Pablo Bauleo
Reviews By Author
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F-2A "Detail Up"Published:
Hasegawa has re-released their 1/48 F-2A, this time as a “Detail Up” Limited Edition, with photoetch parts. The detail set includes seatbelts, landing gear wiring and some details for the underwing pylon stations and air discharging cones in the wings/tail section. When opening the box you find 12 sprues for a total of 179 pieces. Typical of Hasegawa the underwing stores include drop tanks and, as a nice surprise, some air-to-air missiles (AAM-3, I’ve believe). This boxing has regular Hasegawa printed decals for 3 different versions of the F-2A in Japanese service. Construction starts with the cockpit and with the air intake. Both subassemblies have good fit and decent detail, but probably the cockpit instrument panel could use a PE replacement, even more considering… more |
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Typhoon D-Day 70th AnniversaryPublished:
Twobobs Aviation Graphics have released a Typhoon D-Day 70th Anniversary decal set for the 1/48 scale Revell Eurofighter Typhoon. This decal set includes three sheets with markings for a single Typhoon (ZK308) in Royal Air Force service. The scheme features special markings honoring the 70th Anniversary of D-Day, including prominent black-and-white invasion stripes. The instruction sheet is printed in full color and includes callouts for Testors Model Master, Humbrol, Gunze, and Xtracrylics paints, plus the Federal Standard (FS) color numbers. The sheets are printed by Microscale and seem to be of high quality, with thin and opaque decals. They are very glossy on the sheet and they have very little transparent carrier film around them, thus minimizing the chances for… more |
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Brazilian Navy AF-1 (A-4M) Skyhawk "15 Years"Published:
Caracal Models has released a decal sheet for the 1/48 Hasegawa A-4M. This decal set includes three sheets with markings for two airframes in Brazilian Navy service. One option is a special scheme to celebrate the Skyhawk’s 15 years of service in the Brazilian Navy. The sheet provides the full markings and enough stencils to build both of the two options:
As the AF-1s are former Kuwaiti A-4KUs, the instruction sheet describes how to convert the standard A-4M or A-4KU kits into the AF-1. In most cases, the conversion process is just using alternate parts already provided with the kit. Having built a few A-4s myself, I’ve always struggled with any decal that has to be applied… more |
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Dingo Mk IIPublished:
Tamiya has released a brand new model (new tool) of the Dingo Mk.II, which is a great addition to their growing line of 48th scale military miniatures. Upon opening of the box you find two sprues for the British Armored Vehicle. Tires are molded in plastic (no rubber, which is good), but they are molded together with the wheel hubs. It would have been nice to have them molded independently to make painting easier. The model has a simple interior and two figures. You can build the model with the top either open or closed. There is no engine provided, however the engine compartment is provided, so I would imagine some aftermarket company will come to the rescue. While the interior is simple, I would say it is adequate for the scale and once you have the figures inside… more |
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Riveting Set - P-47D Thunderbolt RazorbackPublished:
UMM-USA is distributing a very neat model detailing item produced by HGW Models: riveting decals. To be completely honest, I don’t know if this set should be called a decal; it is more like a “wet” transfer than a traditional decal, but more on that later. This set, for the 1/48 Tamiya P-47D Razorback, provides an easy way to add raised rivet details to the surface of your model. Arriving in a simple bag package, you get two sheets of continuously printed decals for a single Razorback. Note that I mention that they are continuously printed, as you will have to cut and trim each section before application. Before you actually get to the rivet application process, make sure that you have finished all of your surface preparation (i.e., filling, sanding, and priming). Once… more |
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Mirage IIICJ Weekend EditionPublished:
The Eduard 1/48 scale Mirage IIIC is a well-known kit, and it is nice to see it re-released. Despite some known issues, it still builds into a nice replica of the French interceptor. The kit comes molded in light gray plastic, with a total of 167 parts on eight sprues, plus a small sprue of clear parts. The decals are printed by Eduard and are opaque and in register. There is neither PE nor masks in this Weekend Edition boxing. However, this particular review model was built in conjunction with another reviewed item, Eduard's Mirage IIICJ Weekend… more |
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Mirage IIICJ Weekend Photoetch SetPublished:
I have built the Eduard 1/48 scale Mirage IIICJ in the Weekend Edition boxing (Mirage IIICJ Kit Review), and while it is a nice model out-of-the-box, it actually can be enhanced by using Eduard’s supplemental photoetch set. The single-fret set concentrates on the cockpit interior and adds just a handful of exterior details. As you can see from the pictures, the cockpit looks much more realistic and has a great depth due to the sandwich of photoetch parts representing the instrument panel. While it might sound complicated, it is actually very simple to assemble.… more |
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Mirage IIICJ Weekend MasksPublished:
Eduard has nice line of 1/48 scale Mirage IIICs and IIICJs. Their line also includes many different sets of aftermarket add-ons, including mask sets. A mask set is an excellent investment in your model, as it will save you time and grief while delivering very clean lines for your finished model. The mask set includes pre-cut masks for the canopy, the navigation lights, and landing gear, including the line between the tire and the wheel hub. The canopy mask provides you with only the edges of the canopy. You are expected to fill-in-the-blank, which is very simple and straightforward to do. I chose to use tape, but the instructions recommend using liquid mask. I did have a very limited amount of paint bleed underneath my tape, which I had to polish off afterwards, so… more |
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The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang: Part 1 Allison PoweredPublished:
While the P-51 B-, C-, and, certainly, D-models are well known and feature in plenty of references, that is not the case for the Allison-powered versions of the Mustang. SAM Publication’s new book The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang: Part 1 Allison Powered is meant to fill the void. The first 74 pages of the book cover the history of the early versions, from inception and design, to early combat with the RAF, USAAF, and a few other minor operators. These sections pack an incredible amount of research and are paired with period black-and-white pictures illustrating the design, construction, and service of the early Mustangs. Reading these pages is very interesting, as they cover all sorts of details from armament philosophy, to the political situation within and between the… more |
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European Tram - Part 3Published:
Part 3After scratching my head for quite some time I’ve finally came up with a plan to paint and assemble the main parts of the passenger cabin and move forward on the whole plan to complete this model. First paint and assemble the passenger benches (described in Part 2). Then dry fit and glue the cabin sides to the boarding area sides. That would create two main lateral sides. Mask and paint the sides to your desired color. Then paint the cabin bulkheads/division from the boarding area, but don’t bother with the clear parts yet. Once you are done painting all those parts, then glue the passenger benches to the bottom part (from part 1) and use the pre-assembled sides and bulkheads to form the passenger cabin. Once all of this is glued and set you… more |