Model Art Plamo Manual, #8, August 2012

Published: August 5, 2012
Book Author(s): Kitazawa S, Suzuki S, Dads, M, Horigome, T, Matsuoka, M, Lee, C
Company: Model Art

Plamo Manuals are How-To guides for building specific types of models from Model Art in Japan, a prolific publisher of high-quality periodicals on current modeling subjects. This issue (Plamo Manual No. 8) is devoted to converting aircraft models. The theme is to take a currently available aircraft kit and convert it to another version of the real-life aircraft for which no kit is available (or is out of production). For each conversion, pages of small color and B&W photos show how to make the changes needed to change a kit into something else. The text is almost entirely in Japanese, but the photos are self-explanatory. This issue of Plamo Manual also shows how to make certain structures from scratch. Thus, advanced modelers would enjoy this issue, and… more

Model Art Modeling Magazine, #850, August 2012

Published: August 3, 2012
Company: Model Art

ModelArt No. 850 August 2012 monthly update features Russian Sukhoi jets – Building Model Kits of Sukhoi Su-27, Su-30, Su-35 and Su-37 Flanker. As always, the format is close to 7x10 inches in size, and the printing and reproduction quality are excellent. Model Art text is almost entirely in Japanese language, and most feature photos are in color. The usual sections follow and are listed by their topic:

1. Cover Feature: Pages 5-51 shows off how-to builds of each type of modern Russian Sukhoi jet fighters/interceptors. First up is Eduard’s 1/48 scale SukhoiSu-27P Flanker B. Next is Academy’s Su-30MK Flanker-F2 Multirole fighter, followed by a conversion of Trumpeter’s 1/72 Chinese J-11B into a Sukhoi Su-35S Super Flanker 4th Generation fighter. Hasegawa’s 1/72 Sukhoi Su-27P… more

WWII German Navy 1/700 Watertight Ship Windows PE

Published: June 21, 2012
Company: Lion Roar

Bottom Line

Provides seven types of round and square windows (not portholes) with covers for 1/700 WW2 German Navy warship models. 336 very small pieces.

Lion Roar expands its 1/700 warship photoetch set lineup with German Navy (DKM) windows. These are not portholes, but are windows used on above-the-hull superstructures. A small instruction sheet only has pictures of each porthole showing proper orientation. There are no guides as to which windows go where on what ship – you are on your own to determine how to use them.

What You Get

For a retail price of $11, you get a medium-sized fret of stainless steel with 336 separate windows. The fret is covered on both sides with a plastic peel-away film. For each window, its cover is attached in the open… more

WWII German Navy Cable Reels

Published: February 13, 2022
Company: Lion Roar

Bottom Line

Lion Roar expands its WW2 German Navy 1/700 warship photoetch set lineup with German Navy (DKM) cable reels. Caveat: these are the cable reels only – no cables/ropes are supplied – you will have empty reels after assembling that will need to be filled up (or not) with very fine thread or wire. For the advanced modeler only. This set replaces the older Lion Roar 70008 DKM IV Cable Reels set, which had fewer cable reels per fret.

What You Get

For a retail price of $11, you get a medium-sized fret of stainless steel with five different sizes of cable reels, a grand total of 84 reels (16, 20, 22, 11, 15 in order of declining size). That is 13 cents per cable reel. You get the matching insides of the reels. The fret is covered on both sides with a… more

Model Art Modeling Magazine, #842, April 2012

Published: April 23, 2012
Company: Model Art

ModelArt No. 842, April, 2012, monthly update features how to update older kits of mostly 1/48 scale WW2 aircraft, as shown by front cover shots of three aircraft. As always, the format is close to 7x10 inches in size, and the printing and reproduction quality are excellent. Model Art text is entirely in Japanese, and most feature photos are in color. The usual sections follow and are listed by their topic:

1. 1/48 IJN “Betty” bomber from the death of Yamamoto Isoruko showing photographs of the crash site and model (pages 4-9)
2. Cover Feature: 1/48 scale WW2 aircraft, mostly (pages 11-51). Each aircraft has extensive photographs of how they were modified and updated. Here are the aircraft models featured:
   1. Nichimo 1… more

German Z-39 Destroyer

Published: April 19, 2012
Company: Dragon Models

Bottom Line

Dragon’s first foray into 1/700 WW2 German Navy destroyers sets the standard for “Narvik” class models. None better. One of the best injection-molded plastic 1/700 warships kits I have seen.

