Matthew Cottrell
Reviews By Author
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RA-5C Vigilante Landing GearPublished:
Scale Aircraft Conversions has released a set of white metal replacement landing gear for Trumpeter’s 1/72 RA-5C, the Vietnam-era nuclear bomber turned reconnaissance aircraft. SAC’s conversion set includes four parts: the nose gear strut, a separate nose gear torque link, and the two main landing gear struts. The SAC nose gear strut is cast in two pieces, separating the torque link from the main strut. This should aid in painting the moving portion of the oleo strut. The casting is very nice, although the surface texture (on all of the struts) is slightly grainier than the kit part, but should aid in paint adhesion. The torque link and strut will both need a bit of very minor cleanup. As with the kit strut, a clear landing light and a small bit of equipment (a brake booster or… more |
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North American RA-5C Vigilante Pitot Tube and AOA ProbePublished:
Master Model, maker of fantastic turned-metal details, has released a new set of 1/72 probes for the RA-5C Vigilante. The Vietnam-era RA-5C, a supersonic nuclear bomber turned capable reconnaissance aircraft, features a prominent pitot tube with multiple diameter changes along its length. Master’s set includes both the complicated pitot tube and an AOA (angle of attack) probe. The set can be used on any 1/72 RA-5C kit, and should be an outstanding upgrade. In this review, I’ve compared the parts to the Trumpeter kit. Both the pitot tube and AOA probe are rendered in turned-brass, and they seem impossibly small for the detail present. The Master pitot tube is significantly longer than Trumpeter’s part, and it seems to more accurately match the 1/1 aircraft. Master has also… more |
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SH-3D Sea King Interior Self-Adhesive Color Photo Etched SetPublished:
IntroductionThe Sikorsky Sea King helicopter was developed in the late 1950s for the US Navy’s growing anti-submarine warfare role. Becoming operational in 1961, the Sea King would serve with the US Navy until 2006, and continues in service with other operators to this day. Over its lifetime, the Sea King would spawn multiple variants and revisions. This included versions to meet USAF and USCG roles, such as the well known HH-3E Jolly Green Giant combat search-and-rescue helicopters. Additionally, licensed-built versions of the Sea King were made by Mitsubishi, Agusta, and Westland. The British-built Westland Sea King variants differ in quite a few points from the Sikorsky-built Sea Kings, and are the basis for Cyber-Hobby’s 1/72 Sea King kits. Cyber-Hobby has… more |
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North American P-51D/K Mustang "Pacific Theater"Published:
BackgroundMuch has been written about both the P-51D Mustang and Tamiya’s own take on the famed fighter in 1/32 scale. The “D” model of the P-51 was the most numerous version of the Mustang during WWII, as well as the most refined. During production of the “D” model, over 1000 Mustangs built at North America’s Dallas plant used an Aeroproducts propeller in place of the Hamilton Standard unit, earning them the P-51K model designation. An additional variant of the Mustang, built off of both the “D” and “K” models, was the fully-armed, photo-reconnaissance F-6D and F-6K, respectively. The F-6D/Ks are distinguished by a series of modifications on the left side of the aircraft: camera ports and an access hatch, as well as crosshatch markings on the wing and… more |
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P-51D Fabric SeatbeltsPublished:
Kit ContentsIn fitting with the rather lavish nature of Tamiya’s 1/32 P-51D Mustang, Eduard, known for its photo etch (PE) parts, has released a set of actual fabric seatbelts to spice up the prominent office of the bubble-topped Mustang. Tamiya’s Mustang kits feature a very solid sheet of PE that contains a multipart seatbelt assembly, but they do not match the level of detail provided by these fabric belts. (Additionally, many reviews have recommended annealing - heat treating - the Tamiya PE belts to make them easier to position in the first place, and manipulating the thick PE belts will likely cause paintwork to flake requiring a paint job “in place.”) Eduard’s fabric seatbelts come on one raw linen colored textile fret with a paper backing along with a single… more |
