Pablo Bauleo
Reviews By Author
|
A6M2b Zero Fighter Type 21 "341st Flying Group"Published:
Hasegawa has re-boxed their well-known A6M2b in 1/48 scale. Despite being an “old” mold (at least 10-yr, if not a bit more), the parts still hold really well, with no flash anywhere, petite and fine details, recessed panel lines and perfectly molded parts. Construction, as usual begins with the cockpit. The only thing I decided to add was to drill the lightening holes in the seat and to add a pair of Eduard IJN steel seatbelts to it. The rest of the cockpit is straight out of the box, down to the decal used for the instrument panel. I was impressed by how good it looks when completed. I departed from the instructions a bit after finishing the cockpit. Instead of adding the cockpit to a fuselage side, I actually glued the fuselage sides together and then I added the… more |
|
The Composite BowPublished:
Osprey Publishing continues to expand its Weapon Series this time with a book dedicated to the Composite Bow by Mike Loades. This book is broken down in a natural way with the following chapters
The most relevant chapters of this book are the Development and Use ones, as it covers dozens of different composite bow types and how they were used by different cultures and nations over the centuries. The use section includes details on how different ancient warriors trained –for combat- and how the bow tactics evolved over time. In several cases the author demonstrates how to shoot and even how to build and take care of… more |
|
Mc.202 Scale PlansPublished:
The Mc.202 "Folgore" was the first fully modern (by WWII standards) Italian fighter, and from 1941 onwards, was the best Italian fighter until the arrival of the superb Mc.205 in 1943. The lines of the aircraft, together with the variety of camouflages it wore, makes it an interesting subject for modelers. Having accurate line drawings, showing panel lines and rivet detail is a good resource for those modelers looking to super detail their next project. This booklet has 4 pages, all of them fold out (given the size of them, I had to take some pictures in addition to some scans), printed double side with the following line drawings: One page A3 size for 72nd scale drawings:
|
|
More Steel SeatbeltsPublished:
Eduard has released a series of WWII-era seatbelts in the “steel” series. I think that Eduard Models call this product line “Steelbelts”. This review covers the following items:
The IJN fret (catalog 49099) gives you 4 seatbelts sets for Mitsubishi aircraft (with option of… more |
|
Model Art Japan - German AFV Database #2Published:
Model Art is a Japanese publication that specializes in different aspects of plastic modelling. They have a monthly publication that covers all different genres, but also they publish special issues focusing on a specific topic. In this case the issue is part of a series known as “German AFV Database”. This issue in particular covers many (if not all) the different AFV that were based on the Panzer IV and the Panzer 38(t) chassis -that have ever been kitted in 1/35 scale. Be aware that all the text in this special issue is in Japanese. Still the pictures are pretty self-explanatory, including pictures of the model box art plus the sprues of the kit. If you install Google Translate in your smartphone, you can get a machine-based translation for the images captions by… more |
|
Model Art – Tips to Improve AirmodelsPublished:
Model Art is a Japanese publication that specializes in different aspects of plastic modelling. They have a monthly publication that covers all different genres, but also they publish special issues focusing on a specific topic. In this case how to improve your airplane models. Be aware that all the text in this special issue is in Japanese. Still the step-by-step pictures are self-explanatory and if you install Google Translate in your smartphone, you can get a machine-based translation for the images captions. This special issue has tips and techniques being applied in the following airplane models
|
|
GAZ-03-30 AmbulancePublished:
MiniArt is certainly getting a lot of mileage of the molds for the GAZ-03 bus. I think this is the 4th boxing of it, this time as an ambulance (previous ones were passenger bus and a military transport). When opening the box you find a total of 39 sprues, for a total of 280 plastic parts, plus 26 clear parts and 8 photo-etched parts. Keeping track of all those sprues and pieces will make the assembly of this kit a bit of a challenge. The instructions come in a glossy paper booklet, with very clean and clear drawings. I have built other MiniArt models previously and I can tell you, the instructions are superb. There are a total of 49 steps, but some have sub-assemblies, so clearly this is an in depth build, not a weekender. Construction starts… more |
|
Hurricane Mk.I Gun BayPublished:
Res-Im (Resin Improvement) is a Czech company that specialized in resin detail sets, mainly in the 1/48 and 1/72 scales. This set is for the Hawker Hurricane Mk.I gun bay, for the 4 guns wing. Inside a sturdy box you get a total of 18 resin pours for a two full gun bays –starboard and port wings-. The parts are extremely delicate and in some cases there is a very thin resin layer covering a hole or an opening that might need to be cleaned with a sharp blade before installation. The pours are in a light grey-green resin and the resin itself is a tad brittle. I accidentally broke off a very thin part from the pouring slab (but the part itself was undamaged). My pictures don’t show repeated/duplicates resin pours. Note that among the provided parts you get… more |
|
Polish Fighter Colors 1939-1947, Vol.1Published:
The Polish Air Force during WWII fought in many fronts, under many different camouflage schemes and with a very large variety of aircraft. This book covers the Polish Air Force, as an autonomous force in Poland, during 1939, and as an independent Air Force, integrated for operations with the French Air Force (1940) and the RAF mainly for the period 1940-1943. For each main section –as described above- there is a chapter that describes the general strategic and tactical situation, the overall organization and coordination with French and British Air Forces, plus some high level description of the combat roles. There is another chapter devoted to the general details of camouflage colors, scheme and markings, and later there are specific chapters for each airframe… more |
|
Etendard Landing GearPublished:
Scale Aircraft Conversions specializes in white-metal replacement parts. Its line of replacement landing gear has been expanded to include a set for the 1/48 Kinetic Super Etendard. The set includes 8 parts with the following breakdown: two main landing gear struts; a two part nose wheel, plus actuator arms; and a nose wheel fork. The parts are finely molded in white metal. These parts are drop-in replacements for the plastic parts. I should say that these parts are more than just drop-in replacements. Many of the white metal parts actually are the equivalent to several plastic parts, so you have an easier job of assembling the landing gear, for instance, as you have fewer parts to deal with. Typically I tend to think of replacing a plastic landing gear with a… more |