DKM Z-39

Die Deutsche Kriegsmarine (German War-Navy or DKM) built 40 destroyers that saw service in WW2. The most evolved DKM destroyer to see service was Z-39 (Zerstorer-39), the last of seven Type 36A(Mob) ships. She was laid down in 1940 and commissioned in August, 1943. As built, she packed 5 150mm (5.9 inch) guns for surface targets, a variety of 37mm and 20mm antiaircraft (AA) guns, and eight 21-inch torpedo tubes. After being damaged by aircraft bombs in the Baltic in 1944, Z39 was given a “Barbara” refit, which removed one 150mm… more

Model Art Modeling Magazine, #838, February 2012

Published: February 21, 2012
Company: Model Art

ModelArt No. 838 monthly update features new kits of the iconic Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) battleship Yamato, as well as the usual new kit reviews and features. Pages 7-49 illustrate five new Yamatos ranging from 1/150 to 1/700 scale. Each model shows new aftermarket details, photoetch sets, and how to use them. Tamiya 1/350 1945 version, Fujimi 1/700 20in version, Tamiya 1/700 Leyte Gulf version, a scratchbuilt 1/150 full hull model, and Fujimi 1/500 1941 with wood deck are featured. Yes, that is right – Fujimi came out with a what-if version of Yamato with twin 20in gunned main turrets replacing the usual 18in turrets, and a new AA fit, including 100mm turrets, 40mm Bofors and quad 20mm mounts. Now you can get a model of Yamato in every modification, even one that never was. The… more

IJN Training Cruiser Katori, August 1942

Published: February 3, 2012
Company: Aoshima

Bottom Line

Long overdue, new molding for the 1/700 scale IJN Katori training cruiser as she appeared at the beginning of WW2 (August 1942). Excellent detail, excellent fit, accurate appearance. Vast improvement over the previous molds.

History

IJN Katori was the lead ship of a three-ship class of training cruisers designed to replace aging pre-WWI era ex-armored cruisers. After Japan rejected naval treaties in 1937, plans for three new training cruisers were drawn up and construction started in 1938. All ships were built at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries merchant marine yards in Yokohama. A fourth planned ship (Kashiwara) was cancelled in 1941. Katori and her sister ships Kashima and Kashii were named after Shinto shrines, and Katori and Kashima were… more

45-Degree, 2 Bar Ship's Railings

Published: January 30, 2012
Company: Eduard

Bottom Line

Very esoteric 1/700 scale warship photoetch set with limited utility. For experienced super-detailers. NOTE: this is not typical deck railings!

Eduard from the Czech Republic has been producing superior photoetch sets for years. They have ventured into 1/700 and 1/350 scale ship railings now with eleven new sets released in 2011. Four are in 1/700 scale and all are angled railings, something unique. You have a choice of long or short spaces between stanchions (vertical supports), and 2-bar or 3-bar railings, but all are 45-degrees, meaning the vertical stanchions are angled at 45 degrees to the horizontal chains.

What You Get

For a retail price of $27 you get a large fret of stainless steel, rather thick railings. There are two versions… more

USN 20mm Oerlikon AA Photoetch Set

Published: January 11, 2012
Company: Eduard

Bottom Line

Another entry into aftermarket 1/700 scale US Navy 20mm mounts. Has single and double tripod mounts. Photoetch steel with close to scale look, not difficult to fold, fair value, but still has flat barrels. One of few sources for 20mmx2 mounts. Will give acceptable, good-looking 20mm mounts for late WW2 USN warships.

One major bugaboo for 1/700 scale warships has been oversized light AA weapons. Most injection-molded kits have 20mm barrels that are more like 3-5 inch guns when scaled up to actual size. Gun shields are thicker than battle ship armor plate when scaled up. In other words, most WW2 models suffer from light AA weapons that are way too big, wide, chunky and oversized, enough so to make the model look toy-like instead of accurate. This is… more