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EA-18G VAQ-135 Black Ravens Limited EditionPublished:
Aircraft HistoryThe EA-18G Growler is an electronics warfare aircraft developed in the 2000s for the US Navy as a replacement for the ageing EA-6B Prowler. It shares 90% of its components with the F/A-18F Super Hornet, saving time and money in development, construction and maintenance for the fleet. The Growler has been in operational service since 2009, and saw combat for the first time over Libya during Operation Odyssey Dawn in 2011. In addition to the US Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force has also recently announced plans to acquire 12 EA-18Gs. Kit ContentsIn 1/72 scale, Hasegawa has provided an EA-18G Growler of the VAQ-135 Black Ravens in much the same way as the 1/1 Growler; a modification of their existing F/A-18E/F molds. Those familiar with… more |
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Apollo 17 “The Last J-Mission” CSM+LM+Lunar RoverPublished:
Spacecraft HistoryPerhaps unknown to many, the Apollo program was planned as a series of methodical steps, leading up to the first landing on the Moon. Each mission type, labeled A-J, built on the success of the previous steps towards the initial goal of a G-Mission, landing a man on the Moon, achieved by Apollo 11, and then moving on to further goals, culminating in the J-Missions, which saw a 3 day stay on the Moon and the use of the Lunar Rover. Apollo 17, crewed by Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and Harrison Schmitt (a Geologist), was the third and final J-Mission, after Apollo 15 and 16, and was the last manned mission to the Moon. Kit ContentsInside the large box you’ll find not one, but three very crisply molded kits, representing the Apollo 17 equipment… more |
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F/A-18F Super Hornet Cockpit SetPublished:
Kit ContentsThose modelers who have previously built Hasegawa’s F/A-18F Super Hornet will be very familiar with one of it’s weakest areas - the cockpit. Hasegawa’s cockpit is very simplified with basic ejection seats and decals for the blank instrument panels and side panels. The busy “turtledeck” behind the rear ejection seat is represented by only a flat plane, and the canopy’s internal structure is limited to the rear portion of the frame, omitting the center brace. Aires has offered a fantastic upgrade for Hasegawa’s F/A-18F kit with their beautifully cast resin cockpit replacement set. The cockpit set contains approximately 40 parts, 13 cast resin parts on 8 casting blocks, a photo-etch (PE) fret, and a clear film sheet with HUD “glass” and instrument faces, and… more |
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Su-27 Flanker “Shark Teeth”Published:
Aircraft HistoryThe SU-27 was developed as an air superiority fighter by the Soviet Union in the late 70s in response to the F-15. It entered service in 1985 as the Flanker-B model, and is notable as the Soviet Union's first Fly-By-Wire aircraft. It is also regarded as being incredibly maneuverable, able to perform the Pugachev's Cobra maneuver, where the plane pitches vertical, losing speed while gaining little altitude, then pitching forward to level flight, potentially forcing pursuing aircraft to overshoot their target. The SU-27 has been used by multiple countries, and has spawned a great number of developmental evolutions, including a carrier-based version and a side-by-side, two-seat strike variant. Kit ContentsThis kit is a limited edition reissue… more |
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F-4 Phantom II Long Nose ProbesPublished:
Contents Made for the long-nosed versions of the F-4 Phantom II, Master Model has created a beautiful set of metal probes for your 1/72 build. This set includes the nose-mounted pitot tube, side-mounted Angle of Attack (AOA) probe, and vertical stabilizer-mounted Ram Air Inlet tube. As with previous Master products, the detail and quality of the parts are exceptional, especially considering these are extremely minute parts in 1/72 scale! Construction Hasegawa’s newer-tool F-4E was chosen to receive these fine detail parts. A great kit in its own right, you can easily see how much of an improvement these metal replacement parts are compared to the injection molded plastic ones included in the kit. Hasegawa’s Phantom features… more |