Jim Pearsall
Reviews By Author
|
Junkers Ju-52 Military PE SetPublished:
The AircraftThe Junkers Ju-52/3m was a continuation of the Ju-52/1m. The 3m stands for three engines (dreimotoren), the 1m stands for one engine (einmotor). The prototype was built with one engine, but it proved to be badly underpowered, so two more engines, one on each wing, were added. The other feature of the Ju-52 was the corrugated skin on the wings and fuselage. The idea, originated by Junkers in World War I, was to add strength to the aircraft without adding weight. The Ford Trimotor used this, too. Although it worked, the corrugations added drag. It can also be an additional task for the modeler when filling seams. The KitThe PE set consists of two frets of PE. They seemed to be set up so that one covers the interior, the other the exterior… more |
|
Junkers Ju-52Published:
The AircraftThe Ju-52 was actually known as the Ju-52/3m. The 3m stands for 3 engine (dreimotor). The original Ju-52 was the Ju-52 1m which was single engine (einmotor). When the prototypes were flown, it was discovered that the plane was underpowered, and two engines were added, one on each wing. The Ju-52 had an interesting exterior. The outer skin was corrugated, giving the skin far greater strength than a flat sheet of metal. This allowed the plane to have fewer spars and braces, so it could be lighter, which increased the cargo carrying ability. Unfortunately, the wrinkled skin also added drag, but in the 1930s there was much less interest in high speed and more interest in ease of assembly and maintenance. The Ju-52 was known as “Tante Ju” (Aunt Ju) and… more |
|
SAAB RF-35 Recon Draken, Danish AFPublished:
The Aircraft SAAB of Sweden built the Draken as an interceptor in the early 60s, with a recon version soon following. The Draken was used by Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Austria. All operational Drakens were retired between 1993 and 1999. There are a few flyable Drakens at the Test Pilot School at Mojave Spaceport in California. The aircraft in this kit is a pair of Danish RF-35s, the reconnaissance version. The major differences are the nose, which contains the camera suite, and the wingtips and tail top, which are different. THE KIT You get the basic Hasegawa Draken fighter kit, which has been out for over 10 years. The additions are a resin camera nose, resin wingtips, and a new top for the vertical stabilizer. … more |
|
US Marine Corps F-4 Phantom II Units of the Vietnam WarPublished:
OK, I am not a Phantom Phreak, but I am a Phantom Phan. I have only built about 20 F-4s in the last 10 years. I also drove about 80 miles from home to Springfield, IL, to watch a couple of F-4Ds take off. The chapters are:
Also included are 30 color side view profiles of USMC combat Phantom IIs. I found this book to be a wealth of information about the Marines’ deployments to Vietnam from 1966 to 1973. The chapters cover a unit’s deployment and a history which hits the high points of operations. Not only are the aircraft well covered, but each mission calls out the names of the pilot and… more |
|
Su-27/Su-30 Pitot TubePublished:
A while back (a couple of years?), I built ICM’s 1/72 Su-27 for a review. I can’t remember the reason, but I wound up using a cut-off straight pin for the pitot on the kit. Well, here’s the fix for that. I had to pull the pin out of the nose of the ICM kit, then clean up the end of the nose where some CA had built up. Then, all that was necessary was to insert the new pitot, check its fit, remove it, put some gel-type CA on the pitot, and insert it. I kinda lucked out here, as the hole for the straight pin was as large as I needed for the new pitot. Master Model also gives the correct angle for the pitot, which is lacking in the kits. After the CA had set, a matter of minutes, I painted the new pitot. DONE!! Overall EvaluationHighly recommended. It’s an easy… more |
|
Tu-144 Landing GearPublished:
I recently built and reviewed ICM’s 1/144 Tupolev Tu-144 "Charger". When the opportunity came to review the SAC metal landing gear for this plane, I jumped at the chance. The white metal landing gear is obviously far stronger and better suited to large models than the injection molded parts you get in a kit. I have a number of finished models on the shelf or in storage which could use a new set of gear legs. And I thought I’d save the Tu-144 from this fate. There’s only so much you can do with CA and sprue to fix broken gear, especially with missing parts. I first took photos of the landing gear on the model as it was. There might be a set of instructions for the kit somewhere in my workroom. Or not. I bet on the latter, and took reference… more |
|
Sukhoi Su-30MKK Flanker GPublished:
The AircraftThe Su-30 is a two-seat version of the Su-27. The mission is long-range all-weather strike fighter. Think F-15E vsx F-15C in the US inventory. The MKK is currently operated by the Peoples Republic of China, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Venezuela. There’s going to be a wonderful aftermarket decal sheet for this kit! There’s also a newer version, the Su-30MK2, which has maritime strike capability added. There’s also a suspiciously similar aircraft called the J-16. China claims this is all-Chinese technology, but the Russians aren’t so sure. The KitWhen I opened the box, I was impressed with how well Trumpeter had packed the parts. The fuselage halves (top and bottom) had a rubber ring holding them together, a piece of foam protecting… more |
|
Spitfire Mk. IXePublished:
The AircraftThe Spitfire is the British fighter from World War II. Sure, there were Hurricanes, Tempests, Typhoons, Mustangs, Mosquitoes, and Meteors, but there were more Spitfires than any of them. More to the point, there have been injection molded kits in 1/144 of the Spirfire I and 5, but this is the first Mark IX. Kami de Korokoro has a resin Mark IX. The KitYou get two of every part, but there are two types of wing – one full-span, one with clipped wing. There are six marking options, three for clipped, three for full wings. These are shown on the back of the box and with 4-view drawings in the instructions. ConstructionLike most 1/144 fighter kits, this one is pretty simple. Two fuselage halves, a one-piece wing, horizontal… more |
|
Jaguar GR1 Pitot Tube and Angle of Attack ProbePublished:
THE KIT You get two finely done brass parts in a plastic envelope, which is inside another plastic envelope. Good plan – loose parts of this size would be a disaster, not to mention impossible to find. I liked the instruction sheet, it was simple, to the point, and uncluttered. ASSEMBLY I had some problems with this project. I had originally planned to replace the pitot on my Jaguar T.2 with this pitot. Wrong part, I had to build a Jaguar GR1. And then the paint job. I had run out of RAF Operation Granby Sand paint, and didn’t have any around. So I decided to mix my own. Been a while since I mixed paints, and I got it entirely too reddish the first try. Threw it out and retried. Much closer on the second try. I am proud and happy… more |
|
Douglas C-118 LiftmasterPublished:
The AircraftThe C-118 was the military version of the Douglas DC-6A. Probably the most famous C-118 was President Truman’s VC-118, named “Independence,” which still resides at the Pima Air Museum in Tucson, Arizona. I am lucky enough to know a crew member from a C-118. Bill Mathay was an Air Force Navigator who served in World War 2, Korea, and even passed through Vietnam during the war there. In the late 1950s, Bill was stationed at PACAF Headquarters, Hickam AFB, Hawaii. Bill told me that he was very impressed by the comfort of the C-118 and the size of the passenger compartment windows compared to the other planes he flew in. And, of course, there’s a “There I was” story. General Kuter, a World War 2 “bomber general,” was due to retire. There was a request… more |