Pablo Bauleo
Reviews By Author
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Vampire 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 Trumpeter Vampire. The set includes 4 parts, two landing gear struts and a two part nose 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. In particular the nose wheel replacement is more accurate is it includes a missing oleo (as you can see from the completed model, which was built using the plastic parts). Typically I tend to think of replacing a plastic landing gear by a white metal one when the model is large and heavy. For most single engine 1/48 scale models, weight is not an issue.… more |
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Spitfire Mk. I/Vb 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 Tamiya 1/48 Spitfire Mk.I/Vb. The set includes 3 parts, two landing gear struts and 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. They include the “double slot” in the struts where the plastic landing gear cover is attached, so replacement should be quick and painless. Typically I tend to think of replacing a plastic landing gear by a white metal one when the model is large and heavy. For most single engine 1/48 scale models, weight is not an issue. However, if you have… more |
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Bf 109 E3/4/7 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 Tamiya 1/48 Bf 109E3/4/7. The set includes 3 parts, two landing gear struts and 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. They include the “slot” in the struts where the plastic landing gear cover is attached, so replacement should be trivial. Typically I tend to think of replacing a plastic landing gear by a white metal one when the model is large and heavy. For most single engine 1/48 scale models, weight is not an issue. However, if you have added a resin cockpit, resin… more |
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USAAF National Insignia June 1943 – January 1947Published:
Squadron and SuperScale have released a decal sheet, #481266, with USAAF national insignia for the period June 1943 to January 1947. This decal sheet does not include the red border around the circle and bars. As such, I believe the markings are only valid from September 1943 until 1947, not from June 1943 as listed in the decal sheet title. The sheet includes decals for scale diameters of 25”, 30”, 35”, 36”, 40” and 55”. They are very shiny and printed by Cartograf (i.e. – good quality decals). The decal sheet instruction includes a location map for P-38, P-39, P-40, P-47 and P-51 aircraft. Decals are thin, yet strong. I was able to float them onto the model and then easily relocate them for final placement until dry. They settled into the recessed panel lines with a… more |
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B-25G “Shark Mouth”Published:
Academy continues to re-release the Accurate Miniatures series, which in my opinion is a very good thing. Despite their age, Accurate Miniature molds have very good surface detail and they have held up pretty well. There is virtually no flash at all. I only had to clean up two parts for a bit of flash. Originally, Accurate Miniature released the B-25G as a conversion set for their early mark B-25. This particular re-release brings you all the parts needed to assemble a B-25G in a single box, plus decals from Cartograf. As a plus, you get plenty of spare parts from the early mark (B/C/D) B-25s. Construction starts with the interior of the airplane. That means cockpit, bomb bay, radio equipment, storage bins, fire extinguishers, and even a chemical toilet! Sadly, most of… more |
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Air Vanguard USAF F-4 Phantom IIPublished:
Osprey Publishing continuous to expand the fledging series “Air Vanguard”. This new series is focused on a specific airframe, different versions/models and a brief detail of operational service of the aircraft under scrutiny. This volume (number 7 of the series) focuses on the USAF F-4 Phantom II. Based on the premise of this series, there are sections devoted to the airframe, engine, fuel system and armament. Specifically there are sections devoted to the F-4C, F-4D, F-4E, F-4F, and F-4G. It also includes sections on the reconnaissance versions of the above marks and special sections for license build/modifications for the Israeli and Japanese air forces. There are also a few short sections on special prototypes and test-bed airframes. Each section is well written and… more |
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Vampire FB Mk.9Published:
Upon opening the box, you will find 3 grey sprues, plus one clear sprue, instructions and a medium size decal sheet stencils included, for two finishing options, one in overall high speed silver and a camouflaged one. The part count is, relatively speaking, low with a total of 59 parts. The only real assembly option is the external tanks type, either conformal tanks from the Mosquito or drop tanks. You have to either choose which one to install or to fill in the holes in the lower wings. Perhaps the “main” issue with this kit is that the Vampire Mk.9 had an asymmetrical wing root (to accommodate an internal AC unit), but the plastic parts have symmetrical wing roots, making the kit a Mk.5. Personally, I am not all that worried about that, but some modelers might… more |
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Chieftain Main Battle Tank: Development and Active Service from Prototype to Mk. 11Published:
This book covers all the Chieftain versions from prototype to mark.11 – that means all the main battle tank versions of this significant AFV from the cold war. The only versions not covered are the special mission vehicles, like the bridge layer and recovery vehicle that are based on the Chieftain chassis. The book was written by Robert Griffin, who has served in the Chieftain for several years and can provide first-person impressions on its performance and spice up the reading by adding details of crew living conditions in the vehicle. The book’s breakdown covers:
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Me-410 Landing GearPublished:
Scale Aircraft Conversions specializes in white metal landing gear replacements for scale models. This was the first time I’ve used one of their replacements and I have to say that it was very easy to use them and that I like it a lot. This aftermarket set is designed to be a drop-in replacement for the Meng Messerchmitt 410 landing gear. You don’t need to modify any parts to make them fit to your airplane. The fit is perfect and the breakdown of the parts mimics the breakdown of the plastic parts. The replacement landing gear has good surface detail, very similar to the level of detail of the plastic parts. The white metal parts are actually very easy to work with. I did not need to clean any seams on my parts, nor modify them in any way. They took Model Master Enamel… more |
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Messerschmitt Me-410B-2/U4Published:
The Messerschmitt Me-410 was a German heavy fighter used by the Luftwaffe during WWII. The Me-410B-2/U4 was used as a bomber-killer. It was armed with a 50 mm BK5 cannon and employed to combat heavy bombers. Though powerful, the BK5 cannon was found not practical in actual combat operations. Meng has chosen to offer the Messerschmitt Me-410 as its first kit in 1/48 scale, and it is a welcome choice. The parts are molded in grey styrene, with no flash and exquisite surface detail. Also included is a small PE fret with a few details like seatbelts, radiator grille faces, and gun sight supports. Given the sprue breakdown and some indentation in the bottom wings (to open holes), it’s suggestive that there are plans to release different versions of the Me-410 in the future. My… more |