Mike Hinderliter
Reviews By Author
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The Dogs of War O-1 Bird Dogs in the Vietnam WarPublished:
This is the fifth set of 1/72 decals from AOA Decals and the second set that I am reviewing. The decals look very nice, clear, and in-register. They are printed by Cartigraf of Italy and work very well. I was very impressed with the ease and smoothness with which they were able to be applied. They came off the sheet well and I was able to move them into place once I got them on. They reacted well with Microset and Microsol making the decals appear as if they were painted on. There also needs to be a special note about their instruction sheets. There were eight 8 1/2 x 11 sheets detailing everything you would want to know to build one of these options. The profiles were in color and easy to understand. You can tell that a lot of work and research went into this. It’s really nice… more |
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Black Ponies and More BroncosPublished:
This is the third set of 1/72 decals from AOA Decals. The decals are printed by Cartigraf of Italy, look very nice, are clear, in register, and work very well. These decals are spaced very close together so use a really good pair of decal scissors so you don’t accidentally cut the one next to it. The first test for decals, that I use, is to apply the walkway markings because they are long and straight. If they are really long you can cut them apart and mate them up again but that wasn’t needed here. These went on properly with no problem at all. I was very impressed with the ease and smoothness with which they could be applied. They came off the sheet well and I was able to move them into place once I got them on. There also needs to be a special note about their… more |
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B-36 Peacemaker Front Gun Turrets and CompartmentPublished:
Pavla Models has been putting out a lot of nice sets for older kits. I really love this because I’m one of those people that are hooked on the model kits of my childhood. This time they did a conversion for the Monogram B-36 Peacemaker. Another interesting thing about Pavla is their choice of subjects for their conversions. They picked the 20mm cannons and compartment for the front top of the aircraft. Talk about different, every time you see a model of a B-36 they all look the same, but with this conversion you have the top bay open with guns retracted. The B-36 was a strategic bomber built by Convair from 1949–1959 eventually being replaced by the B-52. It had 6 remote controlled retractable gun turrets as well as fixed tail and nose turrets giving it a total of 16 - 20mm… more |
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Cockpit for F3D-2/2Q SkyknightPublished:
Pavla Models has been putting out a lot of very nice cockpit sets for older kits that really don’t have more than an oversized seat and a shape for a control panel. One example is the older Matchbox kits that came out in the 70s and 80s. This set was designed to fit into the Matchbox kit and talk about an upgrade; it gives you the control panels for 2 configurations. I’m one of those people that are hooked on the model kits of my childhood because of the fond memories that they bring back. My dad was a postman and he would always seem to bring me some model kit from the Saturday garage sales on his route. I like these old kits but it is a blessing to be able to add some detail to them. This set comes molded in the familiar grey resin. The mold is crisp and bubble free… more |
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Topgun F-14A TomcatPublished:
The F-14A fighter was designed because of the failure of the F-111B and the lack of its fighter capabilities, weight, and rear visibility. It was a fourth generation, supersonic, two seat, twin engine, variable- sweep wing aircraft. It was designed using the lessons learned about fighting Migs during the Vietnam War. They took the TF30 engines, AWG-9 radar and the AIM-54 missile system from the F-111B and designed a more capable fighter aircraft. It first flew in 1970 aboard the USS Enterprise. This kit is put out by Round 2 which is re-releasing older kits from Polar Lights, MPC and, AMT. It makes me really happy to know that I’ll be able to find some of the older kits from my childhood at more reasonable prices than the originals that are found on Ebay. Thanks for all your… more |
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Elegant Eagles, Part 1Published:
This is the third set of 1/48 decals from Speed Hunter Graphics which came out of the Reid Air Publishing Group. The decals look very nice, clear and in register. They are printed by Cartograf of Italy and work very well, I’ll tell you why in a bit. This offering covers six F-15C MSIP II Eagles with a nice mix of Mig killers, commanders' aircraft, and even an aggressor bird. You couldn’t ask for a more varied mix. I couldn’t find whose kit these decals were sized for on the instruction sheet but on the web site it was recommended for the Hasegawa F-15C. As fate would have it, I only had the Academy kit which seemed to work quite well. I also noticed that the site had selections for 1/32 and 1/72 size sheets. I do hope that they branch into the other scales because these decals are… more |
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F-35A Interior Detail SetPublished:
Eduard Models continues to add these excellent pre painted cockpit interior sets that save modelers both time and grief when it comes to painting an aircrafts interior. This one is for the Italeri F-35A. The pieces look very realistic and dress up the cockpit. I know that I will leave this canopy open. They are also self adhesive, but I like to add a little CA glue for that added strength. It doesn’t take very much time to add these details. Just add an interior base coat and then start adding details. Some pieces just go right on while some need a little bending. I only needed a bending tool for part # 9 because it is shaped like a small box, for the rest I bent the parts with a small set of pliers. I’m really impressed with the final results. I highly recommend this… more |
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Q Ship vs U-BoatPublished:
Osprey has put out book # 57 in their Duel series. It is about the British Q Boats or decoy boats, as they were also known, versus the German U-boats. This book is another interesting book about World War 1 to go along with the wars 100 year anniversary. The Imperial German U-boats were preying on the merchant ships that were supplying the British war effort. The U-boats were doing such a good job of this that Britain had to think of something that would make the submarines surface. Once surfaced, the U-boat became more vulnerable and the ship would have a better chance to fight. Enter the Q ship, a ship that appears to be a lone merchant ship and easy target. Once the U-boat surfaces the Q ship’s hidden guns appear and open fire. The book is divided into eleven… more |
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Douglas F3D SkyknightPublished:
Another addition to the Mushroom Model Publications Yellow Series of books is focused on the Douglas F3D Skyknight. This book is definitely focused towards the modeler with lots of black and white and color photos, color profiles of various schemes and markings, and scale plans in 1/72 scale. The book is divided into the following sections
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F-35A Lightning II Mask SetPublished:
Eduard Models continues to add these excellent masks sets that save modelers both time and grief when it comes to painting canopies. They are already shaped to the angles and curves of the canopy and are self adhesive. No more trying to shape curves on your own. This set is designed for the Italeri F-35A. Another nice touch is that they add in masks for the wheels and the EOTS ( Electro Optical Targeting System) mod under the nose. It doesn’t take very much time to put the masks on and once they are on they recommend using liquid masks to cover the exposed areas. I’ve never been a fan of liquid mask so I just add some Tamiya tape to those areas and the result is very nice. Which ever way you want to do it will work well. I recommend this mask to modelers of all… more |