J-3 'Cub Goes to War'

Published: January 29, 2024
Company: Special Hobby

Anyone who has spent time at an airport is familiar with the ubiquitous Piper J-3 Cub. Having flown in a few models of this aircraft, I have a special affinity for the type and have built several of Mr. Piper’s Cubs. (Those who remember our late Treasurer, Ed Kinney, may have hear his comment about Cubs – “they have just enough power to get you to the scene of the crash”).

Anyway, I… more

V-22A Osprey

Published: February 11, 2023
Company: Italeri

The V-22 has had a long and difficult developmental period – hard to believe the design dates from the early 90’s – but with improvements in design and operational techniques, has taken its place as a workhorse in multiple services.

I have a personal connection to this aircraft – in fact, the version I chose to model probably has my fingerprints her and there on the empennage. I was… more

Wooden Motorcycle

Published: May 17, 2020
Company: UGears

This is my second review of a UGears wooden kit. The “U” refers to the fact that these unusual products are engineered and manufactured in the Ukraine. Each kit is precisely – and I do mean precisely – laser cut and etched from fine plywood. This particular kit contains two sheets consisting of 189 parts, along with peripherals such as rubber bands (for the drive mechanism) and toothpicks (… more

Renault London Taxi

Published: January 4, 2021
Company: ICM

And now for something different – for this reviewer at least. I’ve always been intrigued with the bright brasswork of early automobiles and the combination of dark green paint and brass trim caught my eye when perusing the list of review items.

The kit arrives in a very sturdy cardboard box with separate cover in full color. Each tree is carefully wrapped, clear parts and rubber tires… more

Horten 229, Part 1

Published: March 26, 2020
Company: Zoukei-Mura

(Note: This is a split review of a combination package, I took the 1/144 version and another reviewer is doing the 1/72 kit).

While one can argue whether this aircraft would have truly been a stealthy fighter, the fact remains that it is one of the most intriguing possibilities to come out of the minds of the Horten brothers. Much has been written about their innovative designs, their… more

Yankee Pod and Yankee Notch Submarines

Published: March 26, 2020
Company: OKB Grigorov

If there was an obscure or one-off submersible designed and built in the 20^th century, you can be sure that the folks at OKB Grigorov, a Bulgarian company, will release a kit. (Check out their website, they manufacture and sell a variety of ships, armor and figure accessories as well).

Background and history courtesy of Wikipedia

These two Russian boats are… more

F6F-3 Hellcat Profipack Kit

Published: January 1, 2022
Company: Eduard

I don’t think that much needs to be said about the venerable Hellcat, the premiere US Navy fighter of WW2 (sorry Corsair lovers, I’ll admit to some bias here. When I started as a structural designer at Grumman many decades ago, some of my mentors had actually worked on this aircraft).

Eduard’s Profipack boxing of this little gem includes crisp moldings in light gray and clear styrene,… more

F8U-2 Crusader "Jolly Rogers" (2 kits)

Published: January 26, 2020
Company: Platz

The F8U Crusader (later re-designated as F-8) was the first operational supersonic carrier aircraft serving for the United States Navy and Marine Corps in the late 1950s. Often considered the last gunfighter, it was well loved by pilots for exceptional performance. One interesting feature was the movable wing assembly. While it’s often believed that the purpose of the raised wing was to… more

Monowheel

Published: December 30, 2019
Company: UGears

And now for something completely different! UGears contacted us and offered to send a number of kits; I believe this is the first review of the group. UGears is a Ukrainian company started in 2015, and UB LLC are their US Distributor. Their extensive product line is well worth taking a look at if you’re a fan.

Each of their kits consist of precision laser-cut plywood parts and an… more

Wood Airbrush Stencils

Published: March 25, 2021
Company: RB Productions

Price: RB-T028: €7 (approximately $9.23) plus S&H; RB-T043: €9 (approximately $11.87) plus S&H

First off, my apologies to the good folks at RB Productions for a late review. RB were present at this year’s Nationals in Chattanooga and were kind enough to provide us with a number of samples including these two delicate p/e stencils. Each is a carefully etched piece of brass… more