Pablo Bauleo
Reviews By Author
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British 6 Pdr Anti-Tank Gun (Airborne) with 1/4 Ton Truck & CrewPublished:
Bronco models have repacked its Jeep and airborne anti-tank 6 pdr gun, together with 6 figures into this “full meal” boxing. Actually the vehicle has the necessary part to be the airborne variation used to tow the gun, including all the fittings for the ammo boxes. When you open the box you find 26 (!) sprues –including one clear-, 3 photo-etch frets, and 3 decal sheets, including one for the soldiers rank. You get all the parts needed to model the airborne variation of the Jeep used to tow the gun, including all the fittings for the ammo boxes. You actually get several extra parts in this boxing and maybe you can model other versions of the Jeep, but I am not sure. The surface detail is impressive, petite yet well defined. The tires even have the maker letterings in… more |
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"Ovals and Oblong" and "Ovals" Steel TemplatesPublished:
In recent months Eduard Models has been releasing some very useful tools for the modeler, like this series of templates. I have previously reviewed three other sets in the range: http://web.ipmsusa3.org/content/shapes-templates This first set reviewed in this article is “Ovals and Oblong,” part number 00031, with a total of 25 shapes. There are four subsets of shapes: two oval subsets, a teardrop subset, and a circle with a flat edge subset. The last shape is very useful when scribing fuel/oil caps onto airplanes or vehicles. The next set is “Ovals,” part number 00032, with a whopping 60 oval templates. Their dimension ranges from 1x1.8 mm to 2.8x7.6 mm. You will be hard pressed to claim there was an oval… more |
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Chinese Navy Type 052D Missile Destroyer ChangshaPublished:
The Type 052D is a Chinese designed and built missile destroyer. It features an active electronically scanned array radar system and it is refer by the Chinese media as the “Chinese Aegis”. There are two ships in the class completed and several more under construction. This kit represents the second ship of the class, “Changsha”. Upon opening the box you find 13 sprues, 2 photo-etch frets (one of them for the nameplate), one clear sprue for the helicopter and a small decal sheet. The superstructure is packed on its individual box –inside the main box-. Despite the precautions my sample got slightly warped during transit (see photo). This is a nice sized kit, with the hull being almost 18.5 inches long. There is no option for waterline hull, however there is an flat… more |
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French CiviliansPublished:
Mini-Art continues to expand its 1/35 line of figures this time with a “French Civilian” set, with a total of 53 parts for 5-figures. One of the figures is a priest, another one a middle-aged business person, a French policeman, one young man carrying some bread in a basket (or is it a member of the resistance?) and an old man, with a raised arm, like if it were to be celebrating the liberation. You get two sprues, plus a small sprue map in the box. Color instructions are called on the back of the box. There is no flash in the figures, but some line molding removal will be needed. Most figures are multipieces, with several having two or more parts for the torso and in most cases the hats are molded separately from the head. In the case of the old man and the… more |
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German TankmenPublished:
Master Box from Ukraine specializes in 1/35 scale figures, mainly from WWII era. They have released this 5-figure set “German Tankmen”. In the box you get one single sprue with parts for 5 figures, plus a 200 liter tank, a hand pump and a hose. All figures have the typical breakdown (torso, arms, legs, head). When appropriate the head part has the hat molded on. All the figures are molded in fatigues, but neither in combat position nor combat clothing. Two of them are cigarettes in their hands and two others are filling up an oil/gas tank, by using the hand pump. The sprue is molded in light grey and it has no flash. Even the mold lines are extremely faint. Cleaning of the parts would be a breeze. The sprue has no part numbers, but a sprue map is provided with… more |
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British OfficersPublished:
Mini-Art continues to expand its 1/35 line of figures this time with a 5-figure set of “British Officers”. One of the figures wears a kilt and the rest of the figures have gear for somewhat cold weather (coats, scarfs, etc). You get two sprues for a total of 52 parts, plus a small printed out page with a parts map. There is no flash in the sprues and the mold lines are extremely faint. Assembly and color instructions are in the back of the box. The kilt is likely to be the most challenging part to paint. I know it is beyond my painting skills and I would have like to have a decal provided for it. The figures are broken down in a typical fashion of torso (at times two or three parts), legs, arms and head. When applicable, hats are molded as an independent part.… more |
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P-38 Lighting Aces 1942-43Published:
Osprey Publishing continues to expand the Aircraft of the Aces series with the installment of P-38 Lighting Aces 1942-43. This book is well researched and has plenty of black and white pictures, including several images of aircrafts with very decorative nose-art or ‘teeth’ in the engine cowlings. All of the depicted aircraft have the Olive Drab over Neutral Gray camouflage scheme. The book is divided in the following sections:
Each section is virtually an independent monograph and the book could be read in any order. … more |
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F9F Panther Units of the Korean WarPublished:
Osprey Publishing keeps expanding its Combat Aircraft series with its latest book, F9F Panther Units of the Korean War. I personally think that the F9F Panther is among the most beautiful jets of the early era—together with the F-86 Sabre—so I might be a bit biased on this topic. Clearly, from the beginning of the book you realize the author, Warren Thompson, is extremely well versed in the Korean conflict, and he is a great researcher. The level of detail and accuracy in his narrative is outstanding. He is really good at combine first hand narratives and mission reports to allow the reader have a sense of the pilot experiences, as well as the overall combat record of each unit, and the strategic situation in the Korean Peninsula during the conflict. This book… more |
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Gator GluePublished:
Gator Masks had a happy accident. Gator glue ordered the wrong products when planning to make a batch of their regular “Gator Grip” glue and accidently made a thinner product, which like the original glue. Gator glue is water based and non-toxic. After testing the new thinner product, they decided to add this “happy accident” to the catalog as the “Thin Blend” version of the Gator glue. This product is called “a perfect blend for Photo Etch”. So I tried the thinner Gator glue with some PE seatbelts and a scrap piece of clear plastic and this is what I’ve discovered: The water based aspect of this glue is very nice as if you have a bit of glue that oozes out, you can clean it with a Q-tip and water. The glue also dries virtually flat, which is a big contrast to regular… more |
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European Tram - Part 2Published:
Part 2: Painting the InteriorThis build has not completely stalled, despite the long hiatus since the last update. I have been working on the painting of the interior and undercarriage and I have done some research as to what colors to use. The passenger cabin was left in natural wood color (mahogany maybe) with some varnish to protect the wood. The driver position was most likely painted wood, in different versions of tan and sand color, but perhaps it was natural wood color in some examples. As the model features a full interior (which is very exposed due to the large windows), you will have to remove and prepare all the parts, ensuring proper dry fitting of them before you can paint and glue them. Given that there are handrails in the inside of the… more |