Luke R. Bucci, PhD
Reviews By Author
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Model Art Modeling Magazine, #848, July 2012Published:
ModelArt No. 848 July 2012 monthly update features modeling tools and supplies. As always, the format is close to 7x10 inches in size, and the printing and reproduction quality are excellent. Model Art’s text is almost entirely in the Japanese language, and most feature photos are in color. The usual sections follow and are listed by their topic:
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IJN Katata and Hozu, Chinese River GunboatsPublished:
Bottom LineA nicely detailed kit of an obscure topic – WW2 Japanese Navy Chinese river gunboats. HistoryIJN Katata and Hozu were from the four-ship Seta class, assembled in China in 1923. They weighed 400 tons and were capable of 16 knots. During the 1920s and until the Sino-Japanese war, these ships practiced gunboat diplomacy on the major rivers and in ports in China. They participated in the China Incidents of 1937-1938. In 1940, their armament was upgraded to two single 3 inch guns and 13.2mm machine guns, later replaced by 25mm mounts. Main armament was mounted in shields fore and aft, and AA guns were in tubs on the roof and machine guns in windows. When WW2 started, they changed their livery from traditional gunboat white… more |
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Model Art Plamo Manual, #8, August 2012Published:
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 |
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Model Art Modeling Magazine, #850, August 2012Published:
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:
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WWII German Navy 1/700 Watertight Ship Windows PEPublished:
Bottom LineProvides 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 GetFor 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 |
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WWII German Navy Cable ReelsPublished:
Bottom LineLion 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 GetFor 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 |
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Model Art Modeling Magazine, #842, April 2012Published:
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:
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German Z-39 DestroyerPublished:
Bottom LineDragon’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-39Die 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 |
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Model Art Modeling Magazine, #838, February 2012Published:
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 |
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IJN Training Cruiser Katori, August 1942Published:
Bottom LineLong 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. HistoryIJN 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 |