D9R Doobi Big Ed Set - Part II

Published: February 9, 2015
Company: Eduard

This is the second half of the review of the Big Ed set for the Meng Models D9R Dozer.

This portion will focus on the exterior detail set (36265) which happens to be one of the most extensive sets as well as parts for every side of the vehicle are covered.

I started by assembling all the ammo racks for both sides and rear of the vehicle. They are made up of several different pieces, but the assembly went off without too much trouble. I used a piece of styrene rod for the securing bar on the bottom of the first rack I built, but later decided to use some brass rod instead as I could solder that in place for a more secure bond overall. The instructions say to use 1mm plastic rod…brass looks better.

There were a few areas I skipped using the PE as even with my… more

D9R Doobi Big Ed Set - Part I

Published: February 9, 2015
Company: Eduard

First off, the MENG D9R kit is a beast, but it’s a beautiful piece of modeling goodness once you get going. The Big Ed photoetch (PE) set that Eduard has designed for this kit is an exceptional addition. There are some rather tedious steps involved if you plan to use the entire set of PE, but it isn’t out of reach if you’re patient and pay attention to what you’re doing. The set consists of three separate smaller sets: 36265 Exterior, 36268 Interior (color), and 36270 Cooling Slats. In part one of this review, I will focus on the cooling slats and interior. I’ll follow this up with the exterior set in part two.

I started with the cooling slats as this seemed to be the best place due to all the handling required for the smaller items later on. Step one has you fold up an… more

Exterior PE for Trumpeter A-6A

Published: January 24, 2015
Company: Eduard

Photo Etch. Some love it, others hate it. This guy has a love hate relationship with it as well, but this was one set that I was more than capable of using without any serious issues. To my knowledge I only created 4 new cuss words, but they were my own doing and not the products fault. With that being said, let’s look at what the folks at Eduard sent my way.

This set is for the exterior of the plane. I didn’t use all of the included pieces, but did use probably 95% of what came on the two brass frets. Looking over all the pieces and where they go showed that it shouldn’t be as daunting as I thought. Yes, there are lots of them, but what parts I did use, all fit extremely well. There were some areas where I would skip using the PE if I were to do this again (I will get the… more

Fouga Magister Landing Gear

Published: October 27, 2014
Company: Scale Aircraft Conversions

Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) has been around for several years now, and I must say that I love what they have done. A lot of kits that come to us today have rather spindly landing gear legs on them, and over time I have seen some of my older builds begin to show a noticeable sag in their landing gear as the plastic starts to succumb to gravity and the weight of the model.

Well, you can wave goodbye to those days with a set of SAC’s white-metal landing gear. Their products are a direct replacement for the kit parts. Their casting is top shelf and virtually flash free, with just minor cleanup of seam lines being needed.

This set, for the Kinetic/Wingman Models Magister, includes the forward mounting wall for the nose gear and the two main landing-gear legs on the… more

MiG-29 Russian Stencils

Published: October 27, 2014
Company: HAD Models

HAD Models (HungAeroDecals) is a new company, at least to me. Printed in Hungary, HAD Models brings us a sheet of stencils for the ubiquitous MiG-29. Although the sheet is small in size (6.5ʺ x 4.75ʺ) it is packed with decals; 136 to be exact. The decals are well printed, in register, and easy to read, even in 1/48 scale, with the aid of my Optivisor.

The decals comes with two foldouts that show the plane in profile from both sides with large call out numbers to aid in placing the many stencils on your model. The second sheet features the same clear placement guide for the top and bottom of the plane. Additionally, the second sheet provides placement instructions for the stencils that appear on the assorted missile rails your MiG might carry. Some color pictures are provided of… more

Luftwaffe JG73 Operation Sniper 2003, Mig-29-12

Published: October 21, 2014
Company: Great Wall Hobby

I need to preface this review by saying I had a major setback towards the end of this build. All of the in progress pictures I had been taking were deleted on my computer somehow. I was able to recover some of them, but not all. I did my best to capture what I thought was important during the build. Hopefully the review will still be of use even without those photos’s I lost.

I’ll hold off with any history about the Mig-29 as I’m sure there is plenty out there to find that would be far better than anything I could relay. In my eyes, Great Wall Hobby has a winner on their hands with this one. This is an amazingly detailed model right out of the box. One of the first things I noticed when I cracked the seal was how well everything fit inside. The upper fuselage is provided in its… more

T-38A Talon Air Scoops

Published: October 19, 2014
Company: Quickboost

There isn’t much to say with this one. These are a direct replacement for the Trumpeter kits air scoops; parts C-18/19. As you can see they are well cast and feature a hollow opening as opposed to the kits solid appearance. The kit piece is on the top in the picture. Well packaged at an affordable price. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Quickboost for providing this review item

SU-85, Soviet Tank Destroyer

Published: January 24, 2011
Company: Tamiya

The Model

The SU-85 is a Russian tank destroyer that has a massive 85-mm gun, and was capable of taking out nearly every foe it came across. The tank did not have a moving turret so it made it easy for the Russians to build. It was powered with a V-2 12-cylinder diesel engine that could reach speeds of 34-mph on rough roads. There were roughly 2,050 destroyers built from 1943 until late 1944. It was mainly used in the battle of Kursk, as well as being heavily used from December 1943 to counter-attack German Panthers and Tiger Tanks.

The Kit

The kit contained 4 bags, one with the main body of the tank, one that contained 4 sprues marked A.B, C, and D, a bag with the tracks, and hardware required. The fourth bag contained 6 Russian soldiers to assemble. The… more