Paul Dunham
Reviews By Author
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P-40K-1/5 Warhawk 'Short Fuselage'Published:
Special Hobby’s short-fuselage P-40K kit was first issued back in 2018. I am glad to see it re-issued in 2023 (you can never have too many P-40s). The kit includes three runners of gray plastic, one of clear parts, a resin antenna and mount, decals, and instructions. Runner ‘B’ has lots of parts for other P-40 versions, so be careful that you use the correct ones. The parts and decals are individually bagged to prevent damage or loss. The kit comes in a sturdy top-opening box, so it should be safe from crushing even if it winds up at the bottom of your stash. Markings are provided for three U.S. and one Soviet P-40. Color call outs are provided for Gunze Sangyo Mr. Color and Aqueous Hobby Color paints. The instructions are well-illustrated and easy to follow, but I did find some… more |
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Panzer IV/70(A)Published:
Tamiya’s new ‘Panzer IV/70(A)’ kit depicts a late war German ‘stopgap’ design attempting to mount a high-velocity L/70 75mm anti-tank gun on a minimally modified Panzer IV chassis. The resulting vehicle had a taller profile than most other turretless Panzer IV and III types. Since this is a late-war vehicle, the lack of zimmerit is appropriate. The kit includes individually bagged sprues. As one would expect from a modern Tamiya kit, the parts are crisply molded with very faint mold parting lines. The lower hull front, sides, and bottom are molded in a single piece. The new lower hull mold is made by modifying Tamiya’s Panzer IV J mold with new components to depict new detail on the sides. The lower hull tub shows copyright dates for both 1994 and 2023. The drive sprockets,… more |
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Quake Crackle Creator TexturesPublished:
Ammo’s “Quake Crackle Creator Textures” are a line of thick acrylic paints formulated to dry with cracked surfaces in order to simulate terrain such as dried mud or cracked pavement. Quake is available in five colors: Crackle Base (white), Old Blacktop (black), Scorched Sand (tan), Baked Earth (brown), and Dry Season Clay (red-brown). I’ve tried the first three colors in this review. The product comes in 40ml plastic bottles. The screw-caps are nearly as wide as the bottles and have prominent ridges, so if you get paint on the threads, you can still get the bottles open. Quake can be applied to dioramas or figure bases with a brush or palette knife. Quake achieves its cracked surface by having a high rate of shrinkage as it dries. I experimented by applying Quake to various… more |
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Moss ProductsPublished:
Ammo’s line of Moss products is intended to help modelers simulate natural textures such as moss and lichen on their miniatures. The Moss products are a very finely shredded material that can be glued to surfaces to add the color and texture of tiny plants. Moss is available in ten colors that include a variety of greens and browns. The Moss comes in 35ml plastic jars. For this review I tried Ochre Moss, Bracken Green, and Sea Moss. Each Moss product is dyed a uniform color but they are easily mixed together to add variety. The product generally has a very fine texture but I did encounter a few clumps up to about 2mm in size. These clumps are easily broken up if not needed. Ammo recommends their “Ultra Glue” AMIG2031 for attaching the Moss. I didn’t have this glue but I found… more |
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Mig-23BN Flogger HPublished:
This kit is a cooperative effort between the companies Platz and Italeri. The kit contents are well protected in a sturdy top-opening box. The plastic parts are provided by Italeri and are the same as in many Italeri boxings of the Mig-23. The kit includes four sprues of parts in light gray plastic, a clear sprue of canopy and landing lights parts, decals, a sheet of pre-cut masks, instructions, and four-view painting/decaling guides and decals to build either a Soviet or North Korean option. The plastic parts provided by Italeri were first issued by ESCI back in the late 1970’s. The design and detail of the plastic parts reflect the standards of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Interior detail is sparse and exterior detail is depicted by fine raised panel-lines. Sprues C and E provide… more |
