Pablo Bauleo
Reviews By Author
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F-8E Crusader "Shin Kazama"Published:
Hasegawa has re-released his 1/48 F-8E Crusader, this time with the markings of “Shin Kazama”, the lead character of a Japanese TV show called “Area 88” (You can find out about the TV show online) Make no mistake, the markings provided in the box might be for Manga-fan characters, but the plastic in the box is the same than in any other of the Hasegawa releases and that is great news! You get a total of 14 sprues (one clear) plus 3 small sprues of polycaps. Despite the high number of sprues, the total number of parts is about 120 parts, making the build to be reasonable engaging, while not overwhelming. This kit has been around for 15 or so years and it has been re-boxed many times. Despite that, there is no flash anywhere, it has exquisite surface detail and… more |
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Macchi Mc. 205 "Veltro"Published:
Italeri has released a boxing of the very good 1/48 Hasegawa Mc. 205, which is enhanced by a super decal sheet for 6 different camouflages. Not only that, but the decal sheet includes “smoke rings”! I believe this is the first time that “smoke rings” are included as part of a regular boxing. Like most airplanes models construction starts with the cockpit and this is no exception. The plastic parts are capable of delivering a convincing “front office” if care is taken during painting. The instrument panel faces are provided as decals and they certainly enhance the look of the panel as the pictures show. I decided to add a set of Eduard Photo-Etch Italian Seatbelts (Steel) to round up the cockpit. It would have been nice to see at least a decal to reproduce the seatbelt. … more |
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F6F-5(N) NightfighterPublished:
Eduard has released a full line of Hellcats in 1/48 scale, covering from the early -3, to the late -5, including night fighter versions and even Royal Navy service markings. This particular boxing is the Weekend edition of the -5(N), with neither mask nor photoetch, but with two options for decals and a small number of resin parts to make the conversion to “night fighter”. When I opened the box I found a total of 5 sprues (one clear) and 3 small resin casting for details like radio-altimeter, exhausts, radar housing for the starboard wing and cannons with nicely casted flash dampers. FYI: the nightfighter version of the Hellcat was capable of carrying a 20 mm cannon. A note on the sprues: one of them –the fuselage one- was molded in tan, while the rest of the sprues… more |
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The Suomi Submachine GunPublished:
Osprey Publishing continues to expand its weapon series, this time by adding a book on the exemplary Finnish-made Suomi KP/-31 submachine gun. The book has a very reasonable breakdown of the following chapters: Introduction, development, use, impact, conclusion and bibliography, plus an index. I’ve found particularly interesting the development, use and impact chapters. They were clearly really well researched and it included descriptions of the weapon characteristics, as well as the description of its use in combat by the Finnish ski troops against the Soviet troops. It should be noted that this submachine gun could also be used as a sniper gun, giving its high accuracy up to distances of several hundred meters. Perhaps one of the best compliments to the… more |
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F6F-5N Hellcat Nightfighter - Weekend PhotoetchPublished:
Eduard has an outstanding line of F6F Hellcat models in both Profipack and Weekend boxings and it has released photoetch frets for the Weekend line as a stand-alone item. The Weekend models have only plastic parts (as opposed to the Profipack boxes), but at times you might want to enhance the look of them by adding some photoetch, hence the Weekend Photoetch frets. Often they only cover the cockpit, the part number tends to be low, and the parts require limited bending, hence being a simplified version of the full photoetch fret of the Profipack package. In particular, this fret is devoted to the night-fighter version of the Hellcat used during the last few years of WWII. Note that the instrument panel (IP) includes a visor/screen for the radar. In addition to an IP, you also… more |
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Macchi 202 FolgorePublished:
Eduard has released a boxing of the very good 1/48 Hasegawa Mc. 202, which is enhanced by the addition of two photo-etch frets (one pre-painted), resin parts and a paint mask. Not only that, but you get Cartograf-printed decals with markings for 6 colorful Folgores. It is an amazing offering. Like most airplane model construction starts with the cockpit and with two photoetch-frets it means you are going to have quite the detailed “front office”. Some plastic parts need to be modified, removed or replaced, including parts of the cockpit floor, cockpit sides and instrument panel. Note that on the left cockpit side there is a wheel –mounted on top of PE box. If mounted as indicated in the instructions -or at least on where I think the instructions indicate it-… more |
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Decal Solution Mark Fit and Mark Fit StrongPublished:
In recent years Tamiya has expanded their model line to include finishing supplies like panel line accents, diorama materials, decal setting solutions, etc. This particular review will cover the following decal setting solutions : Like all decal solutions, and most modeling supplies, make sure you use them in a well ventilated area. While the Mark Fit solution is not that smelly, the Mark Fit Strong has a strong vinegar smell and both have a warning about fumes being dangerous. Based on the instructions for both solutions they instruct you to apply the decal as always, and once you blotted the water off, to put… more |
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Tape for Curves 2 mm and 3 mmPublished:
Tamiya masking tape (yellow) has been known to modelers for many years and it is still one of my favorite tools in the bench. This tape for curves is made of a different material; it has a plastic feeling to it so it is not the typical Tamiya tape trimmed to a few millimeters. This tape is designed to mask curves. It easily “bends” for a curve, but it does not stretch as well as it bends. I like that property of the tape actually as it ensures its width is kept as constant as possible. In this test I used a scrap wing –which I used for some paint tests- and placed both the 2 mm (Stock 87177) and 3 mm versions (Stock 87178) of the tape on the wing, as you can see in the pictures. I’ve found that the best way to “bend” the tape is to actually anchor it –I use my… more |
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Bf-109FPublished:
Eduard has released a new mold of the Bf-109F-4, perhaps the most elegant and streamlined of all the 109s. In the Profipack package you get 5 sprues (including a clear one), a color photo-etch fret, two decal sheets for 5 markings (all Luftwaffe) and a mask set for the canopy and the tail wheel. No flash anywhere and very sharp, recessed panel lines are a signature of those sprues. While you get 5 sprues, you also get plenty of unused (spare) parts, like 3 different propellers, different wheels, some weapons, different rudders, air intakes, oil coolers and even extra canopies, so you should be able to get some “extras” for other 109s in your collection. As expected, construction starts with the cockpit and it is a very straightforward and well-designed… more |
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Diorama Texture Paint - Snow EffectPublished:
Tamiya is expanding its line of Textured Paint, this time with two different snow effect paints: Snow Effect and Powder Snow. This particular package also included a third bottle, which is “dark earth”, perfect to show some groundwork underneath the snow. The first thing I noticed is that the snow bottles weight at least twice as much as the earth one. I suspect a different kind of “pellets” (texture) is being used here. The Snow Effect paint has small micro-balloons (0.05-0.35mm) and the Powder Snow even smaller ones. I honestly could not see them - in the powder one, but I could feel a bit of the texture when I put a dab of the paint between my fingers. You can certainly hear a bit of a “grinding noise” when you spread the paint on a base. By the way, don’t use a… more |