Pablo Bauleo
Reviews By Author
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P-51C "Bendix Racer"Published:
Accurate Miniatures P-51C has been re-boxed many times. This is the “Bendix Racer” boxing of it. You get the standard sprues, which is a full military P-51C (i.e. machine guns are included in the kit). Probably the main, and really the only problem about this kit, is the instructions. To begin with, they are very confusing regarding the left and right parts for the rear fuselage. You just have to use your common sense. Besides, it is very obvious which part is the left (or right) part of the fuselage; just look at the drawings and ignore the part number. I assembled and detailed the cockpit as per instructions. Then I departed from the instructions by first gluing the forward and rear parts of each fuselage together, then assembling both full fuselages sides together.… more |
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Alpha Precision Abrasives Modeler's Introductory PackagePublished:
Alpha Precision Abrasives is a manufacturer of industrial abrasives. It also has selection of abrasive tools for the hobbyist. Master Detail is packaging a selection of Alpha Precision Abrasives products into an introductory package. The package includes
The sanding files are really nice. They bend enough as to follow curved parts without damaging or deforming them, while still have enough ‘hardness’ as to get the sanding job done. You can clean them and re-use them several times (see below). They are color coded in each… more |
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Predator MQ-1APublished:
[Japanesse] manufacturer Platz has expanded its UAV line to cover several versions of the Predator. This review covers the MQ-1A one, which is the armed one. The kit is molded in light plastic and two sprues. You get 6 marking options, but there are plenty of extra decals in the sheet, so you can probably find enough markings for almost any predator in service. Wings are one piece, helping to set the proper dihedral which is critical on an airplane with such a long wingspan relative to the fuselage. Given that there is no cockpit, assembly is quick and easy. It took me about two hours to prepare the parts and assemble them. I left the landing gear out the kit for ease of painting. Both tail surfaces have molded-in pitot tubes (or at least I think that is… more |
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Polish Wings 13 - Spitfire Mk IX 1942-1943 (Part 1)Published:
Stratus Publishing continues its line of “Polish Wings”, this time with a book devoted to the Spitfire Mk IX and its pilots during the period 1942-1943. Among the first polish pilots to fly the Spitfire Mk IX were members of the ATA (Air Transport Auxiliary) which will deliver airplanes from the assembly line to operational squadrons. Among them were at least two female polish pilots, which got to fly the Spitfire Mk IX before the operational polish pilots in the RAF. Apparently that didn’t go over well at the time, but I’m glad that the record is kept straight and recognition is given to whom it deserved (in this case, two female pilots). The book is structured following the squadron and HQ flights of the 1stPolish Wing at Northolt, including 306 Sqn, 315 Sqn… more |
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Rocket Launcher UB-16 and UB-32Published:
Czech manufacturer Eduard continues expanding its “Brassin” line of detail parts for aircraft. This time they are offering the UB-16 and UB-32 rocket launcher which has seen widespread use in Soviet designed aircraft, like L-39, MiG-21/23/27, Su-7/17/20/22, and Yak-28/38. The detail kit includes 10 resin parts (casted in two different resin colors) and a small PE fret with another 6 parts. Resin parts are nicely detailed with great surface detail and very cleanly casted, with small pour stabs. Photoetch parts are exquisitely thin and very easy to work with. It took me a total of 30 minutes to get all four rocket launcher assembled. The assembly is simple and straightforward but releasing the parts R3 and R4 (rocket launcher back cones) from their pour stabs requires… more |
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WWII U.S. Sherman TanksPublished:
The M4 Sherman is probably the most easily recognizable American tank ever built. This book focuses in the variants and used by the American Army in World War II. Variants cover include: Small Hatch M4, Small Hatch M4A1, Small Hatch M4A2, Small Hatch M4A3 75 mm, M4 Composite, M4 105 Howitzer, Large Hatch M4A1 (76)W, Large Hatch M4A2, Large Hatch M4A3 75 mm, Large Hatch M4A3 (76)W, M4A4 (105), M4A3E2, M4A6, M4A3E8 and a section devoted to specialized uses like Amphibious (DD Tanks), Bulldozer, Flamethrowers, etc. The book is profusely illustrated with close to 200 B&W pictures and several color period pictures as well. There are just a few color profiles. The book covers variants that saw services in North Africa, Italy, D-Day, and the Western Front –including the… more |
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Bf 110 Instrument Panel – Limited EditionPublished:
Czech manufacturer Eduard has a great reputation for its aftermarket instrument panel and now it provides the modeler with the ultimate instrument panel: the ¼ scale Bf 110 instrument panel. This kit was first available as a bonus for the Bf 110 Royal Class edition and now it is been released as a ‘stand-alone’ kit in a Limited Edition format. You get a whole instrument panel, a sprue full of bezels and levers, two sprues of clear parts, two fret of pre-painted PE and a set of vinyl instrument faces. Plastic parts are molded in very accurate colors. Still I’ve decided to paint the instrument bezels in black and the back of the instrument panel in RLM 66. The instructions consist of 13 steps, basically one step from beginning to end for each instrument or set of… more |
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Soviet PAG-14 Airfield PlatesPublished:
ICM has a growing line of 1/72 soviet jets and now it is providing modelers with a simple and cost effective way to enhance how to display our models: PAG-14 Airfield plates. I must confess, I don’t know anything about those plates nor I was able to find any online reference so I cannot speak as to their accuracy. You get 32 individual plates, each one with dimensions of 82 by 27 mm. The plates have some nice texture which gets highlighted with either a wash or drybrushing. The parts have medium size attachment points to the sprue (typical of ICM) and some sanding is required to clean up the parts. There are no decals nor instruction provided with this set, but the back of the box includes some recommended paint color and a generic configuration for the plates. Of… more |
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P-47 Thunderbolt "Bubbletop"Published:
Kit Review The P-47 “Thunderbolt” went through a major design upgrade in 1943, when its canopy and back fuselage was modified to be a “bubbletop”. Based on the information in the book the ‘inspiration’ for this modification was the RAF Hawker Typhoon. This book covers all the “bubbletop” production variants from P-47D-25 to the final version, the P-47N, including all the related prototypes. The first section of the book is dedicated to technical details on each prototype and production variants. There are plenty of historical pictures for each variant including foreign operators and post war operators and even a few historical color pictures too. The second part of the book is a “walk around” of different P-47 preserved in museums. The walk… more |
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Domestic AnimalsPublished:
The domestic animals set is a welcome addition to the 1/35 scale diorama, adding some more every-day objects (or animals) to the traditionally military-focus aspects of dioramas. Master Box has released a single sprue of 26 parts containing two cows and one goat. The box shows two goats, but it is just two suggested painting options. The sprue attachment points are medium sized and some part preparation and cleaning is needed. Care is needed when removing parts from the sprue as to avoid damaging detail. Overall detail is good, with clearly detailed faces, eyes and ears. You can even see the ribs in the cow sides. The goat hair might be a bit overdone but that makes painting and washing easier. The parts have no locating pins and there are some mold lines that need to… more |