Keenan Chittester
Reviews By Author
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British Ground-Attack Aircraft of the 1970s and ‘80sPublished:
I was not familiar with this series of books, so I was not sure what to expect. But being a fan of British aircraft, I couldn’t pass up the chance to review it. This book by author Chris Goss is just under 100 pages and measures 9.5” tall and 6.75” wide. There is a short forward by Air Marshal Philip Sturley and a one page introduction by the author. All of the photographs are from the collection of the late David Howley. The book contains one chapter covering the Jaguar and another covering the Harrier. There is also a short appendix listing the different variants of the two aircraft and units that operated them. The pictures are a mixture of black and white photos and color photos and are presented two on a page for the majority of the book. Most of the photos are of the… more |
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German Anti-Tank Gun NashornPublished:
Tamiya’s line of 1/48 armor kits continues to grow, and I for one am thankful. This is kit number 100 in the series, and it comes in their usual black trimmed box with nice artwork of a Nashorn in winter camo. For a relatively small kit, the parts count is almost 200. As one would expect, the parts are very cleanly molded and nicely detailed. The tracks are link and length, with a very realistic sag molded into the top run of tracks. There is also a nice figure included and according to the instructions he is only to be used for the winter camo scheme. Speaking of camo schemes, there are markings provided on a small decal sheet for two options – the winter scheme and a three-color vehicle in desert yellow, green and brown camo. Instructions are provided in the usual Tamiya style –… more |
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Arado Ar-68FPublished:
The Arado Ar68F kit by Roden is one of two version that they produce, the other being the “E” version. The bulk of both kits are the same with the exception of the sprue containing the cowling parts, since the E and F used different engines. The kit contains around 100 nicely molded parts in a medium gray plastic plus a clear plastic windscreen. There are no photo-etch or resin parts. Instructions are provided in black and white on 8 pages in 15 steps. There is also a separate two-sided sheet with two of the color schemes shown in color. Decals are provided for three marking options, all of which are very different from each other. A standard RLM70/71/65 option is included, along with an overall red machine with a white lightning bolt/arrow running the length of the fuselage and a… more |
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Masks for Siebel Si204DPublished:
When I obtained the 1/48 Special Hobby Si204D for review, I knew I was going to need to see if anybody made pre-cut masks for it. It has a large canopy similar to that used on the Heinkel He111, so I didn’t relish the task of masking it, especially if I had to cut my own masks. Luckily, shortly after I received the kit a new list of Eduard items was distributed for review and the Siebel masks were on the list. I immediately requested them. The masks come in the now familiar packaging, with easy to follow color instructions. The material is the usual kabuki tape and is slightly thinner than Tamiya masking tape. The position of the masks is clearly marked on the instructions and they fit perfectly. Included are masks for the canopy and all of the cabin windows. The set also… more |
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Siebel Si204Published:
The Siebel Si204D was a Luftwaffe training and liaison aircraft which first flew in May 1941. It possessed excellent flying characteristics and was very reliable, albeit not particularly attractive. I believe this is the first injection molded 1/48 kit of the type. MPM did a vacuform kit many years ago, and I have tried several times to obtain one, but with no luck. When I saw this offering listed amongst the available review kits, I jumped at the chance to review it. The kit comes in a sturdy, medium sized box with nicely done artwork on the box. Inside are eight sprues of medium gray plastic, one sprue of clear plastic and a resin radome for one of the three decal schemes – two Luftwaffe aircraft and one Swiss. Parts count is just under 200, but about 25 of those are not used… more |
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Si 204D Steel SeatbeltsPublished:
The Special Hobby 1/48 Siebel Si 204D has a lot of detail in the cockpit and cabin, so it is a shame that no seatbelts are provided. Eduard have come to the rescue with this excellent set of pre-painted steel seatbelts. The Siebel has two seats in the cockpit, plus another five seats in the radio compartment and cabin. Eduard provides lap belts and shoulder harnesses for the two seats up front, and lap belts for the five aft seats. The color looks good, and I didn’t experience any problems with the pre-painted colors coming off. This is the first time I have used Eduard’s steel belts, and I must say I am hooked. They are much easier to manipulate than the brass items, so they can be bent into much more natural looking seatbelts. They also seemed to be easier to cut from the… more |
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Dornier Do17 Units of World War 2Published:
The good folks at Osprey Publishing just keep cranking out quality publications on all sorts of subjects, and this book is no exception. Author Chris Goss takes us through a well-written and well-researched history of the units that operated the Dornier Do-17 bomber in World War II. The book starts with a short explanation of the development of the Do-17 from a transport plane into a military plane during the formative years of the Luftwaffe. The type served in the Spanish Civil War, like many of the early Luftwaffe aircraft, and proved to be a capable bomber. Lessons learned in Spain led to the redesign of the forward part of the fuselage into the version that most of us modelers are familiar with – the Do-17Z. The Do-17 served in Poland, France, and the Battle of… more |
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Single No. 01. Bell P-39Q AiracobraPublished:
This is the first release in a new series by Mushroom Model Publications. I am a big fan of their products, so I looked forward to reviewing this book. It is a softcover publication of 24 pages, 6 of which are in color. The cover is a heavy card stock with a color top view of a Russian P-39Q. There are also color side and bottom views of the same aircraft in the book. The text in the book is limited to photo captions. There are 36 black and white pictures along with 10 color pictures. The pictures are of a good size and of good quality throughout. There is a mixture of walk around style photos from restored aircraft and wartime photos of U.S. aircraft in the Pacific theater. A couple of the photos are of P-39s undergoing maintenance and show several areas of the aircraft… more |
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M346 Advanced Fighter TrainerPublished:
This is the first injection-molded 1/48 kit of the M346 Advanced Fighter Trainer, which first flew in 2004. It is currently used by the air forces of Italy, Israel, Poland and Singapore. It was originally a joint venture between Aermacchi and Yakovlev, and you can definitely see the similarity to the Yak-130 Russian trainer. The kit is molded in a medium gray plastic and contains just over 270 parts. The molding is truly top notch, which is one of the hallmarks of the new Gold range of kits from Kinetic. This was the first kit produced in their new manufacturing facility. There is a small photo etch (PE) fret that contains seatbelts, the HUD frames, rearview mirrors for the inside of the canopy, various vents on the fuselage, and the small winglets. The clear parts are very… more |
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IDF F-CK-1C Ching-KuoPublished:
The F-CK-1C "Ching-kuo" is a single-seat Taiwanese fighter jet that looks like a cross between an F-16 and an F-18 but is about the size of an F-16. It has the sleek lines and single tail of the F-16, but the dual intakes similar to the F-18. AFV Club also makes a kit of the two-seat F-CK-1D. The kit comes packaged in a fairly sturdy box with beautiful artwork on the lid. Upon opening the kit I was impressed with the very high quality of the molding. Panel lines are very crisp and the molded detail is quite impressive. All of the sprues are in separate bags, as are the clear parts and a small photoetch fret. There are also a couple of bags that contain resin parts and a metal pitot tube. One of the bags has a nice resin instrument panel and side panel, and the other bag… more |