Pablo Bauleo
Reviews By Author
|
European Tram - Part 1Published:
While growing up, I always had a soft spot for street cars, so I jumped at the chance of building and reviewing one as soon as I had the opportunity. MiniArt provides you with a “full meal” model of a European Tram: over 600 parts (on 25 sprues), including a very nicely detailed vacuform base with tracks, and two power poles. Before you open the box, just know that it is fully packed with parts. As soon as I opened the box, it was impossible for me to get all the sprues back in. I ended up using an empty model box for storage of some extra sprues. The model features a full interior with two positions for the driver, one at each end of the tram, and all of the doors can be posed open or closed. As all of the interior detail is going to be painted in wood colors you can have a… more |
|
Aces of the 325th Fighter GroupPublished:
ReviewThe 325th Fighter Group, also known as the “Checker Tail Clan” is one of the most well known units of the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. They flew P-40s, P-47s and P-51, making them a very interesting unit for modelers. They flew over North Africa, France, Italy, Eastern Europe and even the former Soviet Unit. Their distinctive tail markings helped aerial recognition and likely worried their counterparts when encountered in combat. The book has the following chapters
It covers chronologically the… more |
|
Hawker Hurricane Mk IIC - Hispano Mk I 20mm cannons (with flat recoil springs)Published:
Master Model from Poland specializes in metal turned parts for aftermarket kits. In my personal option, they are among the best in the market. I really like their products. This set is devoted to the weapons of the Hawker Hurricane Mk IIC. There are several kit options in 1/48 scale: Hasegawa, Hobbycraft and Italeri. This set can be used with all of the above, with different modifications in each case. For any of the base kits, you are instructed to drill holes in the wings for the fairings and to replace the plastic parts with the metals ones. In the case of the Hasegawa model (see photo), it could be possible to modify the wing fairing and just use the cannon barrel. You’ll lose a bit of detail, but you “gain” less effort needed to modify the kit. Be aware… more |
|
Hawker Hurricane Mk IIC - Hispano Mk II 20mm cannons (with round recoil springs)Published:
Master Model from Poland specializes in metal turned parts for aftermarket kits. In my personal opinion, they are among the best in the market. I really like their products, and this set in particular is probably one of the nicest I have seen from them. This set is devoted to the weapons of the Hawker Hurricane Mk IIC. There are several kit options in 1/48 scale: Hasegawa, Hobbycraft and Italeri. This set can be used with all of the above, with different modifications in each case. For any of the base kits, you are instructed to drill holes in the wings for the fairings and to replace the plastic parts with the metal ones. In the case of the Hasegawa model (see photo), it could be possible to modify the wing fairing and just use the cannon barrel. You’ll lose a bit of… more |
|
S2F Tracker Propeller with ToolPublished:
ReviewThe S2F Tracker needs no introduction. It has been in service for decades with Navies from all over the world. Kinetic has the only 1/48 injection molded kit in town and as such it is getting the attention from different aftermarket manufacturers. Quickboost has released a series of aftermarket details (wheels, pylons, radar, etc) including one for the propellers, which is the subject of this review. The addition of a “Tool” is a great idea to ensure all the blades have the same pitch and very easy to use. The resin parts are clearly sharper and finer than the plastic ones. Perhaps the main differences relates to size. The resin propeller hub is a tad longer than the plastic counterpart and the resin blades are a bit longer and narrower than the plastic… more |
|
Hawker Typhoon Mk IB Early Type Cannons with Uncovered BarrelsPublished:
Master Model from Poland specializes in metal turned parts for aftermarket kits. In my personal option they are among the best in the market. I really like their products. This set is devoted to the weapons of the Hawker Typhoon. There are two options for that kit in 1/48 scale: Hasegawa and Monogram. This set can be used with all of the above, with different modifications in each case. For all the makers you are instructed to drill holes in the wings for the fairings and to replace the plastic parts with the metal ones. In the case of the Hasegawa model (see photo) it could be possible to modify the wing fairing and just use the cannon barrel. You’ll lose a bit of detail, but you “gain” less effort to modify the kit. You are also provided with a small photo-etch fret… more |
|
Hawker Typhoon Mk IB Late Type Cannons with Covered BarrelsPublished:
Master Model from Poland specializes in metal turned parts for aftermarket kits. In my personal option they are among the best in the market. I really like their products. This set is devoted to the weapons of the Hawker Typhoon. There are two options for that kit in 1/48 scale: Hasegawa and Monogram. This set can be used with all of the above, with different modifications in each case. For each kit, you are instructed to drill holes in the wings for the fairings and to replace the plastic parts with the metal ones. You are also provided with a small photo-etch fret to dress up with wing area around the cannon fairing. Be aware that the outer and inward cannon fairings have different sizes and should not be used interchangeably. The instructions are very clear about which one… more |
|
AK Interactive Primer and Thinner (60 ml bottles)Published:
Note on MSRP: Primer is $10.85, Thinner is $8.95. AK Interactive is clearly one of the specialty brands in the world of modelling. From high quality finishing and weathering products to high quality primers, they are all about “the perfect finish” for your model. The grey primer is an excellent all-round primer, which provides a smooth coverage to plastic parts and it airbrushes really well. Their thinner, to be used sparingly from my own experience as I had a few runs, improves airbrushing quality and it can be used to thin paints from other brands, like Tamiya, Vallejo or Lifecolor paints. I’ve personally tried with Tamiya and it thinned and improved the flow of the paint like a charm. A killer paint job starts with a good surface and a good… more |
|
The Jetsons Capsule CarPublished:
Round 2 Models and Polar Lights have re-released The Jetsons Capsule Car with figures. This boxing only includes George Jetson and Astro. The figures are pre-painted and they look very nice. The clear capsule is very transparent and free of scratches due to careful packing. It does have a small “pimple” on the top, probably part of the molding process. This kit is a snap-together model, and the overall fit and ease of assembly is excellent. If you go OOB, and don’t want to paint it, you could have it ready for display (or playing) in less than 15 minutes. During assembly I found a few minor gaps in the capsule car ‘fins.’ It was a matter of 10 minutes with putty and sanding sticks to take care of them. I decided to paint the interior and exterior of the capsule… more |
|
Dark Steel PigmentPublished:
AK Interactive has a selected set of pigments (sold individually) known as the “AK Pigment Colors. There are 9 colors and they are the most used pigment shades for weathering models. You still can get some other specific shade for that special project you have in your workbench, but most of the time, those 9 colors would suffice. (You can see the full list at https://ak-interactive.com/product-category/paints/ak-weathering-paints/). This series of colors are bottled in larger (35 ml) flip-top bottles with the expectation of being used as “regular” weathering supplies. One of them is the “dark steel” pigment, which will find its way into many vehicles, armor, ships and aircraft… more |