Pablo Bauleo
Reviews By Author
|
P-47D 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 Academy 1/48 P-47D, which has been boxed by Italeri and Eduard too. The set includes 5 parts, two landing gear struts and scissors plus the tail wheel, finely molded in white metal. These parts are drop-in replacements for the plastic parts. You can see from the pictures the parts are very cleanly molded and formed. Attaching the struts scissors is very easily accomplished with superglue as regular plastic glue will not work on white metal. While dry fitting the parts, I’ve noticed that the white metal landing gear struts are molded a little bit shorter than the plastic ones. I was able to tell that when I… more |
|
Su-7BKL Air IntakesPublished:
Quickboost is well known for creating nicely detailed drop-in replacement parts to enhance the detail of plastic models. This time around they have released a set of fuselage air intakes for the Su-7 from KP (reboxed by Eduard). The air intakes are perfectly cast in grey resin, with a smooth, bubble-free finish. The molding includes two side walls to prevent accidental damage of the parts while in transit or storage. Removal of the parts should be easy, with either a hobby saw or even by scoring with a #11 blade if you take your time. All the air intakes are hollow and have very thin edges, adding to the scale effect of your model. You can compare the resin parts with the plastic ones. The plastic ones have thick edges and in some cases (like part 119) they are not even… more |
|
Mirage III Pitot TubePublished:
Quickboost is well known for creating nicely detailed drop-in replacement parts to enhance the detail of plastic models. This time they present a trio of pitot tubes for the Mirage III, for either the Eduard or the Hobby Boss kit. The pitot tubes are perfectly cast in grey resin, with a smooth, bubble-free finish. The molding includes two side walls to prevent accidental damage of the parts while in transit or storage. Removal of the parts should be easy, with either a hobby saw or even by scoring with a #11 blade if you take your time. This set provides you with spare parts, which is a very thoughtful decision from Quickboost, as pitot tubes are very easily broken off. If you are careful in construction, you have spares for your next Mirage! Perhaps the single… more |
|
Mirage III Gun BarrelsPublished:
Quickboost is well known for creating nicely detailed drop-in replacement parts to enhance the detail of plastic models. They have released a set of gun barrels for the Mirage III, for either the Eduard or the Hobby Boss kit. It might be possible to use this set with the Italeri Mirage IIIE, but I am not sure. The cannon barrels are perfectly cast in grey resin, with a smooth, bubble-free finish. The molding includes two side walls to prevent accidental damage of the parts while in transit or storage. Removal of the parts should be easy, with either a hobby saw, or even by scoring with a #11 blade, if you take your time. You can compare the resin parts with the plastic ones provided in the Hobby Boss kit. The main difference you’ll see is the muzzle brake detail and a… more |
|
Freight ShedPublished:
Mini Art has been releasing a series of modular buildings in 72nd scale. By modular I mean you get parts for roofs, windows, doors, walls, etc., and you potentially could mix-and-match and make your own building. The modular design allows a significant level of flexibility, but it comes with the price of multiple pieces (perhaps 83 pieces are a bit too many for a building of this size?) and with too many seams. The kit is molded in different plastic colors with the intention of being displayed without actually painting it. I decided to build it that way so you will see what you get if you were to build it out-of-the-box. Upon construction of the building foundation, I found that the wooden planks that form the floor would flex, given how long – and unsupported – they… more |
|
Eastern InfernoPublished:
This book is a compilation of 3 journals written by Hans Roth, a soldier with the 299th Infantry Division, attached to the Sixth Army. It covers the period 1941 to 1943. It is an incredible first-hand narration of the life of a German soldier in the Eastern Front. It is particularly interesting as it was written within days of the events being narrated (often on the same day), meaning that the memories were fresh and undisturbed by the pass of time. At the same time, being its own personal journal, censors were not able to edit out parts of the narration, reflecting the exact thoughts of a soldier in the front. There are parts of the book when I almost felt like I was intruding in the personal life of Hans Roth, as he would describe his thoughts about his wife, daughter… more |
|
Aces of the 78th Fighter GroupPublished:
Osprey Publishing continues to expand it series Aircraft of the Aces with the installment of the Aces of the 78th Fighter Group. The book covers the story from inception to disbanding of the 78th Fighter Group. Even when trained to fly the P-38, upon arrival in England their airplanes (and many of their pilots) were sent to North Africa, and the group had to convert to, at the time, the short-legged P-47, then it took the Thunderbolts all the way to Germany and it ended the war flying P-51s. The book has the following chapters:
The first chapter covers the first mission in which the… more |
|
Wings of the NavyPublished:
Eric Brown has flown more aircraft types and performed more carrier landings than any other person, dead or alive. That alone makes him a unique individual. In addition to that, he is actually a good writer. I’ve read several other of his books and I have found them very interesting, easy to read, and almost in the category of “page-turners.” This book is no exception. This version is an extended edition of the original book, which was focused mainly in carrier-borne World War II airplanes. He added several carrier-based jet airplanes that he got to fly in his extended career, either in the post-war years or during his time at the US Naval Air Test Center. The book extensively covers the Swordfish, Skua and Roc, Albacore, Fulmar, Wildcat, Dauntless, Sea Hurricane,… more |
|
Space Shuttle Tile DecalsPublished:
Warbird Decals is known for its aircraft decal line, and now it is making new strides into real space subjects. Upon opening the ziplock bag, you find two letter-size decal sheets which includes lower surfaces and upper surface/rudder tiles, and one single page with a 4-view drawing of the Space Shuttle with a decal map. The decal sheets provide extra decals, but the instructions do not tell you what for (more on this later). I built the Tamiya Space Shuttle a few years back. You can find a review of the kit at http://web.ipmsusa3.org/content/space-shuttle-atlantis. It is a nice kit, but certainly has room for improvement, mainly due to the lack of tile detail in the lower surfaces. These… more |
|
On-Target Battle of Britain Special #9Published:
The Aviation Workshop produces this special title on the Battle of Britain 70th Anniversary Edition. I should say that the book is more like “Camouflage and Markings - Western Front 1940”, because the book also includes multiple details and color profiles regarding the Battle of France and the Low Countries, plus a few selected profiles from the Invasion of Norway. These are the chapters in the book:
|