Jim Pearsall
Reviews By Author
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Grumman X-29Published: November 26, 2012 The X-29 was built in 1984 as a test bed for the forward-swept wing concept. The result was an extremely maneuverable aircraft, but because the center of gravity was behind the aerodynamic center, the aircraft was inherently unstable. The solution was a fly-by-wire system which used a computer to make 40 corrections per second to keep the aircraft going where the pilot wanted it to go. Two… more |
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Hawker Hurricane Mk.IPublished: November 18, 2012 The KitThis is another of the 1/144 aircraft for Zvezda’s “Art of Tactic” game system. As such, it’s designed to be robust enough to stand up to handling and repeated abuse. It also means that some of the delightful little details and add-ons you find on other 1/144 fighter kits aren’t there. The kit is only 8 parts plus the stand, and it’s designed to be a snap-together kit. OK,… more |
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Supermarine Seafire FR.46Published: September 7, 2021 I have always been very interested in the odd subject, the one-offs, the participants in some historically significant or merely strange event, and the Seafire FR 46 fits in there somewhere. The Seafire 46 was a modification of the Spitfire F 22, with the bubble canopy and contra-rotating props. Combined with the larger vertical stabilizer of the Seafang, the Mk 46 fixed the problem of the… more |
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P-36 Interior Upgrade SetPublished: October 17, 2012 I bought this upgrade set at the Orlando Nationals to upgrade the Monogram P-36 which I was going to do with the Yellow Wings decals, which I have also reviewed. The Monogram P-36 has been around for a long time, first released in 1967. While it’s not a new kit, it has decent shape and fit. But the interior is just a seat and an instrument panel. Starfighter Decals, part of Mark’s… more |
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Multi Aircraft Series Special Decals #1Published: February 10, 2020 Yellow Wings Decals specializes in the “between the wars” period, 1930-1942, when there was a lot of aircraft development and the American military aircraft were incredibly gaudy. I’ve heard that the yellow wings on these aircraft were to make them easier to find when they made emergency landings or crashed somewhere off the field. The AircraftThis is the first of a series… more |
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F-4 Phantom II (Short Nose) Pitot Tube, Ram Air Inlet, Angle of Attack ProbePublished: September 26, 2012 I am not a Phantom Phreak. Just because I have built about 4 dozen F-4s, in every scale from 1/32 to 1/700, have stopped in a drugstore parking lot and got out of the car to see one of the last Phantoms land for a Luke air show, and have driven a 150 mile round trip to see the last of Springfield IL’s Rhinos take off, does NOT make me a Phreak. A Phan, yeah, but not a Phreak, OK? I… more |
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Tupolev Tu-144D ChargerPublished: September 22, 2012 The AircraftThe Tu-144 was quite a special aircraft. It was the first supersonic passenger plane to fly, beating the Concorde by two months. The Concorde was scheduled to fly first, but ran into some developmental problems which delayed the flight. Tupolev was pressured into flying their aircraft first, in spite of problems, giving the Soviet Union a huge propaganda boost and… more |
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Pz.Kpfw.III.Ausf.M with wading mufflerPublished: September 12, 2021 A note: I reviewed the Dragon PzKw III Ausf L about 5 months before I got this kit. I covered the history more exhaustively in that review. The PanzerThe Panzer III was built by Daimler-Benz, and the A models were first produced in 1937. The first mass production version was the Ausf F, which entered service in 1939, just in time for Poland. The Panzer III was… more |
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The Daring Dozen – 12 Special Forces Legends of World War IIPublished: September 8, 2012 “Special Forces” was a fairly new concept in World War II. There were some who thought outside the military box and saw that another war like World War I would probably destroy Europe, if not the rest of the world, both economically and from population loss. The generals in the military establishment were far from enthusiastic about the idea that a few soldiers with skill and cunning could do… more |
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MiG-23 Pitot TubePublished: September 7, 2012 Here’s another of those little add-ons that can really make your project look good. It’s just one part, but with very little fiddling you can replace the kit part with a really good looking brass part. Airfix, Hasegawa, Heller, and Zvezda all have 1/72 MiG-23s, but I’ve only built the Hasegawa Flogger. Twice. Once as DDR (East German) and one Czech. After I pulled the DDR plane off the… more |