Mike Van Schoonhoven
Reviews By Author
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MG 34 GunPublished:
The MG34 was mainstay of the German Army up until 1942 when the MG42 was introduced. Even with MG42 in use the MG34 continued in service until the end of World War II. Eduard Brassin is designed as resin and photo etch accessories for scale plastic kits at a reasonable price. The kit comes with four grey resin parts and a small brass photo etch fret. The resin pieces are of the MG34 machine gun, charging handle, buttstock and ammo feed bag. The photo etch pieces consist of the regular sights (Which are optional), anti aircraft sight w/ barrel band and a link of ammo. Moving on to the build. The pour stubs on this are will placed and are easy to remove with minimal clean up. The photo etch is a little fiddly, but that is just due to how small it is. The barrel is… more |
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C-17A Globemaster IIIPublished:
HistoryThe C-17 was funded for development in 1984 and the first one was delivered in 1991 to the USAF for testing. The C-17 was originally designed to replace the C-130 and augment the C-5 and C-141. As we all know the C-130 and the C-5 are still going and the C-141 has been removed from service and has been sent to the boneyard for scrapping. The initial order was for 120 units and that was bumped up in 2002 following the attacks of September 11th to 180. Although the USAF is the main user there are many other countries that utilize the C-17. The KitThe kit is molded in light gray plastic. Several of the parts had a grainy texture to them and several of the sprue attachment points were thick and difficult to remove. The construction is fairly straight… more |
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Model Art Modelling Magazine No. 53, 2014 Autumn - Vessel Model SpecialPublished:
This is Model Art Magazine’s special quarterly issue that focuses on naval subjects. As with the regular Model Art Magazine this is printed in Japanese with some English subtitles. The feature article in the Autumn 2014 Vessel Model Special is on the IJN Battleship "Ise and "Hyuga". The article uses period photos and models to show the changes made to these battleships during the course of their life. If you are not familiar with either of these ships, the changes that were made was the inclusion of a flight deck to the rear of the ships. Included are several build articles and one scratch built 1/96 IJN Battleship Ise. The rest of the magazine is several short articles. Starting off with the DDH-118 Hyuga JMSDF helicopter destroyer in 1/700 scale, a separate article… more |
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Model Art IJN Aircraft Database 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32 #1Published:
Model Art Magazine is a monthly magazine that covers aircraft, armor, ships and car modeling. Model Art started releasing magazines in 1966 and has evolved from there over the past forty six years. This is a special issue released by Model Art covering plastic model aircraft of the IJN in scales 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32. The book is broken down into six sections. Interceptors, Night Fighters, Land - based Attackers and Bombers, Trainers, Experimental and Reconnaisance Land - Based Aircraft and Foreign - Made Aircafts and others. Each section includes photos of finished models, period photos, available kits, year released and a rating system for a lot of them. The ratings are from one to five stars and you find most of the older kits tend to have a lower rating, but this not… more |
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Model Art October 2014 No. 902Published:
Model Art Magazine is a monthly magazine that covers aircraft, armor, ships and car modeling. Model Art started releasing magazines in 1966 and has evolved from there over the past forty eight years. The October issue starts off with several small articles which include the IJA/N Airplane Illustrated and a build article on the Tamiya 1/35 WW1 British Tank Mk. IV Male. This features a beautiful diorama and photos of a Mk. I, Mk II and Mk. IV and a opened up MK. IV. The main article this month features the IJN Carrier Akagi shown through models in the different configurations of it's career. This article consists of thirty two pages and utilizes several 1/700 scale models and one 1/350 models. Most of the configurations are of the single flight deck, but one model is of… more |
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Topgun, US Airforce, Navy & Marine Corps AggressorsPublished:
Do you have an interest in aircraft that are used in dissimilar air combat training? Not familiar with that term? I bet you are familiar with aggressor aircraft though and the squadrons. This book takes an in depth look at the aircraft flown by USAF, USN and USMC. The book is chocked full of color photographs and color plate drawings. The book obviously starts with the beginnings of the aggressor squadrons. This occurred during the Vietnam War when the losses to US aircraft became unacceptable and the USAF and USN looked into how they could better prepare their aircrews for combat. Thus the creation of "Top Gun" for the USN and "Red Flag" for the USAF. For these two programs, the best of the best pilots were selected and they learned to fly the tactile doctrines of the Soviet… more |
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Mini Punch & Die Set, Multi Shape & Hexagon Punchs, 3 Brush Set, Capsule Centering Jig and Bar Cutting GuidePublished:
When the name John Vojtech is mentioned in the Modeling community, one of the first things that comes to mind if you are familiar with him is the level of detail usually associated in his models. Through John's desire for a higher level of detail he has created his own tool line to make it easier for modelers to achieve this level in their own models. The Mini Punch and Die set is made with hardened steel and will allow you punch plastic and metal discs in sizes of 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6. I found the punches to be very sharp so you don't have to apply a lot of pressure and makes a nice clean cut. This set is great for adding those little details found in many different types of models. The Multi Shape Punch set is probably one of the more… more |
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Mesh 6x6 Rhomb type Steel 00025, Mesh 4x4 Rhomb type steel 00035, Stripes 0.2 to 1mmPublished:
Eduard is well known for their photo etch accessories to help modelers enhance their models. These sets are just another great addition for modelers. The one thing with these particular parts is that you will have to cut and fit them. I used the 6x6 screen and the 1mm Stripes on an Academy M551 turret storage rack to show as an example of what can be done to enhance your models. I chose this particular kit as they used vinyl screen for the sides and the bottom of the rack was solid bottom with a raised screen molded on it. The 6x6 and 4x4 screens come on one photo etch steel fret. The material cuts very easy with a scissors. I used a template to cut out the shapes that I needed and attached them with Gator Glue. These screens could also be used as screening material over air… more |
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Military Miniatures in Review No.61Published:
Military Miniatures in Review is an 80-page, full color, perfect bound, bimonthly magazine. Regular features include new product announcements, book reviews and figure reviews. One of the first things that notice about this magazine is the construction. It has very thick front and back cover with the pages being bound together with glue. All of the photographs are in color and very sharp and clear. One note of interest is they way that the articles are written. They are written as if the person that is writing them is talking to you, some with a little tongue and cheek humor, a somewhat different approach from many of the magazines that I read. This months issue of MMIR consists of nine articles, kit reviews, book reviews and figure reviews. The articles are as follows… more |
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Model Art Modeling Magazine, #900, September 2014Published:
Model Art Magazine is a monthly magazine that covers aircraft, armor, ships and car modeling. Model Art started releasing magazines in 1966 and has evolved from there over the past forty eight years. The September issue starts off with several small articles which include the IJA/N Airplane Illustrated and a build article on the Trumpeter 1/35 Soviet JS-7 Heavy Tank which includes a walk around on a actual vehicle in a museum and the history of Russian and American heavy tanks. The main article this month features tools. What modeler doesn't like tools? The article consists of thirty three pages of pictures of tools and a brief description of what it does and price. The tools in the article range from colored pencils, files, trimmers, drills, solvents, lights,… more |