John King
Reviews By Author
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F4F-4Published:
BackgroundThis is Airfix’s second boxing of its new-tool F4F-4 Wildcat. This is the same plastic that comes in the first Airfix release, but this release is marketed under the “Starter Set,” meaning it comes with some paints, glue, and two paintbrushes. The paints are Humbrol acrylic and include: Trainer Yellow Matt (No 24), Sea Grey Matt (No 27), Black Matt (No 33), White Matt (No 34), Gunmetal metallic (No 53), and US Light Green Matt (No 117). I tried the paints with the supplied paintbrushes, and although the brushes are not very fine, they did work well with the paint once mixed. Therefore, for someone new to the hobby, this kind of a starter set should actually be useful. The KitThe Airfix F4F-4 Wildcat is, in my opinion, a nice kit. It looks like an… more |
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F4F Wildcat Landing GearPublished:
The PartsScale Aircraft Conversion is known for making white metal landing gear replacement sets for numerous aircraft in multiple scales. I have reviewed a few of these sets before. Normally, the only advantages that I see are that these make for a sturdier model. However, this set I feel is different. The parts are exact replacements of the Airfix parts; instead of plastic, these are made of white metal. There really is no additional detail. The parts do not have the mold seams that the kit parts do, which is nice. The reason I am very much for this set is that the Airfix parts are very finicky. What I found to be very useful of the SAC parts is the ability to bend slightly some of the parts so that you can fully assemble the landing gear. Once assembled, and… more |
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F-16C "Black Knights" In-box ReviewPublished:
In-box ReviewHasegawa’s 48th scale F-16s have been around for some time now. Although they are not the newest F-16s on the block, they are still venerable kits. This boxing is the upgraded F-16C Block 50/52 with markings for the Singaporean Air Force Black Knights demonstration team. The kit consists of 121 pieces on 14 grey sprues and one clear sprue. Despite most of the kit being over 10 years old. The parts are relatively flash free and have nice recessed details. The detail overall on the kit is mixed. In some areas, like the cockpit and landing gear, you have relatively nice details. However, other areas, like the wheel wells and Pratt & Whitney engine nozzles leave a little to be desired. In any case, it is a great basis for building a 48th scale F-16C.… more |
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MiG-21F-13 Fishbed CPublished:
BackgroundThe MiG-21 FISHBED has been the backbone of numerous air forces throughout the world. Recently, in the modeling community, we have been blessed with many variants of the MiG-21 from multiple manufacturers. This review covers the new release of the 1/72nd Revell of Germany MiG-21F-13 FISHBED C. This kit was previous released by Revell of Germany in 2005. Since the first release, it’s become relatively non-existent. However, that has now all changed with this new release! The only difference between the 2005 and 2015 releases are the decals (there were far more options and stencils in 2005). The KitThe Revell FISHBED C comes in the standard Revell end-opening blue box. Inside are three sprues of silver-grey plastic, one sprue of clear plastic, and… more |
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F/A-18 Resin Update SetPublished:
The Revell of Germany 1/144th F/A-18C has been on the market since 2005. It’s a great little 1/144th scale jet. The Korean company ACE has re-boxed the Revell kit in recent years, but the plastic is all the same. Although it’s a nice representation of the Legacy Hornet, the Revell F-18 could benefit from some upgrades. Brengun has recently release a small resin set to improve the Revell kit. Included in this resin set are: new landing gear doors, main wheels, leading edge extension (LEX) fences, ejection seat, new burner cans, a plethora of generic antennas, and a vac-formed canopy. The resin parts are nicely molded. I found two tiny pin holes on one of the main wheels. The vac-formed canopy is crystal clear. However, on my example there was a small blemish in the windscreen… more |
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F-89D/J Resin Jet PipesPublished:
Revell’s 1/72nd F-89D/J came out in the early 90’s and is a great kit. There are really only two shortfalls of the kit; the first being the lackluster cockpit and the second being the multi-part exhaust/jet pipes. Pavla has recently released resin detail parts for the cockpit and the exhaust. The resin jet pipes consist of only two parts, one per engine. These are simple replacements for the multi-part kit versions. There are no instructions, but it’s a relatively cut-and-dry process. There is a small pour stub on each part that will need to be removed. Afterwards, you’ll need to thin out the inside of the Revell fuselage in the area where the jet pipes will go. Once you do that, these parts slip right in. Unfortunately, I did not realize the kit would need alteration until… more |
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MU-2Published:
BackgroundPlatz, out of Japan, has been involved in the 1/144th modeling community for a while. They have produced many of their own kits and have teamed up with another Japanese company called F-Toys. F-Toys produce various subjects, among them being 1/144th scale aircraft kits. These kits from F-Toys are typically pre-painted, mostly assembled, and somewhat snap together. Many 1/144th scale modelers will take these pre-painted F-Toys kits strip them down, add details, repaint, and decal them. However, now we are seeing Platz take those same F-Toys kits and produce them as traditional model kits. This Mitsubishi MU-2 is a prime example of that venture; first, it was released under the F-Toys name as a pre-painted kit, and now it’s released as a traditional model kit. … more |
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F-89D/J Resin CockpitPublished:
Revell’s 1/72nd F-89D/J came out in the early 90’s and is a great kit. There are really only two shortfalls of the kit; the first being the lackluster cockpit and the second being the multi-part exhaust. Pavla has recently released resin detail parts for the cockpit and the exhaust. The resin cockpit comes with twelve resin parts and two vac-formed parts. The vac-formed parts include the windscreen, canopy, and the rear blast screen. The blast screen is something that the Revell kit did not include. Overall, the resin parts are far superior to the kit parts. There was quite a bit of flash on the seats, which requires some careful trimming with a hobby knife. The cockpit set includes two rear instrument panels, one for the F-89D and one for the F-89J. The instructions call the F… more |
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1/144th Platz T-34A MentorPublished:
Background Platz, out of Japan, has been involved in the 1/144th modeling community for a while. They have produced many of their own kits and have teamed up with another Japanese company called F-Toys. F-Toys produce various subjects, among them being 1/144th scale aircraft kits. These kits from F-Toys are typically pre-painted, mostly assembled, and somewhat snap together. Many 1/144th scale modelers will take these pre-painted F-Toys kits strip them down, add details, repaint, and decal them. However, now we are seeing Platz take those same F-Toys kits and produce them as traditional model kits. This T-34A is a prime example of that venture; first it was released under the F-Toys name as a pre-painted kit, and now it’s released as a traditional model kit.… more |
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MiG-17F & MiG-17PF Photo-Etch SetsPublished:
Attack’s 1/144 scale MiG-17s are nice little representations of the Fresco, but they are missing a key ingredient—a cockpit. Thanks to Brengun, the 1/144 scale community now has a two very nice photo-etch (PE) cockpit sets to correct this omission: one for the MiG-17F and one for the MiG-17PF. Before starting, I will admit that my PE skills are not the greatest. However, the parts that required folding were clearly marked, and with the help of a couple razor blades, they were easy to bend and fold. Brengun’s PE sets include almost everything need to represent either the MiG-17F or the MiG-17PF cockpit. The PE sets also includes the canopy deck, finely detailed landing gear doors, engine exhaust detail, and antennas. As far as I can tell, the only difference between the… more |