Jim Pearsall
Reviews By Author
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Vickers Valiant Pitot TubesPublished:
There are now (according to Hannants) three kits of the Vickers Valiant available in 1/144 scale. The oldest is the Welsh Models vac form kit, followed by the Anigrand. The newest is from Micro Mir. This installation is on the Anigrand kit, because I don’t have a Micro Mir kit yet. InstallationInstallation instructions show 2 steps. I’ve expanded that to 4
Then the other… more |
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Handley Page Victor Pitot Tubes and Refueling Probe BoomPublished:
Here’s another of those useful little accessories from Master Model of Poland. These are finely done turned brass parts to replace those fragile and easily bent, broken, or lost parts from your lovely Victor. In this case, it’s the pitots and the refueling probe. There’s a pitot at the end of both wings, and they’re right out there where the least bit of careless handling will either bend or break the pitots. The refueling boom is right out there in front, just inviting some disaster. More about my Airfix VC-10 tanker later.* InstallationI did the refueling probe first. The instructions are VERY clear and easy to follow.
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Tornado PitotPublished:
Master Model of Poland has figured out a way to produce very fine brass parts for detailing aircraft. These are wonderful additions to models, particularly the pitot tubes, refueling probes and gun barrels, which seem to get bent or broken depressingly often. Not only that, because of the strength of the brass, the parts can be made smaller diameter than the plastic parts provided in most kits. This detail set is the pitot tube for the Panavia Tornado, currently in use with the Luftwaffe, the RAF, Italian AF and the Royal Saudi AF. There are 4 kits available in 1/144, Revell, Dragon, Academy and Anigrand. Since I already had the Dragon kit built, that’s the one I put the new pitot on. The instructions for this detail set are VERY good. Preparation consists of removing… more |
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F-14 Alfa Probe (Pitot)Published:
A while back I built Dragon’s 1/144 F-14D Tomcat for a review. Master Models of Poland has come out with a replacement “alfa probe” for the Tomcat. I still think of it as a pitot tube, but I’m pretty 20th Century. In doing a little research, I found that there are two other 1/144 F-14s available, Revell and Trumpeter. In looking at the “in box” reviews, both of these kits do have alfa probes. The Dragon kit I built doesn’t have one. OK. But I have built more than one model where the pitot tube has been broken, bent or deformed to where it really needs replacement. In the past, a cut off straight pin worked pretty well. Now we have a much better looking part. The instructions are pretty basic, but so is the procedure. We’re not doing knee replacement here. Cut… more |
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37mm Flak 18 BarrelsPublished:
The Ju-87G Stuka was the last of the line. There were some purpose-built G’s, but most of them were D models with the cannon pods added. The first use of the Ju-87G was at Kursk, but there were only a few, and they made no difference. Master has turned out a pair of new barrels for the 37mm cannon. They are turned brass, and so are much more durable than the original barrels. I was able to find only one 1/144 Ju-87G kit, Eduard’s. The Eduard kit is very good, I built one for a review back in 2014. So I used the new barrels on the “old” kit. PrepI removed the barrels from the underwing pods with a sprue nipper. I then used a #11 blade to form a depression in the front of the pod to use as a pilot hole. The spot is quite small, and small drills have a… more |
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F-16 Fighting Falcon Pitot TubePublished:
Master Model of Poland produces small brass parts for detailing models, be they aircraft or ships. They have parts for aircraft in 1/32, 1/35, 1/48, 1/72, and 1/144, mostly pitot tubes, refueling probes and gun barrels. For ships the Sea Master series has 1/35, 1/200, 1/350, 1/400 and 1/700 scale details, mostly gun barrels. This product is a single pitot tube for a 1/144 F-16. I was particularly happy to get this part for review, as I was building the LS kit, and their F-16 doesn’t have a pitot. I looked in my stash, and Revell’s kit has a pitot, although it’s pretty thick. Dragon’s is better, closer to size. Academy’s 1/144 F-16 also has an OK pitot, only slightly thicker than the Master pitot. AssemblyI had some trouble drilling the hole for this pitot at… more |
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Downfall 1945Published:
This book covers the end of World War II in Europe from the campaign level. There is little examination of tactics or individual heroism; instead it looks at the challenges and opportunities faced by the top-level military leaders as the Third Reich neared its end. Until I read this book, I had the concept that the Western Allies (US, Britain, France) had a pretty easy time after stopping the Ardennes Offensive in December 1944, and moved up to the Elbe River line to wait for the Russians. At the same time, I thought the Russians were pretty much beating up on the Germans and making their way toward Berlin and eventual victory. I was pretty much wrong. After the Ardennes, the Wehrmacht was weakened, but not out of the game. They still held an area of the Netherlands… more |
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Operation Totalize, 1944Published:
This book covers the British/Canadian offensive to close the Falaise Pocket. After D-Day, the Allies were in a pocket surrounded by German troops and the ocean, and pretty much stuck in Normandy. The Wehrmacht, thinking the British forces in the north part of the pocket to be more likely to go on the offensive, moved their spare forces north to block a breakout. The Allies were planning dual offenses in late July, having brought reinforcements in across the beaches and through the ports they held. Bad weather postponed these until Operation Cobra, the attack by the Americans in the south began. Cobra effectively destroyed the German defenses in the south, but left the center and northern forces intact. The armored force continued to advance, and began to encircle the… more |
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Avia B.534 Late ModelPublished:
The AircraftOK, this is not my first review of an Eduard 1/144 B.534. I reviewed the “early” version and now I get to review the “late” version. In the previous review I mentioned in the history that a B.534 flying with the Slovak uprising in October 1944 shot down a Hungarian Ju-52 transport. This was the last victory by a biplane ever. Well, this model is that airplane. The Avia B.534 began its career in 1934. At the time it was an advanced aircraft. By 1940 it was well into obsolescence. In August of 1943, Bulgarian B.534s were sent to intercept the B-24s on the Ploesti raid. They had neither the speed nor the altitude to reach the bombers. The decals for a Bulgarian B.534 are included in this kit. The KitThis is a “quattro” kit. You get at least 4 of… more |
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R.A.F. Victor K.2 TankerPublished:
HistoryThe Handley Page Victor was conceived as a nuclear bomber in the late 1950s. It was the third and last of the “V Bombers”, following the Valiant and Vulcan. As the Royal Navy took over the nuclear deterrent mission with submarines, the V Bombers became aircraft without missions. The Valiant had already been reconfigured as an airborne tanker, but when the airframes became worn out, the Victor bombers became the tanker force. In 1982 the Victor K.2 tankers participated in one of the most complicated missions ever conceived. Operation Black Buck used 11 Victor K.2s and a single Vulcan B.2 to deliver a bomb load from Ascension Island to Port Stanley Airport in the Falklands, a distance of 3900 miles. The next, and last big deployment of the Victor K.2 was… more |