Pat Villarreal
Reviews By Author
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Seafire FR Mk. 47 "The Last Royal Navy Propeller Fighter"Published:
Special Hobby has provided the 1/72nd scale Supermarine Seafire FR Mk. 47 for review. Subtitle on this boxing is “The Last Royal Navy Propeller Fighter” and (per Wikipedia) it was the last Spitfire/Seafire variant to roll off the assembly line at Supermarine in January 1949. Looking at Scalemates.com, the molds were produced back in 2012 and this 2024 boxing has new decal markings for No. 804 NAS, HMS Ocean (Mediterranean, 1949), No. 1833 NAS, RNAS Bramcote / HMS Gamecock (1953), and two (2) markings for No. 800 NAS, HMS Triumph (Korea 1950). In The BoxThe kit box is typical top opening with a nice illustration. All the sprues are packaged in a single clear plastic bag with the clear parts package individually bagged. A photo-etch sheet is also included… more |
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Southeast Asia Intruders (1)Published:
AOA Decals has provided IPMS/USA reviewer corps with a wonderful decal set for Vietnam War era markings for US Marine Corps A-6A, A-6B, and KA-6D Intruders. The rollout of this decal sheet coincides with the 2023 release of the 1/72 scale Trumpeter A-6A Intruder. This 1/72 decal sheet covers all four USMC A-6 Intruder squadrons during the Vietnam War:
This set also includes markings for MERs, fuel… more |
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Southeast Asia Intruders (2)Published:
AOA Decals has provided IPMS/USA reviewer corps with a wonderful decal set for Vietnam War era markings for US Navy A-6A, A-6B, and KA-6D Intruders. The rollout of this decal sheet coincides with the 2023 release of the 1/72 scale Trumpeter A-6A Intruder. Five US Navy squadrons are covered in this decal set with multiple options for each squadron:
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Bristol Beaufort Mk. I, Bombing Raid, (Part 2)Published:
ICM has released a new 1/48th scale Bristol Beaufort Mk. I, Bombing Raid version with decals devoted to No. 22 and No. 217 Squadron. For this boxing, there is an additional Sprue W (3X) that will turn this Mk. I into a bombing raid ordnance configuration versus the torpedo version of the previous boxings (there is no F2 or torpedo trailer sprue in this kit). This is PART 2 of this kit review and PART 1 can be located here: In the BoxThe box and contents review are in PART 1. Review ProcessFor this build review, I decided on the Bristol Beaufort Mk. I, L9878 MW-R, No. 217 Squadron, Autumn 1941, as the final configuration. This is a box stock build but I did not follow the instruction build sequence since there are area of improvements noted below… more |
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Bristol Beaufort Mk. I, Bombing Raid (Part 1)Published:
ICM has released a new 1/48th scale Bristol Beaufort Mk. I, Bombing Raid version with decals devoted to No. 22 and No. 217 Squadron. For this boxing, there is an additional Sprue W (3X) that will turn this Mk. I into a bombing raid ordnance configuration versus the torpedo version of the previous boxings (there is no F2 or torpedo trailer sprue in this kit). This is a 2-part review and PART 1 will review the contents of this kit. In The BoxThe kit box is typical top open with a nice illustration, but it does have a heavier cardboard fully enclosed box to protect all plastic inside. The sprues are packaged in a single plastic bag and the styrene is your typical light gray and clear plastic and will bond well with your usual modeling cement. Instructions… more |
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Rollmade IV "Universal Roller"Published:
UMM-USA has provided the Rollmade IV “Universal Roller” for review. This tool is use for photoetch, brass, copper, and aluminum sheets to create rolls in diameters of 9.0, 10.0, 11.0, 12.0, 13.0, 14.0mm. It does NOT come with a roller pin but any wood dowl or metal rod will suffice. It is made from a harden tempered aluminum and the overall size is: L 90mm x W 20mm x H 10mm. Very compact and easy to store.For this review, I used some leftover brass PE, Eduard metal PE, and soft copper wire along with a metal straw (as a roller) to test. Each piece of material formed with ease in the Rollmade IV. I do recommend using a larger diameter roller versus the straw I used since the “springing action” of the material will want to conform to the roller that is used. Conclusions… more |
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Double Beveled Gliding Scriber (2.5 mm)Published:
UMM-USA has provided us with a Double Beveled 2.5 mm Gliding Scriber tool. The scriber is made from hardened steel and will be able to scribe plastic and resin. The double bevel feature will allow the modeler the ability to scribe into tight 90-degree corners that, through the molding process, may have left behind a small radius of material from styrene injection, resin molded parts, or loose printer tolerances of 3-D resin. On sample parts from my spares box, the scriber cuts effortlessly into plastic. Using a spare wing’s interior side, I used a metal ruler as a guide to make some straight lines and freehanded some other lines. Using a spare 1/48 scale missile and bomb with molded fins, I was able to create a nice sharp scribed edge where the fins meet the surface of the… more |
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The Riveter – Single Rivet Wheel 0.40 mm (1/144 & 1/72)Published:
UMM-USA has provided the reviewer core with a riveting tool for 1/144th and 1/72nd scale models. This is a single row rivet pounce wheel with a rivet pitch (distance between rivets) of 0.40 mm. Its main target use is for smaller scale models. The handle is made from a 3-D print and the filament is colored white and black. A yellow dot is colored into the handle and correlates to the size on the sheet packaging for 0.40 mm rivet pitch. I used this tool on a 1/144th scale spare F/A-18 Hornet kit and quickly riveted on only the RHS. The look is to scale and adds more detail and interest versus the LHS that is not riveted. ConclusionsThis is a neat tool to have which will add more detail to your builds by adding fastener/rivet… more |
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Precision Sprue/Wire Round CutterPublished:
UMM-USA has provided the reviewer corps with a side cutting Sprue/Wire “ROUND” cutter. It is labeled “Round” because the cutting jaw is circular at the tip. The cutter is made from hardened steel and the “tweezer-like action” allows for precise cutting to remove small parts from sprues with a flush cut which will reduce sanding at the attached point. Also, it has a tapered edge and will allow access in tight places for parts removal. Reading the description on the website (UMM-USA.com), the cutter can also be used on resin, soft wires and photo-etch. For my sample, I cut some parts from a current project on my hobby bench. As advertised it cuts well and very close to the edge. A little soft sanding may be needed to remove the remaining sprue attach nub but overall, a… more |
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F-4N and F-14A VF-201 Lone Star HuntersPublished:
New decals for two aircraft of the VF-201 Hunters stationed out of NAS Fort Worth, TX. One is of an F-4N Phantom (BuNo 152244) during August, 1977. The other is of an F-14A Tomcat (BuNo 160396) during November 1998. In the PackageThere are two (2) decal sheets provided. The main sheet provides the colorful tail markings, insignias, and stencils. The second sheet is smaller for the F-4N Phantom fuselage “Navy” & “AF” wing markings. They are printed by Cartograf and have minimal excess clear film around the edges. The colors are vibrant and the registry is perfect.The fold-out color marking guide (11” X 17”) will help you locate the decals for each airplane. This also includes vendor paint guides for AK, Hataka, Mr. Color, and Mr. Paint. Recommended kits for this… more |