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Military Miniatures U.S. Infantry Scout SetPublished:
Tamiya’s new 1/35th scale figure kit “U.S. Infantry Scout Set” includes plastic parts for making five U.S. army WWII infantry figures. The kit comes in a 10” by 6” by 1 1/2” top-opening box. The box contains four sprues of plastic parts, a double-sided instruction sheet, and water-slide decals. Sprue CA and sprue CB provide the weapons and accessories. The weapons included are: an M1918 BAR with choice of open or closed bipod, an M1 carbine, two M1 garand rifles, an M1A1 thompson, two bayonets, three knives, and six hand grenades. There are enough entrenching tools, canteens, and helmets for each figure. The helmets are molded with the straps pulled up over the brims. Two of the helmets have mesh coverings molded on. Sprues X and Z provide the parts for the meaty bits and figure-… more |
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USN OS2U Kingfisher VO-1 USS Arizona BB-39 DecalsPublished:
As one might guess from the company’s name, Yellow-Wings Decals specializes in decals for American military aircraft from the period when they sported some very colorful markings. Sheet 48-044 titled: “USN OS2U Kingfisher, VO-1 USS Arizona BB-39, Inshore Patrol Squadron, Sitka Alaska” provides marking for two colorful Kingfishers. The sheet is intended for the Monogram Kingfisher 1/48th scale kit. The kit is no longer in production but is not expensive or hard to find on ebay or at swap-meets. The Yellow-Wings artwork recommends the “Kitty Hawk OS2U Kingfisher” but this is a 1/32nd scale kit and won’t work with these decals. The decal sheet provides enough markings to build two complete models: one from VO-1 of the USS Arizona, and one stationed in Sitka Alaska. The instructions… more |
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PartisansPublished:
Italeri’s “Partisans” figure kit (photo 1) is a re-issue of the 1977 ESCI kit “Partisans Resistance Group”. The kit includes two sprues providing parts for six figures and various accessories (photos 2 & 3). The illustration on the back of the box serves as both the assembly and painting instructions (photo 4). The suggested paint colors refer to Italeri’s acrylic paint line. Three of the figures are kneeling, one is standing and throwing, and there is a woman helping a wounded comrade. The weapons included in the kit are: three mauser 98k rifles, an MP-40 submachine gun, a sten submachine gun, a carcano rifle, three stick grenades, a pineapple-style grenade, and four Molotov cocktails. The other accessories included are: binoculars, two knapsacks, two satchels, and a plunger-style… more |
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USAAF Bomber Pilots and Ground Personnel (1944-1945)Published:
ICM’s new figure kit “USAAF Bomber Pilots and Ground Personnel (1944-1945)” includes three aircrew figures, two ground crew figures, and two flight bags. The colorful box lid (photo-1) is flimsy but covers a sturdy hinged cardboard inner box (photo-2). The packaging won’t get squashed if the box winds up underneath all the other kits you told yourself you wouldn’t buy until you finished something you already have. The included instruction sheet is printed in color with a parts map and paint list on one side (photo-3), and assembly and painting instructions on the other (photo-4). The paint list includes color recommendations for ICM, Revell, and Tamiya brand paints. The painting instructions are somewhat simplified and since I didn’t have the recommended brands of paint, I used the… more |
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Figures Set DAK (Africa Korps) UniformsPublished:
Ammo By MIG’s new paint set “DAK (Africa Korps) Uniforms” includes six 17ml bottles of water-based acrylics. Each bottle has a steel ball inside to speed up the mixing of the paint when shaking the bottle. The colors included are: Dark Olive Green F-503, Pale Yellow Green F-505, Field Grey Shadow F-514, Dark Brown F-533, Italian Green Camo F-535, and Ochre Brown F-546 (photo-1). These colors are intended for painting German World War Two tropical army uniforms as worn by the Deutsches Afrikakorps (DAK). After the German surrender in North Africa these same uniforms were authorized for summer use in southern Europe, so the modeler can put these paints to use on more subjects than the label would suggest. The paints come packaged in a small paper box illustrated with a miniature of a… more |