John Noack
Reviews By Author
Real Colors of WWII Aircraft, Limited EditionPublished: April 15, 2019 This massive tome landed in my mailbox courtesy of the fine folks at AK Interactive who have also provided us with multiple samples of paint, brushes, weathering media and the like. This is the icing on the cake for any modeler of American, Russian, Luftwaffe, or British aircraft of the WWII period. The book is divided into 4 sections accordingly, with sub-sections for the various branches (e.… more |
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Spitfire IX: The Longest Day - Dual Combo Limited EditionPublished: March 17, 2019 This lovely boxing of a Limited Edition kit includes parts for two complete Mk.IX’s (a “c” variant and an “e” variant) and decals for 6 different aircraft, specifically:
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Professional Sprue Cutter - 2175ETPublished: March 2, 2019 Our good friend and supporter Abby Robey of Xuron supplied several new tools to us for review. Up first is this sprue cutter. Like all of Xuron’s tools, this is a finely crafted tool that will deliver years of service if properly used. That means plastic only – the fine cutting edges are shaped to deliver a near-flush cut on soft plastic – use them on metal and you’ll damage that edge. … more |
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Professional Sprue Cutter - TK3600Published: March 2, 2019 Here’s the second review of some new tools from our friends at Xuron up in Saco, ME. The Photo-Etch Tool Kit consists of three discrete tools:
I’m currently working on an Eduard Spitfire in 1/72 scale with some incredibly tiny p/e parts… more |
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E.R. Engels II. LeRhone (with Skis)Published: December 29, 2018 Designed and built by Russian engineer E.R. Engels, the Engels II was a parasol-winged monoplane flying boat first flown in 1917. Designed to fly using wing warping rather than ailerons, the aircraft was at one time the fastest flying boat in service. An egg-shaped pod held the fuel tank and structure for the 120 HP LeRhone rotary engine. Armament was a single, fixed 7.62mm machine gun mounted… more |
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SH-3 A/D Sea KingPublished: February 3, 2020 AFV Club is a Taiwan-based venture, founded by a hobby shop owner in the late 1980’s. With a growing catalogue of kits in various scales and genres (armor, aircraft, ships, figures and accessories), AFV have made a name for themselves as a niche supplier of subjects. This little gem is no exception. The Sea King, entering service in 1961, was Sikorsky’s first truly amphibious helo and… more |
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GeeBee R2 RacerPublished: August 14, 2018 Dora Wings is a relatively new company with a number of low-pressure injection mold releases. I contacted them and we were fortunate to receive two new kits - a P-63E King Cobra (reviewed elsewhere on this site) and the iconic Gee Bee R2 racer. There’s plenty of history to be found regarding this little bumblebee of an airplane - maximum sized engine stuffed into the smallest possible airframe… more |
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C.S.S. Hunley Civil War SubmarinePublished: December 11, 2021 Disclaimer: Mikro-Mir’s 1/35 CSS Hunley is probably one of the more accurate representations of this iconic Civil War submersible. As preservation of the original craft continues, more details come to light regularly. There are numerous interpretations of different features of the boat, and online research probably raised more questions for me than answered them. In the end, I elected to go… more |
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German Type UB-1 submarinePublished: February 10, 2020 History“The Type UB I was a class of small coastal submarines (U-boats) built in Germany at the beginning of the First World War. Built to meet the need for small maneuverable submarines able to operate in the narrow, shallow seas off Flanders, the vessels were intended to be quickly constructed, then shipped by rail and assembled at their port of operation. The design effort… more |
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Cyanoacrylate Glue ProductsPublished: September 6, 2021 Our friends at BSI sent along a box of current and new releases across their line of CA products. Some of these may be familiar to you, others, like their new Plastic-Cure brush on product, were new to me. Let’s take a look at the family of BSI products: BSI-105 Plastic-Cure Adhesive: this new ½ ounce product comes in a bottle with a brush cap. Applied like… more |