Michael Novosad
Reviews By Author
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Ultimate SpitfiresPublished:
From the Pen and Sword WebsitePeter Caygill is one of Britain's leading aviation history authors. His meticulous research and personal interviews with ex-pilots and aircrew have lead to the publication of many successful books such as Jet Jockeys, Spitfire Mk V in Action and Lightning from the Cockpit. He lives in Darlington, Co. Durham. The Spitfire is probably Britain's best loved and admired aeroplane. It is also revered around the world. This book looks at the later marques that were modified for various special tasks and differed to a large degree from Supermarine's first early versions that saw action in the early days of World War II. New and more powerful Rolls-Royce engines replaced the well-tried Merlin, but increased the aircrafts performance in terms of… more |
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Hawker Hurricane Undercarriage CoversPublished:
Background from WikipediaThe Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by the Supermarine Spitfire's role during the Battle of Britain in 1940, but the Hurricane inflicted 60 per cent of the losses sustained by the Luftwaffe in the engagement, and fought in all the major theatres of the Second World War. The Hurricane was developed through several versions, into bomber-interceptors, fighter-bombers, and ground support aircraft as well as fighters. Versions designed for the Royal Navy known as the Sea Hurricane had modifications enabling operation from ships. Some were converted… more |
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Poles in the Battle of Britain: A Photographic Album of the Polish "Few"Published:
From the Website"Peter Sikora makes excellent use of his outstanding knowledge, expertise and passion for history of the Polish Air Force to tell an often-forgotten tale of the Polish Few who fought alongside the British during the Battle of Britain. The author manages to capture in a moving way the reality of life for Polish airmen through personal stories and unique photographs. His work is an important contribution to honouring the memory of those who fought for the freedom of Europe, Britain and their faraway motherland." - Polish Ambassador Arkady Rzegocki. The Polish Air Force, which was reborn in Britain in the summer of 1940 from flying and ground personnel evacuated from Poland and then from France, proved to be one of the most successful formations to fight… more |
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Dauntless WheelsPublished:
BackgroundBrengun is known for its range of photo-etched sets and resin accessories for airplane models. They also produce model kits in 1/48th, 1/72nd and 1/144th scales. Brengun's product line includes several scales for resin accessories, photoetch, paint masks, and resin and plastic kits. Their products are available directly from an e-shop or from distributors (list included on their web site). I checked the USA distributors as listed on the Brengun website but found none of them listed this product at the time of this review. Contents DescriptionThe subject set includes two pairs of spoked wheels and one set of "pie pan" covers. The parts are cast in a medium grey resin, with crisp detail (tread pattern, spokes, and bolts), and flat bottoms… more |
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Su-27C Flanker, Part 2 - Painting and FinishingPublished:
Refer to Part One for the assembly review. Review Note and CommentsI decided to make this a two-part due to the number of images and extensive text required to document the basic assembly phase. Although the assembly was a bit of a challenge for this model, the semi-finished model revealed a lot of nice surface detail that was appealing to me. This detail had some merit for an effort on my part to achieve a proper paint job and weathering application. If those efforts resulted in a nice-looking model the challenges faced during the assembly would make the effort worth-while. Let's see what happens. PaintingThe instructions do note the colors required in some of the steps, with FS numbers sometimes noted, while I was unfamiliar with the… more |
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British Phantom FG.1/FGR.2 Radar Warning ReceiverPublished:
BackgroundThe United Kingdom bought versions based on the U.S. Navy's F-4J for use with the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. The UK was the only country outside the United States to operate the Phantom at sea, launching them from HMS Ark Royal. The main differences were the use of the British Rolls-Royce Spey engines and of British-made avionics. The RN and RAF versions were given the designation F-4K and F-4M respectively, and entered service with the British military aircraft designations Phantom FG.1 (fighter/ground attack) and Phantom FGR.2 (fighter/ground attack/reconnaissance). Contents DescriptionThis aftermarket set has three antennae cast onto a single resin block. Included is the retrofit fairing for the Marconi ARI 18228 Radar… more |
Su-27C Flanker, Part 1Published:
Brief History from WikipediaThe Sukhoi Su-27, NATO reporting name: Flanker, is a Soviet-origin twin-engine, super maneuverable fighter aircraft designed by Sukhoi. It was intended as a direct competitor to the large United States fourth-generation fighters such as the Grumman F-14 Tomcat and the F-15 Eagle, with 3,530-kilometre (1,910 nmi) range, heavy aircraft ordinance, sophisticated avionics and high maneuverability. The Su-27 was designed for air superiority missions, and subsequent variants can perform almost all aerial warfare operations. It was designed with the Mikoyan MiG-29 as its complement. The Su-27 entered service with the Soviet Air Forces in 1985. The primary role was long range air defense against American SAC B-1B and B-52G/H bombers, protecting the… more |
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Dassault Mirage 2000Published:
Aircraft History - from WikipediaThe Dassault Mirage 2000 is a French multi-role, single engine fourth generation jet fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was designed in the late 1970s as a lightweight fighter to replace the Mirage III for the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air). The Mirage 2000 evolved into a multi-role aircraft with several variants developed, with sales to a number of nations. It was later developed into the Mirage 2000N and 2000D strike variants, the improved Mirage 2000-5 and several export variants. Over 600 aircraft were built and it has been in service with nine nations. ContentsThis publication is a close-up pictorial essay of the Dassault Mirage 2000 in service with the Armée de L'Air and many other air forces. Includes… more |
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F-4J Phantom II (Late v.) Cockpit SetPublished:
Contents DescriptionThe resin/photo etch upgrade set comes packaged in the typical Aires blister pack fixed to a heavy stock paper backer, with industrial strength staples holding everything in place. The set includes the cockpit tub with side consoles and integral rear bulkheads for the pilot and back seater positions, two ejection seats, side walls for both positions, front combing with integral instrument panel, rear seat instrument panel, and separate pilot's control column and some smaller parts. Also included is a small PE fret with seat belts, instrument panel faces, rear view mirrors, rudder pedals and other small details. In addition, a small film is provided that includes the various instrument dial faces. This film is part of a sandwich requiring cutting to shape… more |
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AMX GhibliPublished:
Introduction - From WikipediaThe AMX International AMX is a ground attack aircraft jointly developed by Brazil and Italy. The AMX is designated A-11 Ghibli by the Italian Air Force and A-1 by the Brazilian Air Force. The Italian name, "Ghibli", is taken from the hot dry wind of the Libyan desert. During the early 1970s, Italian manufacturer Aermacchi conducted a design study on a prospective light ground attack aircraft, which was given the designation of MB-340. During early 1977, the Italian Air Force issued a requirement for 187 new-build strike fighters, which were to replace its existing Aeritalia G.91 in the close air supportt. During 1980, the Brazilian government announced that they intended to participate in the program in order to provide a replacement for… more |