Michael Novosad
Reviews By Author
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Meteor I vs V-1 Flying Bomb 1944Published:
History During World War II, a total of 10,500 V-1 missiles were launched against Britain, of which over 3,900 were destroyed by air and ground defenses. Overall, the attack and subsequent damage could have been much worse, for by the end of the war the Germans had manufactured close to 32,000 flying bombs. The Allied defenses put forward to guard against the V-1 included 23,000 men and women with aircraft, guns, radar, and communications networks installed on coastal sites. The average speed the V-1 was 350 mph and their average altitude was 3,000 to 4,000 ft. Fighter aircraft required excellent low altitude performance to intercept them and enough firepower to ensure that they were destroyed in the air rather than crash and detonate. Most aircraft were… more |
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F-16C (Block 52 Advanced) Fighting Falcon “Zeus”Published:
History – The Hellenic F-16 Demo Team was created in February, 2010, continuing the legacy of the former Aerobatic Teams of the Hellenic Air Force: “Carrè of Aces”, “Acro Team”, “Hellenic Flame”, “New Hellenic Flame”, and the T-6A Demo Team. In November, 2010, the first official performance of the F-16 Demo Team of the Hellenic Air Force was made during the Open Days of the HAF at Tanagra Air Base. The aircraft used was the #534 and the pilot was Captain Karachalios. The current team comprises personnel from the 340 and 343 Squadrons, both of which are based at Souda Air Base. The team consists of two display pilots, two safety observers, one narrator, one camera man and three crew chiefs. The team uses an F-16 Block 52+ configured with Conformal Fuel… more |
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MiG-23M Flogger-BPublished:
HistoryThe MiG-23, NATO reporting name Flogger, is a swing-wing aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the former Soviet Union. It is considered to be a third-generation Soviet jet fighter aircraft. It was the first Soviet Union aircraft to utilize look-down/shoot-down radar and one of the first to be armed with beyond visual range missiles. The MiG-23 was also the first production fighter aircraft to have intakes at the sides of the fuselage. Production started in 1970 with over 5,000 aircraft built. The design of the MiG-23 was influenced by the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and the General Dynamics F-111. The Soviets required a lighter, single-engined fighter to maximize agility. The F-111 and the MiG-23 were initially designed as fighters… more |
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Operation Torch – The Invasion of French North AfricaPublished:
HistoryOperation Torch (initially called Operation Gymnast) was the British-American invasion of French North Africa, specifically Morocco and Algeria, in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942. Operation Torch was the first Allied amphibious operation of the war The Allies planned an Anglo-American invasion of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, territory controlled by the Vichy French government. With those nations under Allied control, the Allies could carry out a pincer operation against Axis forces in North Africa. The Vichy French had around 125,000 soldiers in the territories as well as coastal artillery, 210 operational but out-of-date tanks, and about 500 aircraft, half of which were Dewoitine D.520 fighters. In addition there… more |
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Hungarian Light Tank 38M Toldi I(A20)Published:
HistoryThe Toldi was a light tank manufactured for the Hungarian army and was based on the Swedish Landsverk L-60B tank. It was named after the 14th century Hungarian knight Miklós Toldi. The 38M Toldi was produced and developed under license from Swedish company AB Landsverk between 1939 and 1942. Only 202 were produced. There were four variants:
Toldi tanks entered Hungarian service in 1940, first seeing combat against Yugoslavia in 1941. These tanks… more |
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MiG-23 Flogger Pitot TubePublished:
Background This is the third item from this manufacturer that I have reviewed, and I am quite enthusiastic about the product line. This particular item is meant for all MiG-23 Floggers except the MLD variant. The MLD pitot tube (item number 48-059) is also available. The Review ProductThe parts are packaged in a small zip lock bag, stapled in a folded, heavy paper stock display hanger. The parts are also sealed in a small envelope of clear plastic film taped to a heavy card stock stiffener inside the bag. Also included is a small set of instructions. A small instruction sheet is also included that shows the installation. ApplicationI planned to use this pitot tube on the new Trumpeter MiG-23M, Flogger B.… more |
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F-14A Early Version Nose Tip and AOA ProbePublished:
Background. Some plastic model kits may include the Angle of Attack (AOA) sensors as teeny, tiny separate parts that are most difficult to remove from the sprue, with clean up of the attachment point being most challenging. Oftentimes, these tiny parts are lost or broken while being transported from cleanup to the model. Some kits reproduce the AOA as merely a non-descript bump on the surface. Master Model has a whole different approach. The Company This product’s company, Master, is located in Poland, and the owner is Piotr Czerkasow, who is also a modeler. By vocation he is a mechanical engineer. The Master Model product line includes aircraft and naval accessories in several scales. Aircraft accessories include machine guns and… more |
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T-34/76 Mod. 1943, No. 112 FactoryPublished:
HistoryThe T-34 tank series proved to be quite a nasty surprise for the Germans after their invasion of Russia in June of 1941, and eventually influenced the design of future German armored vehicles. So impressed were they with its capabilities, the Germans actually considered building their own version of the T-34. The Russians built the T-34 in several factories during the war, many of which needed to be relocated to avoid capture by the advancing German armies. Maintaining commonality in the vehicle became a challenge. As with most military vehicles, actual combat revealed the need for changes and improvements in the base design. The T-34 was no exception. Initially, the factories focused their efforts on supplying the needs of the military without attempting to include… more |
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Supermarine Spiteful F.MK.14Published:
HistoryThe Supermarine Spitfire series has often been described as the most aesthetically pleasing aircraft ever flown. During the course of its service life, the basic Spitfire design was progressively altered with heavier armament, camera installations and no armament, more powerful engines, canopy revisions, fixed and retracting tail wheel, larger vertical stabilizers and rudders, clipped wings and extended wingtips, propeller revisions, as well as several radiator revisions. In addition, the Spitfire was also modified for naval operations and was known as the “Seafire” with the fuselage reinforced and a tail hook added. During its service life, about 22,750 Spitfires and Seafires were manufactured. Weight increased from 5,800 to over 11,000 lbs, with engine… more |
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RCAF Beaufighter Decals Part II – The ApplicationPublished:
Some months ago, I had the opportunity to review the Aviaeology RCAF Beaufighters in Coastal Command decals, product number AOD48002m, which ultimately resulted in an uncontrollable urge to build a Beaufighter and use the decals. I had two Tamiya Beaufighter kits in my stash with the goal, of course, to build both someday. The Aviaeology decals offered that inspiration. I believe the inspiration arose both from the obvious quality of the decals, plus the eight pages of instructions and information on Coastal Command Beaufighters. Tucked away in the package is a small business card advising the purchaser to contact the sales branch of Aviaeology by SkyGrid to obtain a full-color home-printable PDF of the instruction pages. While the black-and-white instructions included with the… more |