublished:
I’ve built several B-29s, one of them a Minicraft kit for an earlier review. That being said, I’m still waiting for the moment of inspiration to strike when I get out another B-29 kit and build the Tu-4 “Bull” which is almost identical to the B-29. Or a Washington, also a B-29 with RAF decals. Minicraft has reissued this kit with very different markings. Little attention has been paid to the early B-29s, which were painted OD. I built this particular kit with the kit markings because it is different, and the markings are certainly visually and historically interesting. In fact, the location of the B-29 I built, Vladivostok, USSR, in November 1944, probably points to it being one of the prototypes for the Tu-4. The KitThe model is from the original Crown mold… more |
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Tupolev Tu-22M3 Backfire CPublished:
The AircraftThe Tu-22M3 Backfire C has had a somewhat confusing development history. The original Tu-22 was NATO code-named Blinder. It had two pod-mounted engines above the rear fuselage, one on either side of the vertical stabilizer, and fixed sweptback wings. Then Tupolev came out with what I think is almost a new design, with the engines mounted in the rear fuselage and intakes along the fuselage side, and variable-position wings...I think the first on a large Russian bomber. This was the Backfire. The designation for this aircraft was Tu-22M1. The M probably stands for “Modified.” There were only nine Tu-22M1s built, and it was fairly quickly replaced by the Tu-22M2. The M2 had more powerful engines, a bigger wing, and an area rule fuselage. The Tu-22M3 first… more |
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B-17F/G DecalsPublished:
I was given Minicraft’s B-17G for a review. Just as I was about to start the project, I was at IPMS Las Vegas “Best of the West” contest, and found a set of 1/144 decals for the B-17G. The decals included in the kit were perfectly OK, but the subject matter of this sheet made me drag out my wallet and buy it. The first plane on the sheet is “American Beauty”, 2S*G. A friend and co-worker of my father was the top turret gunner and flight engineer on this aircraft. So it has a personal connection to me. THE DECALThe decal sheet itself is very good. When you finish cutting out the decals for one aircraft, you still have a solid sheet, not something that looks like a lace doily. Good planning on their part, and I appreciate that. The subject matter of the… more |
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B-17G Flying Fortress "Flak Eater"Published:
OK, it’s a 1/144 B-17G. I have 1/144 B-17Gs in the stash from Crown, Revell, and Academy/Minicraft. Nevertheless, I’ve never gotten around to building any of these, so this one is the first of several B-17Gs I’ll be doing as I get around to it. First reason to like this kit – they’ve completely redone the clear parts. Trust me, this mold has been around the block a few times, and these clear parts are much better. Second reason – the decals. Cartograf makes excellent decals, and Minicraft gives you markings for two pretty interesting B-17Gs. The Aircraft I BuiltThis B-17G is not done with the kit decals. Just before I started this project, I attended IPMS Las Vegas “Best of the West” contest at Henderson, NV. I picked up a set of Kits-World decals for… more |
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Ki-46III, Command/Recon Plane Hyakushiki (Dinah)Published:
The AircraftThe Mitsubishi Ki-46 Dinah was a reconnaissance platform for the Imperial Japanese Army. The crew of 2 were in separate cockpits, with the pilot and observer separated by a fuel tank (shudder!) The Ki-46II version was faster than any Japanese fighter in the 1940-41 time frame, and the IJAF thought it should be immune from interception. The advent of the P-38 in Pacific combat caused rethought of this idea. The solution to the speed problem was more powerful, fuel injected Mitsubishi Ha-112 engines, which pushed the top speed to a respectable 391 mph. The nose was redesigned to be more aerodynamic, with no step for the canopy, but a full bubble instead. Also, fuel capacity was raised by putting another fuel tank in the nose in front of the pilot (shudder… more |
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Su-22M-4/UM-3KPublished:
The BookKagero Publishing of Poland has a series of photo books called Topshots. They feature lots of photos of a single subject and include a decal sheet. This book contains photos of Su-22s in Polish Air Force service. It’s got one page of history in English, and 47 pages of photographs, many with details you’re not going to find in any other published source. The photos are all well printed in color. The decal sheet has all the markings required for two Su-22M-4s of the 7th Air Support Squadron in 1/48 and 1/72. The back cover of the book gives the color and marking placement for 9101, which is on the decal sheet. Photos of 8206, the other aircraft, are also included. The Aircraft/ModelsThe Su-22 is the export version of the Su-… more |
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Douglas C-124C Globemaster IIPublished:
The AircraftThe C-124 Globemaster II was the ultimate piston-powered cargo aircraft. The C-124 entered service in 1950, just in time for the Korean War. Based on the C-74 Globemaster, which first flew just after VJ day, the C-124 used the same wing as the C-74, but the fuselage was enlarged so the C-124 could carry 10 tons more cargo than the C-74. Based on lessons learned in the Berlin Airlift, the 124 featured clamshell nose doors which allowed drive-in loading of vehicles. Until the advent of the turboprop C-133 in 1957, the C-124 was the only US transport capable of carrying tanks and large trucks. The C-124 remained in service with the ANG until 1974, the last ones retiring from the 165th Airlift Wing of the Georgia ANG. The ModelThis… more |
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T-28B TrojanPublished:
When Steve Collins and Dick Montgomery announced that the 1/72 T-28B was available for review, I jumped at the chance. I have seen T-28’s flying, at Keesler AFB, Mississippi, when I was there in 1967, and my Guard unit flew T-28s in 1957-58 between the F-51s and the F-84s. Alas, both of these were T-28A’s, not B’s. But when I saw the back of the box, I immediately knew I had to build the one from VT-27, as it was based just down the road at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona, in 1983. Some day I’ll find out what the Navy was doing flying out of DM. THE AIRCRAFTThe North American Aviation T-28 Trojan is a piston-engined military trainer aircraft used by the United States Air Force and United States Navy beginning in the 1950s. Besides its use as a trainer, the T-28… more |
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Lockheed-Martin TR-1APublished:
The AircraftThe TR-1A is/was a development of the famous U-2. The U-2 is a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft with multiple sensor arrays, allowing photo, radar, electronic, and signals intelligence. The original U-2A was developed for the CIA by Lockheed, using a fuselage from the F-104 and extra-long, glider-like wings. This allowed the U-2 to fly at altitudes well above those which could be reached by any other jet aircraft. The U-2’s ability to fly over any area with impunity ended with the development of the Soviet SA-2 Guideline SAM, which shot down Francis Gary Powers over the Soviet Union in 1960 and Major Rudolf Anderson Jr. over Cuba in 1962. The TR-1A was put into production in the 1980s as a tactical reconnaissance aircraft. It is identifiable by the… more |