IPMS Number
2209

Reviews By Author

Product packaging

F-15 Wheels

Published: November 30, 2016
Company: Res-Im

Building 1/144 can be great fun, but sometimes older kits need a little boost to bring them up to the standards we’ve come to expect from newer (but more expensive) kits. A case in point is the LS 1/144 F-15, which has a couple of things which could use improvement.

The wheels on the LS kit are correctly sized in diameter, but they look like ATV tires. They’re too wide, and the… more

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Bachem Ba.349 Natter Upgrade Set

Published: February 3, 2020
Company: Brengun

The Kit

This is the detail upgrade for Brengun’s Bachem Natter kit, BRP144001 which I have previously reviewed.

The Brengun Natter kit is a double kit, 2 in a box. The PE/resin upgrade also… more

Book cover

River Plate, 1939 – The Sinking of the Graf Spee

Published: September 20, 2016
Book Author(s): Angus Konstam, Illustrations by Tony Bryan
Company: Osprey Publishing

I was somewhat aware of the happenings at Montevideo, Uruguay some time in early WW2, but this book gave me a clear picture of what happened, and why it happened like it did. Mr. Konstam has put together a thoroughly researched book, with all of those details that make the history come alive. But the book is also very well written, to the point where I looked up and it was well past my bedtime… more

Product packaging

Spitfire E Wing Late - Hispano 20mm & Browning .50cal in Fairings

Published: August 29, 2016
Company: Master Model

Master Model has a line of finely done brass parts which upgrade the kit they’re designed for. These parts are great if you have an accident and one of the cannons breaks off. The other possibility is AMS, as the machine guns are far superior in detail to the little nubs provided on the kit wing. See the parts comparison below.

The Spitfire IXe had a pair of 20mm cannons in the wing.… more

Product packaging

Vulcan Refueling Probe

Published: August 29, 2016
Company: Master Model

This is another of those little parts from Master Model of Poland which can save your model. In this case, it’s the refueling probe on the 1/144 Vulcan. The kit part is plastic. It sticks out there most of an inch in front of the rest of the aircraft, just inviting someone to bump it and break it off. With this metal replacement, you won’t have to worry about that. In fact it could cause… more

Package

Spitfire B Wing - Hispano 20mm cannons in fairings

Published: August 19, 2016
Company: Master Model

Master Model produces beautiful little brass parts for aircraft. Their particular thing is those easily broken and lost parts, pitot tubes and wing guns. I also recently did a review on their gun barrels for the 1/144 Ju-87G Stuka, another set of easily broken parts.

The instructions are pretty basic, so you need to have some modeling experience to figure out what to do. On the other… more

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Spitfire 9c Guns

Published: August 13, 2016
Company: Master Model

Master Model produces finely crafted small detail parts for models which have been damaged or may be subject to rough handling. Their collection of antennas and pitot tubes are invaluable for the modeler whose friends (or former friends) handle models less than carefully. There’s a picture below, which appeared as a cartoon in an early IPMS Quarterly. This particular set is for the cannons of… more

Package

Spitfire E Wing Early Version Hispano 20mm & Browning .50cal

Published: July 30, 2016
Company: Master Model

Master Model produces finely crafted small detail parts for models which have been damaged or may be subject to rough handling. Their collection of antennas and pitot tubes are invaluable for the modeler whose friends (or former friends) handle models less than carefully. There’s a picture below. This particular set is the guns for a Spitfire IXe.

The Spitfire IXe had a pair of 20mm… more

Package

BAC TSR.2 Pitot Tube

Published: July 15, 2016
Company: Master Model

There are three 1/144 TSR.2s available currently. Great Wall Hobby and Pit Road appear to be the same model in different boxes. I could be wrong here, but I don’t think so. On the other hand, the third 1/144 TSR.2 kit, which I have in my stash is the Kami de Korokoro kit. Since it’s a paper model, I’ve put it off. I’m sure I won’t need a new pitot for the paper plane.

The model I used… more

Product Picture

Bachem Ba.349 Natter

Published: June 26, 2016
Company: Brengun

The Aircraft

The Bachem Ba 349 “Natter” was another of those last-ditch attempts by the Axis powers to stave off defeat. The Japanese had the MXY7 “Okha” which was supposed to stop the US fleets off Japan. The Natter was supposed to shoot down the fleets of bombers which were reducing the cities of the Reich to rubble on a daily basis.

The concept here was an aircraft which… more